Paula Santi, Lactation Consultant

Paula is absolutely everything and more than I could ever ask for in a lactation consultant. I was on the verge of giving up on breastfeeding (after resorting to exclusively pumping for 2.5 months). Because of Paula’s caring approach and expertise, I am now exclusively breastfeeding into 6 months. She is completely responsive, attentive, encouraging and empowering. As another reviewer said, she is an angel and baby whisperer. She gave me the knowledge and the gift of being able to breastfeed and more importantly, the courage and confidence that I desperately needed. I am beyond grateful for her and highly recommend her.

Paula is the most amazing, gentle, and encouraging lactation consultant. I would HIGHLY recommend her to anyone seeking breastfeeding help/​support. I actually had seen 2 other lactation consultants in addition to Paula, and felt that Paula was the best out of all them. Her calm and soothing, yet firm approach really helped give me the strength to carry on. I think main things that stood out was:
1) She advocates a natural way of breastfeeding: Being the perfectionist I am, I was so focused on getting the best latch to look exactly like the diagrams I had seen. With Paula, I could take a step back and just trust with her reassurance that if it felt like he was sucking /​swallowing, even if the lips weren’t flanged out perfectly, it was okay! Plus, she showed me multiple ways to nurse the baby, including our favorite the lying down position.
2) She really cares! Paula took the time to talk on the phone and respond back to e-​mails when I hit roadbumps. I didn’t feel like her responses were scripted. She wants to help you be successful and I really like how each time we talked, she put together a plan for us to get when I needed to be. I was scared to give up pumping/​bottling completely, and Paula helped devise a gradual plan for me to increase nursing at a speed that suited us until one day, we decided we were ready to take that big leap of faith and exclusively breastfeed. I’ve been doing that since (baby is now almost 7 months).
3) She is empowering and encouraging: Her positivity and kind spirit motivated me to continue and keep practicing until we were fully breastfeeding
Thank you so much Paula!

Paula is an angel, a baby whisperer. She was able to get both of my babies nursing (each who had unique issues). Her knowledge and intuition is second to none.
But the best thing about Paula is her spirit. She is the kindest, warmest, loveliest person. She cares for women when they are most vulnerable — not able to provide milk for their newborn child (ren). Her approach is so caring and genuine that it allows women struggling with nursing to let her into our raw and intimate space and pull us out of the darkness. Her coaching is gentle yet firm, and she has the uncanny ability to instill in us the confidence that we can do this ourselves.
I cannot recommend her enough. She saved me — twice!

Paula generously took the time to discuss my baby’s nursing issues over the phone and she informed me that my 16 week old most likely was tongue tied. Paula was able to figure out the source of all of my baby’s problems during one conversation when two pediatricians and several nurses couldn’t figure it out over 10 weeks with multiple visits to the doctor’s office. It turns out my 16 week old was tongue and lip tied and after his frenectomy he is now nursing, off all meds, sleeping great and he is finally happy! My only regret is not calling Paula 10 weeks ago. If you are having any issues nursing, do yourself a favor and give Paula a call.

Paula is amazing at what she does, very knowledgeable and incredibly helpful. You will not be disappointed.
We found Paula after Kaiser WC told us that our 5 day old son dropped more than 10% of his body weight and was nearing unacceptable jaundice/​biliruben levels. It was a very traumatic time. He was bright yellow/​orange, super lethargic, and almost like a limp rag doll. And Kaiser instructed us that we had «no choice» but to formula feed him to get him back up to weight — which made me feel extra discouraged because I had «planned» on exclusively breastfeeding my son. We proceeded with Kaiser’s recommended plan just to get him to gain weight and have bowel movements (to get rid of the jaundice), but all the while, I was panicking on the fact that my milk production was not coming in and my attempts at feeding him were failing.
When we contacted Paula, she came to our house for a visit — which was critical during this stressful time, and not only provided us the reassurance we (I) needed to continue to get my milk production, but when my milk finally did start coming in, she gave us the appropriate advice, consult and confidence to get off formula and switch exclusively to breastfeeding. Truthfully, I wish I had found Paula a day or two earlier. The practical advice, thoroughness of her opinions and peace of mind she gave me was invaluable — and I consider her to be one of the best Unilocal finds we ever had. She answered all my questions, was very responsive even over the weekend, and really met our needs when we needed help the most. She also came back for a very reasonable fee to check on our progress and son’s weight to make sure we were on the right path and we were. THANK YOU, PAULA.

My preemie (6 week early) twins have weened off of bottles and are successfully breastfeeding because of the skill and confidence Paula taught us! My boy/​girl twins spent 3 weeks in the NICU and bottle fed almost exclusively when they were discharged. you can imagine the fears my family had about their weight gain even after they came home. After one visit from Paula I had a clearcut plan to start nursing twice a day recreationally with shields. she showed us position, how to latch without pain, and helped me to see how natural and capable my babies and me actually were. A week later, we bumped up the amount of nursing, and within 3 weeks both babies were ready to come off of bottles. They have now gained more weight than if I had bottle fed them. I feel confident (after many encouraging visits, weight checks, and reminders from Paula) that I am giving my babies exactly what they need.
Paula is a wealth of information and brings an easygoing mood to my high stress personality and situation. she made me feel like I could do it and gave me all I needed to get started and carry it out. she s also hilarious and I could tell she LOVES babies. she even showed me a way to hold them when they are fussy and they stopped. crying!

I wrote a review in 2012 and am writing one again. Paula helped us again and one more she saved the day. I wish there was a way to give her more stars!!!
There is no consultant better, kinder, more understanding, let alone one with more knowledge. I cannot say enough. Call her now!!!

Call Paula now! I saw numerous lactation consultants, but Paula was the one who restored my sanity and got my baby on track. There are not enough words to express my gratitude to her.

Paula is very knowledgeable and she has a great bedside manner and a way of explaining things that just makes sense. We called her after having confidence issues about breastfeeding our new newborn and she helped us get on the right path.

Paula is so kind and compassionate. She serves as an invaluable resource and tremendous support to others. She is a true advocate for both mother and baby. Paula has a way to provide an understanding and kind, non-​judgmental care that many others cannot render. I would recommend anyone and everyone to her. Thanks so much Paula!

Paula really helped us with latching issues. My Lo was two weeks old and was not latching properly. Paula showed us how to latch him and it made a world of a difference. Paula is very kind and has lots of patience. I would highly recommend her!

Paula Santi has been an invaluable resource since our son was born but I actually met her when she taught a breastfeeding class at Birthways. We had immediately hit it off and my husband and I thought her class was very useful. We didn’t expect to encounter any breastfeeding issues but remembered her fondly.
Then 10 days after my son was born, via an unplanned c-​section, a three day stint in the NICU and breastfeeding became extremely painful, we called Paula. It was one of the best decision we ever made. Paula came to our house and spent two hours working with us, observing how I fed him, how he nursed and gave us different position to try in order to improve his latch. She also provided follow up handouts and materials that were extremely useful. While on maternity leave I took my son to the baby weigh-​ins Paula’s practice holds once a week. They were a great way to see how how our son was growing and to check in with Paula from time to time. These visits allowed us to have a quick follow-​up checks on my son’s latch that had improved but was still a little painful. These check-​ins were wonderful and helped us continue to improve our breastfeeding experience.
Paula has a warm, caring spirit in addition to being very knowledgeable. I cannot recommend her enough. We’ve recently asked her advice about returning to work and pumping. And like all of our previous experiences with her, we found her to be knowledgeable, kind and reassuring.

When we were in a near emergency situation with our new baby, Paula stepped in just when we needed her the most. She does home visits, which are very convenient for a new mom. Our baby hadn’t regained her birth weight at 3 weeks, and Kaiser had given us no real guidance. Paula came over and took a lot of time and care with us. She devised a plan to get my baby’s weight up while increasing my milk supply. I felt a big sense of relief after her first visit. Within a short time, my milk supply had doubled, and the baby was gaining steadily. For the past year, Paula has been extremely generous with her time and advice. She genuinely cares about her clients, and takes the time to check in and see how things are going. Our baby is almost a year old, and we have beaten the odds and are still nursing!

As others have said, Paula is amazing! She is VERY knowledgeable, patient and caring. You would be lucky to work with Paula! I recommend her to every new Mom I know. I have gone to Paula several times for lactation help, beginning latching, oversupply, mastitis (resolved without antibiotics!), preparing for back to work, diminishing supply & most recently she helped me recover from a significant wound from pumping too long. And she truly saved us in all cases. Her demeanor is so calming and reassuring which in itself was huge in a fairly anxious situation. She is so thoughtful and always checked in to see how things were going.
She was recommended by our doula (btw — I bet she’s an amazing doula!) just after our baby was born for latching challenges. We had resources at the hospital but they weren’t able to get us in synch. Paula came to our house (which is so great when you are a new mom) so she could see where we fed and really get a sense of the whole picture. I was in tears with every feed when I called her and she got me on track to heal my wounds and get our latch more comfortable and actually more natural. When I called, I wasn’t sure my little one was even getting enough nutrition. She was able to help me see how much milk my baby was getting and ensure me she was eating plenty. She also helped me deal with an oversupply problem that was surprisingly stressful and challenging. My baby would cry at the breast and even had some digestive challenges. Paula was able to help me make the connection between the oversupply and thus the kind of milk she was getting and the digestive challenges. And she of course was able to help me overcome my oversupply which was not a small thing. She helped me overcome a mastitis infection without having to take antibiotics which I really did not want to do. And then she consulted with me to come up with a back to work pumping plan. I’ve been back to work for 6 months and supply is still going strong. And then just last week, I «over-​pumped» creating a blister that broke which resulted in very painful feedings and pumping. I dreaded every one and was in tears feeling like I would never heal because I kept reinjuring it. After after suffering for 3 days, I finally called Paula and was healed within 3 days but much more comfortable within 12 hours.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Paula!

Paula is amazing. If I could give her 10 stars I would!
I had breastfeeding issues with my son since day 1. I saw 4 different lactation consultants who all gave me different BF’ing plans and didn’t follow up with me or my son’s progress. I had called Paula when the last lactation consultant I saw said I would probably never be able to breast feed my son.
He wasn’t able to latch and he was a sleepy baby that wouldn’t eat. I had many issues like clogged ducts, mastitis, and I was a low volume pumper. Pumping around the clock and bottle feeding was the norm at my house. I was to the point where I felt I couldn’t keep up
Paula is calm, caring and so helpful. She was my biggest supporter when others were starting to tell me to give up. She gave me hope when no one else did. Not only does she makes house calls she will follow up with telephone calls or emails. She is great with other kids you may have as well. I have a 5 year old and when she would make house visits she was so kind to my older son as well. It’s almost like just having a girlfriend over who will happen to help you with breastfeeding. It’s very relaxed and she doesn’t make you feel like a failure if you don’t get it right the first time.
On Wednesdays you can visit her in her office in Albany where you can meet up with other moms and she will do a free weight check. Her office is nice because you can meet other moms who are in the same boat with you. You can also talk to Paula about issues you may have.
Paula doesn’t give you goals that are unattainable. She celebrates with you even with the smallest progression to whatever breastfeeding goal you have. And she supports whatever decisions you make. I honestly feel if I didn’t not have her help or support I would have started formula instead of sticking it out and trying as hard as I could. Paula will help you find ways to keep you a happy mama who is trying to give their baby the best. I was pumping 8 times a day but it was just draining me and she knew it. She helped me to figure out a better schedule in which I could still pump as much milk as my son needed but not feel like I was stuck to the pump 24 hours a day. She would try different techniques to get my son to latch.
It took a lot longer that I thought it would but finally at 11 weeks my son learned to latch and we have been exclusively breastfeeding since (he’s 14 weeks now). He’s a much happier and chunkier baby! =)
If I ever have another baby I know I will be calling her for help. You will not regret calling her! She’s my breastfeeding guru!

Paula Santi is fantastic — I really can’t praise her enough! We
called her when we were at our absolute wits’ end with latching and
supply problems. She came quickly to our rescue, helping us to cope
with the situation, and gave us some manageable goals for the
immediate future. Paula really took the time to calm us down,
patiently explain things to us, and followed up with us in person and
on the phone until she was sure we were on the right track. My milk
supply increased quickly enough that we didn’t have to supplement with
formula and our son was latching great in no time, and now it seems
almost effortless! I don’t know what we would have done without her!

i honestly don’t know what i would have done without paula’s advice and support. she is everything you could ever hope for and want in a lactation consultant – caring, supportive, knowledgeable, and confident. i have had a difficult time with breastfeeding and probably would have given up long ago were it not for paula. i was originally working with a lc the hospital set me up with, and found her to be judgmental and i just felt bad like i’d never be able to provide for my daughter and paula changed all that. paula and i came up with a manageable plan and i am proud to say that i now feel like i’m able to give my daughter what she needs – and i know if i run into any speed bumps paula is just a phone call or email away. paula is truly amazing… i can’t imagine a more dedicated lactation consultant!
paula meets with you in your home, takes time to make sure the techniques and methods work in your natural environment.

Paula Santi wants you to breastfeed.
Paula’s never-​ending encouragement and genuine interest and care for me and my family helped me become a breastfeeding pro.
I was really, really sick for 4 months with every breast problem in the book and medication barely making a dent. Paula continued to check in on me, encourage me, cheer me up. During my most discouraging moments I’d think, «Paula would keep trying.»
She came to my house and sat with me and my baby. She had all the time in the world. When my baby wanted to sleep for 2 hours instead of nursing, Paula waited. We talked. We laughed despite my pain and frustration. She told me I could do it and I believed her. When the baby was ready she watched and made gentle suggestions that made sense and helped me improve.
She isn’t just a cheerleader. Professional and personal demeanor aside, Paula’s practical knowlege of breastfeeding technique is science– and experience-​based. She knows the medical literature and is not too proud to go look something up. She cuts the crap and gets down to healing and perfecting and enjoying.
Call Paula. Call her right now. You — and your baby — will be so glad you did.

Paula is one wise woman!
I was about to give up breastfeeding when I was recommended to call Paula. At that point, I was a wreak — I was in pain all the time. Feedings were excruciating — every suck from the babe’s tiny mouth sent ripples of pain through my breast. In between feedings were sometimes worse. Sometimes I was so bowled over I could barely carry the baby… and holding him close was also painful!
Paula came to my home, and was friendly and eager to help. Her approach was honest, kind, and refreshing. She gave me a very detailed plan to deal with 3 different issues, and here I am about three months later nearly pain free. I am functional. I enjoy life again. I enjoy my baby again. I can think about more than just pain, and live my life again. I feel confident and don’t doubt my decision to keep breastfeeding.
One of the things I appreciated the most about working with Paula was that her style was so empowering. She acknowledged what a burden it was to be in severe pain and gave me a lot of encouragement for keeping at it. I am so grateful for Paula — she made it possible for me to provide the best gift possible to my baby by breastfeeding him!

I found Paula through the recommendation of my Doula. Like many new mothers I struggled with breastfeeding my newborn at home after leaving the hospital. Paula assisted me when I needed it most and was as supportive and caring as she was knowledgeable. Any new Mom who has been through breastfeeding challenges knows that it is a difficult and emotional experience, and you really need support in addition to practical guidance. When I compare Paula to other Lactation Consultants (I have attended a few seminars with other LCs) she is BY FAR the most caring and sincere, never critical or harsh.
And yes, Paula gets results. My baby and I are now happily feeding and I truly feel that I owe it to Paula’s patient hands-​on assistance as well as her thoughtful analysis of our particular challenges. She has worked miracles for my family and I would definitely use her again.