Testimonial for Rachael Gallagher, CPD, M.S.Ed.
I thought I would know what I was doing the second time around. Boy, was I wrong! Rachael had already been working with my family as a nanny for my then one-year-old, and once I gave birth to my youngest she added postpartum doula to her job description (or as I like to call her, my postpartum Mary Poppins). She swooped in, armed with nutritious snacks (that I got to eat, not my husband), and her magical breastfeeding know-how and all the other support I wish I had the first time around.
When I was told the baby had a tongue tie, she connected me to curated and helpful resources to help me make my own decision about whether to get it released. She knew how difficult breastfeeding was with my first, and she followed my lead as she supported me through breastfeeding my second. I went from not being able to breastfeed my first to exclusively breastfeeding my second for over a year! And when my little one decided bottles were not for her, Rachael was of course there with her endless patience and creative bottle-feeding techniques. Just like she was there with endleess sleep solutions and guidance. And if there were times when I was unable to follow her advice out of sleep deprivation and sheer fatigue, she never, ever, passed judgement. Rachael just gets it. She understands the sleep-deprived, irrational, complicated emotions of the postpartum period and she welcomes all of it with open arms. She knows when to offer advice and when to offer support and when to offer a joke. She reads the room with a keen eye and adapts effortlessly.
I could go on and on here, but there's a word limit! To sum it up, I'm so grateful that Rachael came into my life and my children's lives. We are infinitely better for it. If you have an opportunity to have Rachael on your early motherhood team, take it. It's just that simple :)
-Nicole
December 12, 2024
Rachael Gallagher, CPD, M.S.Ed.
Parenting Confidently
Postpartum Rate: $50 to $60
