MyMaine Birth

81. Navigating Birth as a Postpartum Nurse, Kassi's story

• Angela Laferriere • Season 2 • Episode 81

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Join me as I chat with Kassi  as she shares her personal journey navigating the complex emotions and decisions surrounding hospital birth, influenced deeply by her experiences as a postpartum nurse.

Kassi Reyes, is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)  and passionately supports mothers through every stage of their breastfeeding journey. Kassie opens up about her return to Maine, her blended family, and the transformative power of prenatal education in successful breastfeeding.

We chat about her search for the right prenatal care.  From the surprising positive pregnancy test to the frustration of dealing with an unsupportive OB, to finding solace in a new provider, our discussion touches on the emotional and logistical challenges faced during this life-altering period.  We also dive into the complexities of accepting a cesarean birth when natural birth plans don't go as expected, emphasizing the importance of choosing a trusted hospital and care team.

We wrap up with a candid look at postpartum struggles, including Kassi's battle with postpartum preeclampsia and the unique challenges of breastfeeding during the COVID times. With professional insights from Kassie and heartfelt advice, we highlight the critical role of support systems like lactation consultants and postpartum doulas.

This episode is a supportive resource for new and expecting parents, focusing on practical preparations for the postpartum period to ensure a smoother, more informed recovery journey.

To connect with Kassi -  https://www.kassireyes.com/
https://www.instagram.com/lactationforthepeople/?hl=en
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu_QrIxevX5jTW9lwNA7vTA

MyMaine Birth is a space where we share the real life stories of families and their unique birth experiences in the beautiful state of Maine.  From our state's biggest hospitals to birth center births and home births, every birth story deserves to be heard and celebrated.  Whether you are a soon to be mom, a seasoned mother, or simply interested in the world of birth, these episodes are for you. 

Are you interested in Birth Photography or Doula Support for you upcoming birth?  Head over to my website   https://www.mymainebirth.com 

I am Currently Booking Late 2024 and into 2025 Due Dates.

Thank you again for tuning in and I look forward to bringing you more amazing birth stories.  Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!  And I'll see you back here again, next week! 

Kassi :

It just wasn't in the cards for me to do the vaginal breach either. It would have been wild. I have a lot of fear around birth too. I know that's normal. I know a lot of people have fear around birth.

Kassi :

But being a postpartum nurse and working on a postpartum unit and like I mean we would get there in the morning as lactation consultants and review all the labor and delivery events of the night before and to learn, like what challenges the babies we were working with were going to be up against, Like where their hemorrhage is, because that can affect milk supply you know all those things and you just see too much and know too much when you work in that environment. So I had a lot of fear, even though I didn't want to around birth, and I think that played into the fact of me choosing a hospital birth and not wanting to do the vaginal breach. So that was my experience. I wish that there was less fear around birth, because obviously we were made to birth our babies and there shouldn't be so much fear around birth, because obviously we were made to birth our babies and there shouldn't be so much fear around it.

Angela:

I'm Angela and you're listening to my Maine Birth, a space where we share the real life stories of families and their unique birth experiences in the beautiful state of Maine. From our state's biggest hospitals to birth center births and home births, every birth story deserves to be heard and celebrated. Whether you're a soon-to-be mom, a seasoned mother or simply interested in the world of birth, these episodes are for you. Today's birth story guest is Cassie Reyes. Cassie is an IBCLC and, for anyone that might not know what that is, she is an international board certified lactation consultant. She offers baby feeding education online and also in person for families right here in the greater Bangor area. She's on Instagram at lactation for the People, so go give her a follow and you can find all of her offerings online at CassieReyescom. That's K-A-S-S-I-R-E-Y-E-Scom. All right, let's get right to it. Hi, cassie, welcome to my Main Birth. Hi, to get started, will you first share a little bit about you and your family?

Kassi :

Sure, so my husband and I moved back to Maine two years ago. We met in the Washington DC area and I grew up around here, but we moved back here when my daughter was like eight months old and we just have a fun family. My husband came with four bonus kiddos so we have them with us all summer and school vacations and, yeah, we just it's. It's been an adjustment being back in Maine, but it's. It's a really. I mean, I had a great childhood here and that's really what I wanted for my daughter, so it's it's nice to be back.

Angela:

At the same time, Will you share a little bit about what you do for work here in Maine? First, before we get started, you offer support to families, mama, specifically in the postpartum period, right, yes, can we share a little?

Kassi :

bit about that?

Kassi :

Sure, I'd love to.

Kassi :

So I am an IBCLC, a lactation consultant, and I work with families prenatally, which is where my true passion lies in reaching people while they're still pregnant to help them learn about breastfeeding and baby feeding and pumping and all the things.

Kassi :

Because postpartum is such a hard time to learn all that stuff and while everyone's kind of has the belief that it's going to be natural, it usually at some point people run into some roadblocks that are hard to overcome when you're already kind of overwhelmed with, like the sleep deprivation and getting used to adding a newborn to your family and all those things. So my passion lies in reaching people prenatally and doing that prenatal education about feeding. But then obviously I love helping people in that postpartum period when they do run into those roadblocks and need a little extra support. So I do home visits too. In the Bangor area for lactation visits I come with a big baby scale and I can do pre and post feeding weights if we need to, if we're worried about how much baby's getting out of feeding, and it's kind of a big, comprehensive visit with usually with mom and baby.

Angela:

So yeah, that's great. And then you also offer virtual services for people that might be even throughout the state or even farther um, that might also be for support, right.

Kassi :

Yeah, absolutely. A big focus of my business is online. But yeah, I mean, I love to support families locally, but yes, I also if people are a little bit farther away from my services in Maine or elsewhere, then I definitely enjoy the virtual visits too.

Angela:

Awesome. All right Now to get into your birth story. Will you first share about when you found out you were pregnant and your thoughts in choosing your care Sure?

Kassi :

It was.

Kassi :

So I was in DC at the time, um, and when I found out I was pregnant, it was a surprise because, um, we, between my husband and I one of us, um had recently had a surgery and we were told that there wasn't really a chance that we would get pregnant for at least six months, six to 12 months.

Kassi :

And so, uh, when we got pregnant, like two to three months after um, we were pretty shocked and I wasn't I mean, I was hopeful anyway, even though it wasn't like that window that we were given. But I felt like the PMS emotions I get before my menstrual cycle and I was just like tearful and I was like, oh, I know my period's coming, like just discouraged in a way, even though I didn't have a reason to be discouraged. But I was like, I know, I'm going to get my period and. And then it was like one day late and I was like, hmm, okay, so I did a pregnancy test and it was like the faintest line and I was like, okay, and then I I didn't believe it and I had to take like a couple of more just to to believe it, and it's still like the shock didn't really set in, I think, for probably two to three weeks afterwards.

Angela:

Wow, oh my goodness. Yeah, that's so exciting. You really just don't believe it when you find out right.

Kassi :

Yeah, I was like no, no way. And even after I told him like I think neither one of us really believed it for a long time.

Angela:

Oh my goodness. So now, what were your sort of next steps then? What were you kind of thinking for care?

Kassi :

So I was with an OB at the time who had already kind of like made me cry and put a bad taste in my mouth even before being pregnant. So just knowing I think I was 35 at the time Um, and she was really putting the pressure on, like even before I met my husband, like if you're thinking about having a baby, like you need to really be thinking about it, like basically the whole geriatric pregnancy thing. And I mean, when you are in your mid thirties and single and want to have a family, there's already enough pressure that you don't need your OB putting that extra pressure on you, can you stop calling me a geriatric?

Angela:

Yeah, yes, please.

Kassi :

Come on, please stop. That was terrible. And I like already knew I needed to find a new provider. And then she got one more opportunity to make me cry before she practices. Yeah, it was. It was bad.

Kassi :

So, like you know how they have you go in for your ultrasound. I don't even remember. I think it's like six weeks the first ultrasound and it's so early that they didn't see a sack or all the things they needed to see. And she like got me really worried about it and was like we're going to send you for this super specialized ultrasound later today Because I also had a history of an ectopic pregnancy, so they were thinking that they needed to rule that out and she was just so medical about it. And then I'm crying, leaving the room and she's like oh, are you okay? And I'm like you know what? You're not the one to console me right now, I'm not, but I will be kind of left her office. So it was, yeah, that was like my first visit after I found out I was pregnant and then I switched providers, so then I never had to deal with that again.

Angela:

It was too early to really even see those things anyway, and they're like right, exactly, yeah, are you stressing me out? Wow, that's so hard. So what did you do next then?

Kassi :

So, I worked at on a postpartum unit at the time and I knew a provider there who I liked and trusted and I switched to her practice and was really happy that I did so. I mean, it was kind of a gamble because it was a big practice and I knew that it could be any number of providers that were there when my baby was born. But I liked the practice overall and I felt confident in the providers and I knew like every once in a while I would run into this provider who I really, really liked and trusted. So it turned out in the end. We can talk about it as we progress, but it turned out to be a good ending to that story. Yeah, did she make it to your birth?

Angela:

Yes, yes, that is such a hard thing because you never know. When you're in a practice with a whole bunch of OBs, it's really like you're getting you know whoever's on call. So, yeah, so how are you feeling throughout that pregnancy? How are you?

Kassi :

feeling throughout that pregnancy. I'm pretty good. It was a weird time. I feel like my pregnancy flew by because it was like most of it was through summer months and we moved and we got married when so my daughter was born in October, we got married in July and it was just a whirlwind, like getting things ready for her and we thought in the back of our minds that one day we wanted to move back to Maine but we first had to move. I had to sell a condo and move to another apartment and just get ready so that if we wanted to buy a house we were ready. So all of those things were going on during my pregnancy. So it was a whirlwind. It was like all the times I thought like, oh, I should sit down and enjoy being pregnant and soak it all in and do all the things. It was like it was came and went in a blink.

Angela:

I feel like Came and went in a blink. I feel like, yeah, wow. So did you do any more testing throughout that pregnancy, or how were your appointments looking?

Kassi :

I did the early genetic testing and everything was fine. And then there was. I was actually just telling some other birth workers about this story the other day Because they were complaining about genetic testing. Um, I had another genetic test done and you know how insurance always covers like some of it if you're lucky, but you end up with like hundreds of dollars um, you have to pay for out of pocket that they don't really disclose to you and they're just like drawing your blood and acting like it's a regular lab. So they drew my blood.

Kassi :

Something happened on the way to the lab and it didn't ever get processed and I had, like done research after that about the testing and I was like you know what? I think it was silly that I got that done. I don't think it was necessary. It's probably going to be super expensive. And at my next visit they're like oh well, sorry that this happened, do you want us to go ahead and redraw it? It's kind of close to like when I was starting to be due and it wasn't going to be that helpful anymore and I was like Nope, we're not doing it now. Like I think that was a sign from the universe that we're just that wasn't necessary and we're going to skip that step.

Angela:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like it's kind of like what are you going to do with that information?

Kassi :

Yeah exactly yeah, what are you going to do? It's just going to be another thing to worry about. So it's not yeah. And then we had our 20 week ultrasound and that was like right around the time when we were moving and everything looked great, except for she was breech At 20 weeks. At 20 weeks, I know, at 20 weeks they're like you have plenty of time, she's going to flip around, but she didn't. She never did, oh no, never flipped.

Kassi :

Nope, we did all the things we did spinning babies. I was laying upside down on the couch on an ironing board. I went to do acupuncture, I did moxibustion. But it's funny because I think back on the times of like doing the acupuncture and the moxibustion and like the time that I took to sit and do the spinning baby stuff. That stuff was like the only time that I remember during my pregnancy actually sitting still and like focusing on myself and my pregnancy and the rest of it, like I said, feels like it was so quick and kind of a blur, but those things forced me to kind of sit still and just be present, and so I'm, in a way, thankful that I did all those things.

Angela:

Yeah, that's really interesting that it does like life, you know, it's just so fast sometimes and when you're pregnant, it's just it really is so important to take that time, no matter what forces you to take that time, you know. Sit with your baby, you know, and have that time to really kind of connect.

Kassi :

Yeah, absolutely so. I think things happen for a reason. I mean I had hired a doula and I was going to do all the early labor at home and just go in to the hospital like as last minute as I could, and you know, I trusted the team there. I knew a lot of the nurses from working there, so it was like I had a plan in my head and she had another plan and that's. I mean, that's like every birth right, every baby has their own plan on how they're gonna come yeah, that is so true.

Angela:

So tell me about what that was like in sort of those final kind of weeks of your pregnancy where it wasn't like the 20 week ultrasound and it's like, ok, this baby is really breached. Was there a lot that they want? You know, how did that kind of look for you?

Kassi :

So I tried, I scheduled a version, even though it was a little bit later. It was like right on the edge of when they consider like the cutoff for trying it. And I had worked at another area hospital who had a provider who's really well known for doing versions and had pretty good success rates with that for doing versions and had pretty good success rates with that. But we went in like five o'clock in the morning to try to have it done and didn't work. She I mean he, he tried, but I'm really thankful that he had the insight to stop too. He was like I'm not going to push it, he didn't want to distress her.

Kassi :

Um, I really felt like grateful because I almost felt like he was able to set ego aside and not be like this, like I need to be successful, because this is what I'm known for, like he's really is known for high success rates. And if she, if he couldn't flip her, no one was going to. So I'm really glad that he, that he stopped and didn't keep pushing it. And I know like it's really typical for babies to be born with the cord wrapped around their neck, but she did have a pretty tight nuchal cord times two when she was born. So I honestly think she just couldn't move. You know, and it probably would have stressed her if, if they hadn't really tried too hard to to flip her.

Angela:

Yeah, and diversions can be a really tough procedure to go through. You for the baby yeah.

Kassi :

Yeah, it was. It was. It was not comfortable, but I wanted to really feel like I had done all the things to try to get that natural birth that I've always dreamed of. Um, and I probably won't have another baby. So I did have to mourn the process a little bit of having to to give up on the idea of of that natural birth that I mean, I'm a doula, I'm a lactation consultant, I'm a yoga teacher, like I know so much about birth that I'm just like it was a big dream for me to have that natural birth and even like at some point, toyed around with the idea of like having a home birth and it was. It was a little bit of a process to accept that that wasn't going to be. What was my birth story?

Angela:

So yeah, so how did it go after the version? What, um, what? How many weeks were you when that happened?

Kassi :

I think I was 32 weeks when we tried for the version um, right around 32 weeks and then around, right around 32 weeks and then around. So they, they wanted me to go full term and they were still like, well, she still could flip some babies flip at the last minute. So they really gave us a chance. I mean, what else were we going to do really? Um, and then my one of my last visits with my OB was scheduled with the OB that I had chosen the practice for, and she was like, well, looks like we're going to be scheduling a C-section. So it made it at least easy to schedule it for a time when she was going to be there. So she's like these are the days I work next week, once you hit that 38-week mark, we'll schedule.

Kassi :

Which is funny to me that they schedule it Like they don't let you go the full 40 weeks. When you're scheduling 42 weeks, when you're scheduling a C-section, they're like, okay, 38 weeks, let's do it. But at that point I had accepted that she wasn't going to flip, we'd done all the things. I mean there's a small chance that she maybe would have. But now that I know what I know about the cord, I'm like I think just it just played out the way it was supposed to.

Angela:

Yeah, absolutely yeah. Did you have any considerations of like having a vaginal breach, or was that really not an option? I thought about it.

Kassi :

So the doctor that I did the version with was one of the few providers and well in that area and I think, in the country who will do a hospital breach vaginal delivery. But I would have had to completely switch my care over to that practice and I had also worked in that hospital in the past and knew that I didn't want to deliver, have my postpartum experience be there and had some kind of a little bit of like PTSD from working there, and so I just knew that even if I tried for a vaginal breach, I'd already be so stressed about it being a vaginal breach and then stressed about being in this place that didn't feel relaxing or conducive to a natural delivery. I just don't think it would have been the right choice for me.

Angela:

Yeah, you really have to put all of the things you know aside and tune into what's right for you in these really hard decisions. You know like it's. It's a tough you know position to be in and you have some big decisions to make and it's so important to tune into, you know, what is right for you, you know and what's going to keep you happiest and, you know, be most easeful, you know, and stress-free.

Kassi :

Yeah, yeah, I knew that I wanted to deliver where I was planning to deliver, so it just wasn't in the cards for me to do the vaginal breach either. It would have been, would have been wild. I have a lot of fear around birth too. I know that's normal. I know a lot of people have fear around birth.

Kassi :

But being a postpartum nurse and working on a postpartum unit and like I mean we would get there in the morning as lactation consultants and review all the labor and delivery events of the night before and to learn, like, what challenges the babies we were working with were going to be up against, like where their hemorrhage is, because that can affect milk supply you know all those things and you just see too much and know too much when you work in that environment. So I had a lot of fear, even though I didn't want to around birth, and I think that played into the fact of me choosing a hospital birth and not wanting to do the vaginal breach. So that was my experience. I wish that there was less fear around birth because obviously we were made to birth our babies and there shouldn't be so much fear around it.

Angela:

It is really hard to conquer your mindset. Really it's the biggest obstacle sometimes.

Kassi :

Yeah it really is. And then it wasn't like I was removed from that environment while I was pregnant. I was still working 12-hour shifts at the hospital and the the scary things I mean good things and scary things just the mix. I was still in the mix when I was pregnant, so it's not like I had time to just remove myself from that environment and yeah, it's, yeah, it's definitely a mindset thing.

Angela:

So now, how was kind of the day leading up to your cesarean and kind of your experience then going in for that?

Kassi :

So, leading up to it, I think I was supposed to work the day before too, and I was like you know what? I'm just going to say no more to this. I worked right up until the time because I wanted all my time off when my baby was here. But I am so thankful that I took one day off before she was born and just took the day to have to myself and enjoy my last day being pregnant and journal and do things that really mattered to me.

Kassi :

I felt a little bit weird about scheduling her birthday and about I wasn't really ready for her to be born yet. I really enjoyed being pregnant with her and being able to bring her everywhere with me, and so I had to journal on that and talk with my sister a bit and she was like, well, once she's here, you're not going to want to put her back in. And I was like, okay, I guess you're right. So I worked myself through that process and I'm so thankful I took that time just to have that day to relax and reflect a little bit more before she arrived, because, honestly, that was my last day to myself and spend two and a half years now, and I feel like there's been very few moments where I've had any time like that to just be alone. You know.

Angela:

Oh, my goodness for sure. How was that? So then you scheduled it for? Was it like a morning surgery? It was a morning.

Kassi :

I think I should know this. I think it was a Wednesday and, um, yep, first, it was the first one. In the morning I went in, I went into the room where you wait for the C-section, um, and my doula met me there, which was great, even though some people might think having a doula for a C-section might not have the same benefits. I'm so thankful that I had her. She was great. She really reminded me of what was important to me. I really wanted to see my placenta, which, if you don't tell your team that, they're not going to remember that in the OR. So when my OB came in, she was able to help me remember the things that I wanted for my delivery, like, oh, remember, you wanted to see your placenta and the skin to skin and all the things that were important to me, even though I was in the operating room and then she was. They let her come into recovery afterwards and take pictures and it was totally worth having her there, um, so they took yeah, they took me. There was like a little bit of a delay in the time. Someone else delivered in between and then I finally got taken in and it was fun because we got to put music on that. We we didn't really think about a playlist, but they're like, what do you want to put on? And we had our playlist from our wedding in July. So we did our playlist from our wedding, which was really great, and one of my colleagues who was a nurse in labor and delivery but she's also a yoga teacher so we had connected a long time ago and that was there and able to talk me through some breath work exercises while they were doing my spinal and she took a lot of pictures in OR, which was cool, because I feel like it's hard to get good pictures from from the OR for a birth, and the ones she took I just love. It was so great and, yeah, I just everything felt right.

Kassi :

My provider had told the whole team like we need to make this c-section as much like a vaginal delivery and a natural birth as it can be, because that's really important to me and I was like thank you so much for understanding that and like the NICU nurses were there because they are always there for a C-section, so they did have to check her right away, but they checked her really quick and brought her right over for skin to skin. Um, I connected in a really special way with my provider that day. We had never talked about this in our work together or in any of my other visits with her, but it was very serendipitous. I saw that she had worked at a hospital in Boston that I used to work at and I just started chatting with her and a few few years ago now, um, one of my really good friends, who was a labor and delivery nurse, uh died in a bad accident.

Kassi :

And I started talking to to my provider and just asking her like hey, you were at that hospital and you were in labor and delivery. Did you know my friend Amanda? And she knew her and she was like, oh, my gosh, you guys were friends. Like that was my residency. That affected our whole year so much. And oh, it makes me want to cry even talking about it. Like it made me feel like my friend was there and present because she would have wanted to be there as a labor and delivery nurse and it was just like such a full circle moment.

Angela:

So, yeah, it was really really magical that is so cool how birth kind of has that power almost to do that and put you in that space with all of the things like that. I think a lot of stories are like similar to that. That is really cool.

Kassi :

It was so special and it's really wild because, like my daughter and I, I still talk to her about my friend and she tells me that she lives by the moon and she sees her by the moon and she even talks to me about how she was there on her birthday. So it's really really a cool thing that is amazing.

Angela:

Yeah, that is amazing. Yeah, that is so special that your provider made it. So you know the room, like everything else, like the way that you wanted it, and quiet. You know they're not talking about like the weekend sports game.

Kassi :

I know that would have been. Yeah, that would not have been nearly as special of an experience.

Angela:

Yeah, so how was the rest of um sort of like recovery and early postpartum time?

Kassi :

Oh, I mean, I'm really happy that, like up until this point in my story, it was like the birth that the most ideal birth I could have had, I think, as a cesarean delivery. Um, I almost feel like there's a before and after with my story. So the C-section, like I just told you, somehow it worked out to be a magical experience. Uh, and then, kind of right after they took her out, I started to not feel right. Um, and I don't know what happened in that moment, but it was almost like my body went into shock or something like it knew that whatever was going on wasn't a hundred percent natural. Um, and it I didn't feel right, like I felt pain in my chest and I was worried that something bad was going to happen to me. Um, and it took a couple of days to really come to the surface, but I ended up having postpartum preeclampsia and so my blood pressures were really high. I was just like retaining fluids.

Kassi :

Um, I stayed an extra day in the hospital postpartum, but when I went home I still didn't feel right and I still was retaining fluids and I still like I was checking my blood pressure and it was really high and I had a night where I couldn't even lay down, because when I laid down I just felt panicked, like something bad was going to happen to me, and I guess that's a thing that happens with preeclampsia, like you feel like a sensation of impending doom. I just felt like if I let myself fall asleep I wasn't going to wake up. So it was pretty scary. And then I ended up checking my blood pressure and it was really high and my mom actually was there and was like you need to go and be checked out and it was a really hard decision to make because it was the middle of the night, had a newborn at home and the last thing I wanted to do was go back to the hospital.

Kassi :

It was a really tough decision, but necessary. I mean. I got there, I had fluid on my lungs because I just wasn't letting go of any of the fluids from the whole thing and all the fluid shifts from pregnancy and everything. So I ended up having to be on magnesium, iv magnesium, for 24 hours and yeah, I just I knew that something wasn't right and I'm glad that I went in, even though it was one of the hardest decisions that I've probably ever made, and I like to share that story because I hope that if anyone's faced with a similar decision, they know like the best decision is just to go in and get checked, because it really scares me to think what could have happened if I hadn't to think what could have happened if I hadn't.

Angela:

Yeah, absolutely, you really need to tune into your body and you know if something's telling you isn't right. You definitely need to get that checked out. Yeah, Were you able to bring your baby or did you leave your baby at home?

Kassi :

I brought her with me for a little bit and then it just coincided with when she had to go to her pediatrician appointment, cause that's always like one to two days after you're discharged from the hospital. So my husband took her we lived in like another state that bordered where we were and he took her and he we both hadn't slept in like four or five days, so it was quite a drive, and my dad, my sister and my mom were all visiting us and were there to support us, thankfully. So my mom came and stayed with me and my sister, my dad and my husband stayed with her for a night and took care of her at home, because I was really out of it on the magnesium too. So it was just better for my recovery and for everyone, I think, for her to just. It was hard, but she stayed home for a night and then she came back the next day and did end up spending one more night with me in the hospital.

Angela:

So how were you after that? Was it kind of looking better, or do you still kind of have struggles after?

Kassi :

that. Was it kind of looking better or do you still kind of have struggles? It got better I mean, thankfully the preeclampsia after the magnesium it got better. Some people have to take medications long-term, but my blood pressure stabilized and thankfully I didn't have to do any extra treatment beyond that first round of magnesium.

Kassi :

Postpartum was hard. I think it's hard for everyone. It was really hard. It was also during the second wave of COVID, so it was hard to build a strong sense of community. I look back now and wish I had had more community and more, like ability to have friends just stop by, and even the help that was offered sometimes was like do we have someone extra come into our house or not? So it was. It was a tricky balance. Feeding was really hard for us, even though I was a lactation consultant and, like knew all the things that in the long run did end up leading to success. But we struggled for like four months with latching issues and tongue tie issues and it was. It was hard and it was a really hard time was a really hard time.

Angela:

Yeah, Postpartum is is really hard to navigate sometimes, and even if you have all this education and you know all of the things, it's still like you know navigating it all, as is a thing you just have to work through.

Kassi :

Yeah, it was a lot and it's a huge adjustment. I wonder, if I were to have another baby, if it would be as I mean. You have two, so it's different, right. But I think the first one is such an adjustment that you're trying to figure out how to kind of still do things that you used to do and have this baby you have to take care of, and I wish I could just go back and be like forget it. You're not going to get to your to-do list and you're not going to do all the things, like I was trying to grow a business and still am, and you're not going to do those things right now. It's just a phase in life that's really intense and just like lean into it a little bit more. Yeah.

Angela:

Yeah, absolutely, yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Kassi :

Now as a final question if you were to give advice to new parents or expecting moms, what would be the biggest thing that you would want to share it at the beginning? But like get ready for not just feeding but feeding is a huge part of postpartum and just get ready for postpartum. Line up help at a time for everything. Get like line up a lactation consultant and a postpartum doula and a therapist and someone to just come wash your laundry and cook for you. Like line up a meal train. Just do all the things.

Kassi :

And maybe like ask for those things instead of expensive things on your baby registry, because those things are what really matter. You don't need a super expensive bassinet or you know all the baby gear that your baby's going to grow out of quickly, but you are going to need all that support and ask for help. If you didn't line it up already and you're overwhelmed and postpartum, just ask for help. Don't feel't line it up already and you're overwhelmed and postpartum, just ask for help. Don't feel like you're need to be a superhero and do it all. Just delegate tasks to people that are willing to help you.

Angela:

Yeah, that is. That's really really great advice. It's so, so important to prepare for the postpartum and to realize that you know all the things on your registry likely are only going to be used for a short amount of time. Realize that you know all the things on your baby registry likely are only going to be used for a short amount of time and you know there's postpartum support can really just set you up for like mothering success and like starting your motherhood journey with like this sense of calm really.

Kassi :

Yes, yeah, if anything you can do to maintain your calm and your peace, because it's a really intense period that brings up a lot of emotions, and if you can do to maintain your calm and your peace because it's a really intense period that brings up a lot of emotions and if you can have a sense of peace at least with half of the things that you have to do in your life, can really make a big difference.

Angela:

So now will you share a little bit more about your business and what's the best way for people to get ahold of you?

Kassi :

business and what's the best way for people to get ahold of you? The name of my business is just Cassie Reyes Elsie, so it's just my name, but on Instagram I'm lactation for the people. I have a YouTube channel all about breastfeeding, pumping, baby feeding, a little bit of parenting, and that's just at. Cassie reyes on youtube awesome.

Angela:

Do you have a website?

Kassi :

too, or yes, cassiereyescom, and I can share that with you yeah, that's great.

Angela:

I'm gonna link all of your information in the show notes for anyone that wants to reach out for in-person support here in the bangor area or virtual support beyond right.

Kassi :

Right, yes, and you can. Just they can request a visit right from my website.

Angela:

So awesome, it's amazing. So what do your packages look like? Would you work with people while they're pregnant still, or do you also offer just visits postpartum?

Kassi :

Both. So I do one-to-one visits virtually prenatally to get people ready. I do breastfeeding classes. That can be one-to-one, online or in person. When people reach out to me prenatally, I usually like to do one visit where we talk everything baby feeding and one visit where we talk everything pumping. Parents are usually really interested in their pump and how to set it up and everything, which isn't a bad thing because you never know what challenges you might come up against and if you're going to need it sooner than you think. So yeah, I usually I'll do one about baby feeding and latching and positioning and then one about pumping and flange sizing and all of that stuff. And then they can reach out to me once their baby arrives and we usually set up a visit or two, depending on how many visits they need and how things are going. We can set up a few postpartum visits too.

Angela:

That's amazing and there really is so much involved, I feel like with pumping and all of the pieces and everything. I could never personally figure out pumping, but you offer like a whole you know, like you know meeting on just that, because I think a lot of people do have questions about that.

Kassi :

Oh yeah, people be like oh, I have these three breast pumps. I'm like, okay, let's look at them. Let's take a look and set you up for success with that too, because there's a lot that goes into pumping too.

Angela:

Yeah, oh my goodness Well, thank you so much for joining me today and sharing your story and about the services that you offer to families all over.

Kassi :

Yes, thank you so much for having me.

Angela:

This was really fun yes, thank you so much for having me. This was really fun, and that's the end of another episode of the my main birth podcast. Thank you for joining me and listening. If you're looking to document your birth story or if you're interested in doula support for your upcoming birth, head over to my website, mymainbirthcom and check out my packages. I'm a certified professional birth photographer and an experienced doula, and I offer in-person services to families throughout the state of Maine, as well as virtual birth coaching worldwide.

Angela:

I want to invite you to grab my top free resource for newly pregnant moms. It's called 37 Questions, to ask your care provider whether you've already established care or if you're in the process of interviewing new providers. This is for you. Not only are you going to get the questions to ask, but I also share how to assess their answers and the major red flags that you should be looking for. So go grab that. It's at mymainbirthcom slash download. Thank you again for tuning in and I look forward to bringing you more amazing birth stories. Don't forget to subscribe and leave me a review, and I'll see you back here again next week.