Getting “life changing” help during breastfeeding journey

The birthing and lactation experiences Catherine Loughnane had between her first child and her second couldn’t have been more different.

Though she’s from Lompoc, Catherine lived in Los Angeles when now-3-year-old Daniel Jr. was born. She was handed off from doctor-to-doctor, didn’t experience any outreach from birthing personnel, and felt the entire experience was “just cold.”

Her obstetrician did not disclose any potential resources, and as a first-time mother, Catherine didn’t really know what questions to ask. Daniel Jr. was in a Neonatal unit after birth, and Catherine sought out a lactation consultant. Instead, a charge nurse was sent to speak with her, and she was referred to another agency.

“It wasn’t the environment I wanted to be in,” she recalls.

When it came time to have her second child, a son named Thomas, Catherine and her partner Daniel were living back in Lompoc.

“My second experience was unparalleled,” she says. “That experience was a lot different because of the resources. I asked a lot of questions. I signed up for breastfeeding classes. (Lactation Consultant) Kayla (Dunavan) contacted me. My experience was night and day from LA to here. It was really nice.”

For her pregnancy and Thomas’ birth, Catherine was assigned to Dr. Rod Huss, the hospital’s longtime OBGYN.

“He’s great,” she said. “It’s amazing to see him work and hear everything he knows … I definitely did want to deliver in Lompoc. A couple nurses in the hospital, I know them. It was a night and day experience. I’m glad I did choose Lompoc.”

From the moment she entered the hospital, Catherine said she knew it was the right decision for her.

“It gave me peace of mind I didn’t have before,” she says.

She said the hospital, now 15 years since it opened, seemed brand new to her.

“It felt like we were in a resort,” she says. “I was telling my partner, ‘It’s so nice and new.’ We were one of three giving birth that day. We had a lot of attention. In LA, it’s like you’re on a conveyor belt. Here there were more the personal touches and people were invested in their work.”

Once Thomas was born, she saw Kayla, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, weekly for about six weeks post-partum. She said she always felt nurtured.

“She’d check in on me, text me. I felt like I could text her any time of day or night and ask questions – ‘This happened again,’ ‘How can I trouble shoot this?’ It was just the peace of mind and encouragement and support I had been looking for and appreciated so much.”

She felt Kayla was easy to speak with and confide in when giving help when breastfeeding Tommy, now 19 months old.

“You don’t feel like you’re being judged,” Catherine says. “She is there to help and be a resource for you.”

She says she struggled a bit with both her sons, figuring out breastfeeding and what worked best for them all. She said she never thought she’d have difficulties, but in speaking with Kayla, she learned that many women take time to adjust to breastfeeding.

“Through all that, she was able to answer all my questions. In hindsight, everyone was healthy and good. Now going forward, it’s nice to know what to look for, or refer people in the community.”