Testimonial for Melissa F. Haley (they/she) from Elizabeth

Testimonial for Melissa F. Haley (they/she)

Ohhh Melissa! What can I say that others have not already? For some reason an analogy comes to mind: Melissa is like your FAVE obscure band, which feels special to you. When you realize you are sharing them, it is a tad disappointing but at the same time you're happy others have found and appreciate them as well. How could they not?!

I wanted to think of the perfect words to describe my experience with Melissa. It was golden? Yes but more than that. Words can't describe. From the moment I ran across their profile, I instantly got a good vibe. They are a genuine, beautiful human being and I feel so lucky to have in my life.

My birth ended up being a month early, the exact opposite of my birth plan and in quite a traumatic way. I honestly don't know what I would have done without Melissa. They even stuck around until I got to recovery room after my c-section. Almost immeditiately I was handed breast pumps and told to hand express afterwards. I had no clue how so Melissa stepped in with my consent. My breastfeeding journey has been tough. They have continued to help me through it. They took the time to call me after I sent a text asking if they had a few mins. Melissa was compassoinate/empathetic to my troubles, had me think about why my goal was to breastfeed exclusively, feel it was okay if that goal changed due to the toll it was taking on my mental health, gave me words of encouragement & praise, and shared an insta post which was very relatable and found I was not alone!

Recently, I was discussing with them my struggles to find a pediatrician I felt good about. In our convo, I told Melissa with them it was easy, I found them and just knew! I could not mean that more! I asked my partner if he wanted to add anything, and he goes "she helped me not pass out!" lol. Also, "it would've been lonely without her" which is so true! Lastly, Melissa's hugs are some of the best!

-Elizabeth

May 01, 2023