Michelle Stolow, MAT IBCLC

In short — I could not recommend Michelle more highly, and am so thankful for her help and guidance that I made a Unilocal account just to share my review.
I met Michelle when I attended a breastfeeding class she taught at Emerson hospital. She was so wonderful and informative that I left feeling reassured that I could draw upon her expertise if I needed help after my son’s birth.
Sure enough, when he was first born his latch was too shallow and breastfeeding was quite painful. On the first day home from the hospital, I thankfully had the good sense to contact Michelle. She came to my house the very first thing the next morning. I had scabs on my nipples already from the poor latch. In one session, Michelle not only got my son to latch properly, but she was so clear in her explanations that by the time she left I was able to get him to latch properly without her assistance. In the next twelve hours my scabs completely healed and I never again had issues nursing. It was simply amazing.
Michelle came again when my son was three months old and, a week before the end of my maternity leave, was refusing bottles. She got him to accept both fresh and frozen breastmilk out of a bottle, to my extreme relief.
Michelle has always made herself available to answer my questions and I owe a huge part of my breastfeeding success to her help. I can’t thank her enough!

When I was in the hospital with one twin being bottle fed in the NICU and the other trying to nurse but not getting much from me, the nursing staff dismissed my concerns. They told me breastfeeding twins would be no problem. I had successfully nursed my daughter after all, of course everything would be fine once they were both home. When, however, three days later I had scrawny, jaundiced twins and no hope, Michelle saved us. After two days, the twins were both gaining and after a week, we were able to breastfeed exclusively. They were tandem nursing confidently when Michelle left after our last visit.
I can’t say enough about Michelle. With zero judgment and an arsenal of skills, she met us where we were (figuratively and of course literally) and helped us achieve our goal of breastfeeding twins. I was a wreck when I met Michelle for the first time, my boys had lost too much weight (even as we tried to fill them with formula) and we were all really struggling. Her calming, loving presence and persistence turned us right around — in so little time. Michelle was able to show me how to successfully breastfeed my boys and give me back my faith in my body and in my judgment. Each consultation, Michelle helped me to see small successes, and meet attainable goals. Between visits, she was 100% available to answer questions and lent me all the tools I needed. I don’t want to think about where we would be without her — she changed our lives! Everyone should be so lucky as to have her support in coping with any baby feeding challenges — I recommend her without the slightest hesitation.

I rarely « Unilocal» but felt it necessary to sing Michelle’s praises to anyone in her service area looking for a lactation consultant. As a new mom whose milk did not come in until I left the hospital, I found Michelle’s services indispensable in getting me acclimated to breastfeeding. The nurses at the hospital had shown me a few positions in my hospital bed, but my nipples were already mangled and the pillow fortress that my husband and I constructed nite one to mimic the hospital was not going to cut it. Enter Michelle, who was so very responsive from my first contact, who came to our home (a huge plus) the day my milk came in. She demo-​ed new relaxed positions on the couch for my son and me, showed me how to use my breast pump as he wasn’t drawing enough initially, and answered all of our questions.
Her kindness, patience, responsiveness, and overall disposition in wanting the best for my baby and me is all so very appreciated. He had lost quite a bit of weight but with her tutelage and plan we managed to put 2 oz/​day on him! Even if he didn’t respond I know she had a plan B and would have coached me thru it all. I have texted or emailed with her almost daily, getting sound advice and great support. She includes unlimited support via phone/​text/​email. The «unlimited» part of that is very unique and illustrates her genuine desire to help.
It’s worth noting that the fees are largely covered by insurance. However, in my opinion, if you need to spend out of pocket this is THE BEST INVESTMENT you can make for your sanity, and especially for your child. When considered against all the other «stuff» we purchase for nurseries, outfitting, gear, etc. for these little people, spending $ 200 or so/​session for competent help that will insure their health and well being is a no-​brainer. You should contact Michelle today!

The world needs a million more LC’s like Michelle! She is wonderful and I owe her so much. Although I had breastfed with my first child, my second baby had a severe tongue and lip tie that prevented him from successful nursing. His latching issues was preventing him from gaining weight — and that is when I reached out to Michelle. She responded to me right away, and she sensed my desperation. She drove through a blizzard to meet with me, as she knew my problem was quite urgent! Michelle helped me through ALL of the problems — she was calm, warm and very knowledgeable and supportive. She developed a plan for me — even accompanied me to my baby’s tongue/​lip tie procedure! He is now a very happy and healthy exclusive breastfed baby — nice & chunky :) I have remained in touch with her via phone & email for other small questions/​issues and she is just so great and responsive. I wish that every Mom who is trying to breastfeed could have the chance to work with Michelle. I’m so thankful that Emerson Hospital put me in touch with her.

This review is long overdue — babies can keep you busy! I randomly found Michelle online when looking for a lactation consultant to help me with my daughter who was less than two weeks old. Michelle was pleasant and helpful from the minute she took my call — asking what my concerns were, offering advice over the phone and scheduling a home visit the very next morning. I wasn’t having any major issues, but it was my first time breastfeeding so I needed some reassurance that I was doing things right. Michelle checked the latch, showed me some new positions, performed a weight check and measured how much my daughter was getting for the feeding. Michelle provided me documentation that I could submit to my insurance for reimbursement. She also had a mobile printer so at the end of the visit, she typed up a personalized summary and plan. We all know how sleep deprived new mothers are so it was fantastic to have this tangible resource! Michelle has continued to be available to me for further consultation and help resubmitting documentation for my insurance company at no charge. For all these reasons and more, I would highly recommend Michelle for lactation services.