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We loved your Birth and Breastfeeding Angel stories!
First Prize Breastfeeding Angel Category
By Shari Spivack in honor of Patricia J. Sterner, BSN, RN, IBCLC, CPCE, of Teaneck New Jersey.
 
This story is not long and it may not stand out as amazing or inspirational
to many people. To me however, the lactation consultant who helped me learn
to breastfeed my first child gave me an incredible gift. She probably thinks
she was just doing her job, but when she showed up at my home on such short
notice, the day after I brought my son home, she opened up seven years of
beautiful breastfeeding memories with my three children, the youngest of whom
is now two and still nursing. She has also inspired in me, a desire to
become a lactation consultant myself, to be able to pass this gift onto other
families.
My son slept almost the entire 24 hours we spent in the hospital. I had mega
medication in my epidural and that probably had something to do with it. I
couldn't get him to nurse at all and I was very nervous. The nursing staff
suggested I request a lactation consultant, but she wouldn't show up until
the following day (you have to request one day in advance - good thing I was
still in the hospital). When the woman came the next day she was awful. She
spent the entire time with my roommate, who incidentally had not requested
her, and whose baby was nursing beautifully. I went home with a bag of
formula, the nursing staff's answer to my problem.
The next morning at home, my husband and I were worried as my son had not
eaten since he was born (48 hours before) so I desperately gave in to a
bottle. Well, he didn't want that either. So I called the pediatrician who
suggested another lactation consultant and told me not to worry, that I
wasn't starving my baby, he was probably fine. When I called the lactation
consultant she wasn't sure she could get there that day, but I begged
(pleaded, cried). (There is a lactation center not far from my home, but the
thought of going out at that point was insurmountable at least so it seemed,
plus there had been a snow storm so the streets were covered and icy and we
didn't have a car.) So after a full day at the hospital, she stopped by on
the way home. Hungry and tired, I am sure, she was patient and understanding
and would not leave until my son was nursing happily and I had done it on my
own without her help. That was very important, had she not stayed until I
was confident, I don't know if I would have trusted myself. Then she stayed
even longer to teach me to use the breast pump my husband had run out to buy,
which proved to be very important, as once it started, the milk flowed, and
flowed and flowed!
I wasn't sure the insurance would pay for the home visit, and at that point I
wasn't working and my husband was a student, we didn't have much money.
Patricia only charged me for the first hour although she was there almost
two. She also responded to a couple of calls through out the next six months
when I had questions.
I guess that story was longer than I thought, and maybe Patricia doesn't seem
like an angel to anyone else, but to me she was sent straight from heaven,
and she doesn't even know it. By the way, my son nursed for 13 months, my
second son nursed for 22 months (no bottles, nursed in delivery room!) and my
daughter just turned two (no bottles).
First Prize Birth Angel Category
By Amy Kardel in honor of Brenda Ramler, LM, of Arroyo Grande, CA.
 Amy, Jorgen, & Brenda
Babies bring us lots of things -- late night moments of wonder, laundry
baskets overflowing with tiny clothes, lessons on what is meaningful and, of
course, many surprises about nature and ourselves. However, the one thing I
never expected babies to bring me was a dear friend.
As I write this letter of thanks to our midwife, my sleeping son is six
tender days old. His tiny toes twitch against mine as my laptop clicks away
in the sunny August bedroom where he was born.
By helping me through four pregnancies, home births and the learning curves
of nursing over the last six years, our midwife Brenda has become so much
more than the generic insurance company label of a "health care provider".
She certainly has provided health and care to me, our three sons and
daughter during the first weeks of their lives. She has even been an
important advisor to my husband on his roles in our new family. But more
importantly, she helped us to develop and foster a sense of responsibility
for our own health and trust in the wisdom our bodies that I hope will
benefit our children for the rest of their lives.
She taught us that birth is not just a moment recorded on a certificate, but
a process can shape an entire family. She never rushed a prenatal visit,
late night telephone question or a stage of labor, and at the same time she
made sure that all medical details were duly recorded and analyzed. She knew
how to listen and observe in order to provide the best possible care. I will
never forget her gently helping my excited two-year-old daughter to listen
to baby's heart tones through my bulging belly with a fetoscope. She knew
the importance of making a new big sister feel included and important.
She held my hand when I was violently ill with morning sickness early in my
pregnancy. She hung IVs from the window latch next to my bed when I was weak
from dehydration and wanted to stay home with my children.
She reminded us of how short the most painful parts of labor are and how
fleeting the special moments with a newborn would be in the context of our
lives.
She reassured me with gentle words and touch when my faith in the process of
birth was waning and celebrated with us when we saw a head crown.
She has listened patiently to my personal ramblings and shared her stories
with me. We have talked about everything from business cycles and politics
to newborn umbilical cord care and where to get discount support hose
online. She has been willing to teach and share her knowledge of midwifery
and of life. She has been the embodiment of kindness, professionalism and
support to our entire family. I will miss the routine of our prenatal
visits, as this is our last child. But, I thank my babies for bringing me
Brenda and I thank Brenda for helping me bring along my babies. I know I
will cherish all of you for a very long time.
Honorable Mention Breastfeeding Angel Category
By Karen Poulin in honor of Robin DeGemmis, IBCLC, of East Hampton, Connecticut.
 Karen & Samuel Poulin
Finding an angel isn't easy, but apparently I have a knack for "angel hunting", or maybe I'm just blessed. My angel stood before a class of couples talking about the first few days immediately following the birth of our babies. She talked about all the changes our bodies would experience (the good, the bad, and the ugly!), as well as the benefits breastfeeding would bring to us and our children. My husband and I left the class feeling as if we had just been lectured by the "boob lady" as we would later joke about it with friends. How glad I am that we decided to take the class...boob lady and all!
When the class ended, Robin, (a.k.a. the boob lady), cheerfully greeted all the couples and answered questions anyone had. I stood back, waited for the crowd to clear, and slowly approached her. "Hi Robin. I wanted to talk to you ahead of time because I have some concerns about my ability to breastfeed", I nervously started. "Please hear me out", an inner voice pleaded. "I had a (breast) reduction surgery in the Spring of 1994, and I know breastfeeding may not be possible." I could feel my heart preparing for disappointment, it never came. Instead Robin told me she had a book she thought I'd be interested in reading, and we'd take things day by day, feeding by feeding when my little one arrived. I left the meeting feeling as hopeful about breastfeeding as I had ever felt.
A few days went by and I received a phone call from Robin letting my know she was leaving the book we had talked about at the front desk of my doctor's office and to return it "whenever you feel you are finished with it". I retrieved the book, "Defining Your Own Success" by Diana West, and started reading like a woman on a mission. Through the book I educated myself and found an online support group of women who had all breastfed after reduction surgery. Off I headed to the hospital for an induction on Sunday January 27th armed with determination, a little knowledge, a an even smaller amount of confidence. On one of my many "laps" around the labor floor, I ran into Robin who was visiting a woman who had recently delivered. In a matter of a minute she managed to wish me luck, encourage me, and assure me she'd be back to see me when my baby arrived.
Although my labor and delivery didn't go as I had hoped or planned, true to her word, Robin returned to see me at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, about 10 hours after my son was born via C-section. I had a multitude of issues breastfeeding my little one in addition to my reduction surgery: flat/inverted nipples, pain from my C-section, and a sleepy baby who wouldn't latch well. What I had in my favor was Robin's calm reassuring nature that automatically put me at ease and her comforting words that I would quickly discover I needed more that anything.
Tuesday night was tough for us: Samuel was not latching on at all, he was inconsolable, crying and crying, my husband had gone home for the night, and my nurse was trying to encourage me to give a bottle. It was the longest night and all I could think was, "I just need to hang on until tomorrow morning. Robin will be back and she'll help me through this." I held onto that thought like a drowning man would hold onto a life preserver.
Finally, morning dawned, Samuel calmed down, my husband returned (with a coffee - decaf of course), and Robin arrived. I gave a brief summary of my night from Hell and in her usual calm manner she requisitioned us a pump and a supplemental nursing system (S.N.S.) then showed me how to use both. I started a routine of pumping what I could from the left side (the flat nipple Samuel wouldn't latch onto), and then fed what I had pumped through the S.N.S. tube. What a difference!!
For the three days I remained in the hospital following Samuel's birth, Robin came to check on us every day. Unlike the pediatricians or my doctors and midwives, she stayed no less than one hour each time. I assumed this treatment would end as soon as we were discharged, was I ever wrong!! For the next three days Robin called me at home to check on us and see how she could be of assistance. When I was still having trouble about a week after Samuel was born, Robin came out to my house and worked with us for almost two hours!
Within a short amount of time, Samuel regained his birth weight and then some! Each time I took Samuel to a doctor's appointment or a weight check, I reported the results to Robin, who always seemed happy for us. She's made my day more than once by telling me how very proud of me she is. She delights in our success, and her joy is genuine.
Breastfeeding, although natural, hasn't come easy for Samuel and me, but through it all, Robin has been there every step of the way to celebrate our victories or hold my hand if I needed support. I had her home phone number and used it on more occasions that either of us probably cares to attempt to count. It's been seven months since my son was born and he's one of the greatest joys in my life. We have a wonderful nursing relationship and we owe a very large part of it to Robin. Some people come in and out of our lives without us ever knowing why they were there, or how they impacted us, but that is not the case here. Robin came into my life with a purpose. She provided me with something I wasn't certain I could accomplish, something I wasn't even sure mattered, a breastfeeding relationship with my child! Lucky? Maybe. Blessed? DEFINATELY!!!
Honorable Mention Birth Angel Category
By Aisling Jones in honor of her mother Gerro Hayden.
 Gerro and her daughter Aisling at the birth of her grandchild
My "Angel" is my mother, Gerro. She is now 50 years old, with an October birthday, and I have referred to her as my "Hero" since I had my first son in 1998.
My mother has 7 children, with me being the second oldest at 23, the youngest two are twins and are now 9 years old. Between us all she had a variety of birth experiences, both good and bad. She nursed us all, and co-slept with us all. I like to say I learned how to mother from the best. She stayed home with us from the time my older brother was a baby, until the twins were in Kindergarten back in 1998. Then she pursed her own dreams of becoming a nurse again. She is an excellent nurse, which makes sense after all her years of caring for us so well. Someday I hope she can again pursue her dream of being a midwife.
When I was pregnant with my first son my mother and I grew so much closer than we had ever been. She was always the first person I called with questions about pregnancy. Jeric's birth brought us even closer mom was at the birthing center through my labor-when I wanted it to be just my husband and I. And she was by my side through the whole pushing stage and I can remember her saying "My baby is having a baby" Afterwards she also told me that she wished she could take my place when I was getting tired. In the days after my son’s birth I always called her first for help with breastfeeding, bathing him, and other infant related things.
The pregnancy and birth of my second son brought much of the same. More closeness, and again mom was there for me before anyone else. I labored overnight so she brought my son to bed with her, and when I needed her at 5 AM she came right downstairs. My second son was born in his granny's house, which was something special she did for me when my husband wouldn't allow me to have a homebirth in our apartment. And she was able to help catch. This time breastfeeding went very smoothly and there wasn't much I needed help with. I was tandem nursing, and she kept telling me to get rest. Because she cared.
I am now pregnant with my third child. I am looking forward to this baby's birth this winter, because I know that my mother will be there again. She'll cut his or her cord just like she did my two sons. And she'll help out with whatever else I need. Because mothers really are special angels sent from God to protect and help their children, forever. Whether their children are aged 3 or 23.
I would like to thank our judges:
Dawn Friedman, a freelance writer and an assistant editor at ePregnancy Magazine. You can also read her pregnancy and parenting articles
here. Dawn is mother to five year old Noah.
Jay Cox Hayward, founder of the Attachment Parents in Business community, is a freelance writer, writing instructor and mother to 6 year old Charlie.
Katie Allison Granju, author of
Attachment Parenting, Instinctive Care for Your Baby and Young Child, and mother to Henry, Jane, and Elliott.
Melanie Wilson, editor and publisher of Vegetarian Baby and Child Magazine, mother of Kalli, 4 and Mackenzie, 1.
And a very special thank you to the businesses that sponsored this contest with their generous prizes:
Angel of Pregnancy Gifts for the angels in your life.
Beantreesoap.com Mmm, just wait till you smell it.
Behosting.com A GREAT place to park your website.
Mysticool.com Very COOL jewlery, at affordable prices.
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