El Camino Hospital Maternal Connections

This review is for Dr Thomas Rarick:
The reception office was very unprofessional. They could not guide me on my first appointment today. I had an orientation session today with a nurse. No one was in the office when I arrived. I asked questions on how much the cost of this session will be, and they told me they do not know, I have to ask the billing department. There were no billing office that I could ask. No one will answer your very simple and basic questions at this office. The lady working on reception desk was very rude. I’ve never had such an experience before. I do not recommend going to them. Take care of yourself and your baby.
For the building in general:
The hospital does not have parking space. You will be very confused finding one.

Although I initially had a good experience at Maternal Connections it was ruined by their lack of communication when it comes to their return policy. BEWARE: Anything that could come in contact with your breasts is considered a «personal item» and therefore cannot be returned. I purchased a $ 56 bra which I thought I liked in store and quickly changed my mind when I tried it on with clothes at home. Since every other store on the planet accepts returns on bras, I figured it would be no problem to get my money back or even store credit. Come to find out I cannot return or exchange the bra so now I am stuck with an item that does not work for me. I was told that it is «California law» and that no personal items are returnable. Maybe Maternal Connections should specify what they mean on their receipts or have the sales associate verbally communicate their odd return policies. Will not be returning to this store, even though I really liked what they carry.

I love this shop and the ladies who run it !! I recently had an emergency C-​section and delivered my son early at El Camino Hospital, and the ladies at the Maternal Connection store were incredibly helpful, supportive and friendly towards me, my family and my situation.
Whoever had set up my milk pump in my hospital room during my stay in the hospital failed to add a critical piece to the flange, so I had started to pump milk for almost a week without «the pump working». I was nearly in pieces so upset, trying to figure everything out and thinking the worst — that it was my fault somehow that I wasn’t making a ton of milk (at this time I had no idea the piece was missing off the flange) — however within less than a minute of taking my pump parts and problem to the Maternal Connection — the problem was solved !!!
My relief was immense and I do admit to a bit of a tear jerk session near my baby in the NICU when I finally had milk flowing from the pump because everything worked good.
Also, they have all the parts and bits extra so whatever you need is easy to get at this store. They are super knowledgable about all kinds of wonderful facts and are very sensitive to all situations that the dads and moms are in.
Shopping wise, its very easy to put a dent in your wallet at the store with all the cute stuff !! They have a wonderful selection of clothes and toys and other new mom necessities that you might need. They also sell snacks and other small variety items so family and friends have an alternative to the cafeteria and vending machines.
All in all, I am so grateful this store exists in the women’s hospital and think it is an invaluable contribution and support for all the moms coming to El Camino Women’s hospital.

Gail in the store and Donna (?i hope) in Lactation services are awesome and make a great team. Sensitive, knowledgeable, and encouraging. I left there with more confidence than I had since the baby was born. Thank you!

I came here a few weeks after our baby was born to get some nursing bras. The lady behind the counter immediately made herself available and called for someone else to man the store so she could provide personal help to me. She brought me into a private room for a fitting. She had great recommendations, was very patient as I tried on various styles, was very considerate of my postpartum condition, and helped me find exactly what I needed. If you bring your baby with you, there is a space for you to nurse as well.
Not only was she very knowledgeable about BF and nursing bras, but had a lot of information on pumping equipment as well, so I was able to ask her a few questions about my machine and get her advice.
The service was way better than anything I’d receive at a department store, and it was clear that she genuinely wanted me to find something that was comfortable and would work well for me. I would recommend this place for any newly nursing mom!

Gail was super nice and helpful. She seemed very knowledgeable about breast feeding and things related. She offered some very useful advice and didn’t make me feel ignorant at all for being a first time mom.
The store carries spare parts for Medela (sold as kits or individually) :) I didn’t pay attention to the other brands they carry. There’s a lot if cute baby stuff in addition to essentials, too. Very convenient for a last minute item pick up after having baby.

A surprisingly great resource for a hospital shop. Not that I have a lot of experience with them, but I didn’t realize what kind of selection I could get until I visited. I rented a pump immediately after I left, but ended up extending the rental just because I liked their medela pump so much. I also really liked the selection of nursing products — various medela accessories, Mother Love creams, etc. The staff is also very knowledgeable and can help you with your selection and purchase. Definitely check the store out on your way out of the hospital, or if you come back needing some breast-​feeding support.

This review is for the Maternity (women’s hospital).
The Labor and Delivery and Mom and Baby units are great in all the ways you can expect.
The rooms are spacious, clean, very well equiped (modern bed, TV, wireless monitor for baby, etc.)
The nurses, all of them (in L&D and in recovery) are AWESOME. I have never experienced such help and support in a hospital in my life (in France at least :))
They come and check you all the time… Help you to cope with pain, support you during labor, after delivery, with the baby etc. I am talking of real «human help and support» (on top of the «regular duties»).
If you need help urgently, they are always here. They are doing such a great job in such a fast paced environment. I truly admire them and their work.
Thank you so much: Melissa, Jenny, Ruth, Pam, Deb, and I am forgetting so many…
We have learned something from all of them, whether it is on baby care, nursing, C section recovery etc.
The lactation consultants are also very nice and supportive. I definitely recommend consulting them.
The only minor thing: there is a photography service onsite, after delivery; which is great and the photographer does indeed take really nice shots. The only thing, it is kind of expensive! $ 199 to get the photos on a CD. We had like 15 photos.
But of course, nothing worths more than the beautiful smile of your baby :)

I was assuming that this was an overpriced hospital gift shop. But actually, their prices are very reasonable. I compared them against Amazon prices, and they are pretty competitive, it was worth for me to get it right away vs wait a week for shipping.
Also, you can get some hospital-​style supplies, like disposable underpads, textured wipes, etc, for cheap and small quantities.

The lactation consultants only seem to be interested in getting you to rent their hospital grade pumps, so be prepared for all their marketing talk! We gave in n rented a medela symphony pump ($ 35 a week) and paid $ 60 for the pump accessories! When I got home I found that the medela pump in style advanced pump that I had purchased before my daughters birth did an amazing job at pumping milk and that I just wasted almost $ 100 by renting the symphony pump for 1week!!! And to top it off, the accessories for the symphony pump cost only $ 34 in amazon but cost $ 60 in the hospital!!! The 2 stars I am giving this store is for consultant Stacey who was very sweet and went out of her way to make an effort in getting my daughter to latch on ! She truly is a sweetheart! Pls ask for her when u have ur baby

I was in a bind and needed new breastpump accessories immediately. They have basically all of the accessories for Medela pumps at really reasonable prices. The salespeople were helpful and although they only are open M-​Sat, 10am — 4pm, if you call and need something that day, they can work with you to get it to you.
It’s great to have such a valuable resource in the community.

I’ve a complaint about Maternal Connections store runs a breastfeeding supply store within the El Camino hospital in Mountain view.
I was discharge on 29^th October my husband bought My Brestfriend Basic pillow from Maternal Connections.
For some reason I didn’t used the pillow so i went there on 2^nd November to exchange not asking them to refund my money.
I met their lady named helene first she said she cant exchange it as this is a personal item i was surprised it was not mentioned anywhere in the bill that this is a personal item and nobody told my husband at the time of billing about this.
I said i want to talk to the manager she went and come back after 10 minutes with some other story .She said pillow has some odor and she will check it if there is no odour she will exchange it i said it’s fine because i didn’t used it so she can check. She took my contact numbers and told me that i’ll get a call from Joyce tomorrow the lady who made this bill. Next day i didn’t get any call from them. On 4^th november evening i got a call from same lady helene mentioning that they cant do anything and mentioning some California laws.
I feel they have cheated us i cant do anything else I’ve wasted my money cant exchange and refund it and i’m stuck. I’m not concerned about the money but more about their return policy on personal items which is not clear and the way they manage their customers.
Under no circumstances I will return to Maternal Connections.

I came here looking to get fitted and try on some nursing bras. I’ve looked at local department stores and didn’t like any, so I came here knowing they carry the higher priced/​quality brands like Bravado and Anita. I didn’t catch their names, but the two women that helped me were amazing! They were so helpful during the fitting and answering my questions. I’m picky with all my bras, but came out with 1 Bravado. I’m glad I got to actually get fitted and know my proper size. This store also has a lot of other products like the Ergo carriers, nursing apparel, and lots lots more. Fabulous place! Oh! And the prices are reasonable, especially for the bras. About the same as you would find in stores, but not overpriced like boutiques.

Maternal Connections is one of the few places where we could find the Ameda hospital grade pumps for rent. Since a hospital grade pump and a personal electric pump of the same brand can use the same tubing kit, we were able to use the tubing kit that came with our Ameda personal with the Ameda hospital grade pump we rented for a week.
The staff at Maternal Connections patiently showed us how to use the hospital grade pump, explained the mechanics of the tubing kit and advised us of ways to keep the entire pump clean.
Maternal Connections also has a convenient community room with a nursing area and a baby scale so we could feed, weigh and change the baby while picking up supplies from the store.

Friendly, helpful, knowledgeable staff. Full spread of Medela products, salves for mom and baby, baby carriers (Ergo and ring slings), and other products one might not find at Babies r Us or Target :) Pretty reasonably priced. Good times. I look forward to going back to get fitted for a nursing bra.

I went to the store to get some b-​feeding supplies, and actually really was surprised with the selection. They had some awesome nursing pajamas, that I’m tempted to go back and get another pair in a smaller size (they were on sale for $ 10), and man are they handy.
The ladies here were pretty helpful, and in general were excited to see my newborn. I’m not sure how the prices stacked up to other stores, but dude, this place is around the corner from me. So we’ll be back.

I went to Maternal Connections for a lactation consultant appointment. What a waste of $ 175 and my time.
The lady I got was a lactation nazi. I had a bunch of questions, which she ignored. Instead, she gave me the lecture on why breastfeeding was the best. Duh, lady, why do you think I’m paying for this dumb appointment to get better at it?
I came with my mom and chinese nurse. They dont’ speak English that well so they were trying to talk in Chinese to me and ask more questions. The lady just talked over them in an even louder voice. I found this extremely rude. If you’re trying to be helpful, you might want to answer questions or just be bit respectful of your customers and be quiet so the mom can get her support network to understand what to do.
Anyhow, here was her typical response to my questions.
Me: «I’m worried about milk supply; I’m topping her off with formula to make sure she’s full, but how do I get more milk?»
Her: «What? Formula? Formula is for cows, breast milk is for humans. you need to stop that right away, yada yada yada/​»
1) The hospital fed her formula in the NICU, and my milk supply is low. Do you really think I’m going to starve my baby?
2) I’m sure all the kids (including me) who were fed formula appreciate being compared to cows.
3) While breast milk does have more benefits, puleeze on the lecture“
My pediatrician father in law recommended formula, so calm down.
Me: I’m worried that I’m not fitted properly on the breast pump. Can you check?
Her: Why are you asking about the pump? Why do you need to pump? You aren’t going back to work for a long time, you don’t need the pump.
Lady, you don’t know me, my life or lifestyle. You also arent’ listening to me that 1) milk supply is low and everyone has recommended to pump every 3 hours, 2) baby isnt’ getting enough milk, 3) I’m paying your employer $ 22/​week to rent this pump so it better daM* work.
So if you want to pay to get yelled at, Maternal Connections lactation consultants are for you. People who dont’ appreciate your intelligence, time or effort to go there — is what you’ll find there.
I asked similiar questions to my pediatrician, and she was much more helpful and supprotive, which is what I think new moms should have. Breastfeeding is very stressful, esp for first time moms, and the last thing you need is some so called preofessional yelling at you. Avoid at all costs. Call your girlfriends or pediatricians, they’er much more helpful!

Maternal Connections is on the ground floor of the Orchard Pavilion at El Camino Hospital. It seems that it is divided into the lactation center and a store.
The store is nice. They carry a plethora of items for nursing moms, including shirts, slings, nursing bras, pumps, etc. They also carry toys for new babies and clothing. The sales ladies are usually volunteers, it seems, and they’ve always been nice when I’ve gone in.
I went here to purchase a nursing bra. I had no idea which kind to get so I asked one of the nice sales ladies for some advice. She led me to a separate little private room, in which another lady measured me and had me try on several different ones. They’ve got a ton of them in all shapes, styles, and sizes– all in that little room! She was extremely patient, answered all my questions, and showed me how to pick the right one. She made me very comfortable and I am very happy with what she helped me pick out. In fact, I purchased 2 more!
All in all, I like this little store. For some items, the prices are only a couple dollars more than the stuff at Babies R Us. I like it because this store is closer to my house than Babies R Us.

Maternal Connections runs a breastfeeding supply store and offers lactation consultation from within the hospital. I would say that the only thing that is good about them (and this is based on speaking to several moms) is the pump rentals.
The consultation is expensive (around $ 175) and usually not covered by insurance. You can get reimbursed through an FSA (Flex account). Their store has competitive pricing (though shopping around online will save you a bit).
I had four experiences with Maternal Connections:
1) Zero stars: I gave birth to my daughter at 5:15 am after more than 12 hours of labor. At 7 am, at a level of exhaustion that cannot be described, I was wheeled into a shared recovery room. The other couple (who I never saw, because the curtain was drawn) was scheduled to check out before lunch. They were distraught because their newborn wasn’t eating, and during the morning a lactation consultant stopped by. She was terrible. She was loud and abrupt, interrupting them when they spoke. She asked the woman if her breasts were engorged, then asked the husband to squeeze them and report if they felt fuller. Who wouldn’t be uncomfortable with that? Terrible!
2) Zero stars: I had no problem getting my baby to eat, but it was amazingly painful. I toughed it out for two days, but finally, on my last night I asked if a lactation consultant could visit before we checked out. The nurse said she would schedule it. The next morning, no one came, so we went home with no help. We would later learn that they are closed on Sunday, but no one bothered to tell us.
3) Five stars: After one week of searing pain ten times a day when I fed my baby, I scheduled a visit to Maternal Connections. I was very stressed about my appointment. I was in severe pain and I was worried they were going to do something that would hurt. Instead, the woman who helped me, Deana, was extremely kind and gentle. You should request her! She made me feel comfortable and she was so sympathetic. I was using Soothies and she recommended Ameda ComfortGel Hydrogel Pads instead, which I ended up preferring.
4) Zero stars: Months later, my doctor instructed me to schedule a consultation at Maternal Connections to measure how much my daughter was eating in a meal (they weighed her naked before and after eating). I asked for Deana, but she wasn’t working that week, so my appointment was with Donna, who the operator said was, «Very good.» When I showed up, someone who was not Donna greeted me and performed my consultation. She didn’t say «Sorry, Donna was called away…» or bother to explain the personnel change in any way. Part way through the meeting, I began to suspect that this was the woman I had heard behind the curtain in the hospital recovery room. She interrupted me when I spoke. Her suggestions were not helpful. She suggested «compression» and then squeezed my breast painfully hard. If we are not dating, you need to ask my permission to touch my breasts. And either way, you shouldn’t injure me. Also, I had brought my manual breast pump with me for help in using it. I said to the woman, «I’ve only used this once and I need help because clearly I don’t know what I’m doing.» She began to describe which brands they recommend purchasing instead of the one I had. Are you joking? I’ve already bought this one; I don’t want advice on brands. She didn’t help me and I didn’t ask again, deciding it was best to save my money by leaving as soon as possible.
Under no circumstances will I return to Maternal Connections. I won’t even go there to use their free scales and changing room.