Rachel is an AMAZING provider. A wealth of knowledge coupled with the bedside manner of a saint. I recommend her 1000% to help meet you where you are and walk you through whatever challenge you approach her office with. She is also surrounded by an amazing circle of referral partners so if your particular situation also requires the care of other providers, she is able to point you to the best ones. I particularly remember when I was pregnant with my 2nd baby who's now 1.5y old and Rachel spent over an hour simply asking me questions about me, my own well being and mental health as well as diseccting through my first breastfeeding journey which sadly did not go well and how that had affected me emotionally. Regardless of how my 2nd journey would have unfolded at the time, the fact that she even took the time to ask about the first journey was HUGE. RUNNNN to Rachel's office.
— Crystal S.
Rachel is a godsend!!! This is my second child, so I thought breastfeeding would be “easy”. But this breastfeeding journey has thrown every type of hurdle at us. Rachel has been our biggest supporter throughout every challenge - helping us navigate ties, bottle refusal, mastitis, low weight gain, low supply. I was able to build my supply up and establish a good breastfeeding rhythm that supports my baby and myself all through Rachel’s guidance. Her knowledge and research on breastfeeding guidelines is outstanding, yet her approach is far from clinical. Her demeanor is warm and inviting, and she always makes sure to check in on how we’re doing overall, not just from a feeding perspective. I truly do not know where I would be in my breastfeeding journey or postpartum without her, and I’m so grateful to have to opportunity to work with her.
— Alyson Zuber
Rachel at The Golden Hour is an incredible asset to the Wilmington birth community. As a fellow professional, I trust her expertise and heart implicitly. I never hesitate to send my families her way because I know she provides the high-level, intentional care they deserve. Highly recommend!
— Paige Dougherty
Rachel has been an amazing resource at every stage of my breastfeeding journey. She helped me navigate the initial stage of the process through today when my baby is two months old and struggling with gassiness. Rachel is a great listener and problem solver - at every session she has worked to understand my needs and issues. Breastfeeding proved to be more challenging than I realized but luckily I had Rachel to support me through the entire experience! I ended up loving breastfeeding and I owe it in part to Rachel’s guidance.
— Ariel Moore
As first time parents, my husband and I had many curious questions breastfeeding. We had heard from family and friends that breastfeeding is hard and will be painful at first. Thanks to our prenatal lactation support with Rachel -that was not our story!!
Rachel did an awesome job with providing us with the tools we needed to establish early and health breastfeeding patterns. We attribute our breastfeeding success to her guidance, empowerment, and ongoing support following the birth of my daughter.
Rachel meets families where they are at and provides a continuity of care that is absolutely needed during the postpartum period.
I would highly recommend Rachel’s lactation services!
— Melanie Velez
Rachel has been a great resource. She was highly recommended to me and lived up to it. As a first time mom, I really didn't know what I was doing but Rachel helped walked me along the way so I knew what to do once my daughter was born and supported us as we were figuring out how to be successful
— Marisa Pabon
My husband and I started seeing Rachel for prenatal lactation consultations about two months before our little girl arrived. We were a bit worried about potential challenges with breastfeeding, especially since I have inverted/flat nipples. But from the very beginning, we felt comfortable and supported by Rachel.
We knew that even if nursing didn’t work out, Rachel would be there to guide us through pumping, and that’s exactly what ended up happening. We spent several weeks trying different strategies to accommodate my condition. While I decided not to continue nursing, we did have a few special weeks of latching and bonding, and I’m so grateful for that opportunity with my daughter, thanks to Rachel.
Once I made the decision to stop nursing, we continued working with her to get the support I needed for pumping and building my milk supply. Beyond being an excellent consultant, Rachel felt like the therapist we didn’t know we needed. She helped us navigate sleep deprivation, adjust to life at home, and truly find our rhythm as new parents.
We absolutely loved our sessions with her and would recommend her without hesitation. If we have another baby, we’ll definitely be seeing Rachel again.
— Vanessa Menezes
Rachel is just fantastic! As a first time mom, I didn’t know what to expect with our feeding journey. Rachel supported us through navigating nursing, pumping, bottle feeding for us to reach our goals. Not only does Rachel support feeding, but she is also incredibly supportive to the overall postpartum experience, ensuring that I was taking care of myself as well.
— Valerie Hill
Rachel is awesome. The prenatal appointments were so helpful, and we were extra prepared for the hospital. Highly recommend going to at least a few appointments before birth, let alone afterwards.
— Anon
Rachel provided me and my baby with excellent care while helping me to navigate an emotionally exhausting time. I specifically noticed that she took time to listen to me and my concerns before diagnosing and treating. Still happily and efficiently nursing my 1-year-old. I cannot recommend her enough; thanks Rachel!
— Tayler V.
We worked with Rachel starting several months before the arrival of our first baby. Her warm, approachable style made us feel very comfortable discussing our feeding hopes and learning about how to best prepare. We felt very well prepared for successfully starting nursing once our baby was born, and the lactation consultant in the hospital was impressed with how much we knew and how equipped we were to initiate breastfeeding before they even came to check in on us. It was all thanks to working with Rachel. I was so glad we had follow up appointments scheduled for a few days postpartum because we did encounter some issues soon after getting home. Rachel was thorough in her assessment of our challenges and extremely supportive. I think I was crying with joy after our appointment with her because she had helped us (me and baby) work better together as his feeding needs grew. It was such a relief. I didn’t expect breastfeeding to be such an emotional part of motherhood, but Rachel was incredibly in tune with my needs as a mom, including the emotional side of feeding and becoming a mom. Her support and care went far beyond how to feed our baby, and I am so grateful to have had her guidance and encouragement as I became a first time mom. Her supportive presence was so helpful in the early days of parenting, even more than our pediatrician or my OB, honestly. I wish that every new mom had somebody as knowledgeable and genuinely kind as Rachel as an essential part of their postpartum support team. I recommend working with her 100%!
— Katie Godfrey
As a health care professional, I only recommend providers that I would take my own children to. The care, compassion, and clinical expertise that Rachel shows is unmatched. Please, do not hesitate to work with Rachel and trust that she is truly one of the best in caring for you and your baby.
— Joanna Green
As a first time mom, I didn't know what I didn't know! I wanted to nurse and pump for at least a year as a goal. I had one prenatal visit with Rachel before baby girl was born and I felt immediately supported and reassured. I felt informed about feeding for the first week with baby knowing that I would see Rachel again soon after birth. Having regular feeding and weight checks in the following months made all the difference in our physical and mental health. Visiting Rachel felt like an escape to focus on myself and my baby and see what we all needed. Ultimately, we made it to my year goal and I happily did my last pump the morning of my girl's birthday. I highly recommend Rachel and know everyone will feel better after seeing her.
— Alison Gondos
Rachel is hands down the best lactation consultant I have encountered! Aside from being knowledgeable in her field, her personality shines. She is so down to earth, understanding, and kind. From the moment my husband and I met with her, during a prenatal appointment, she validated all my emotions from previous experience with my daughters breastfeeding journey. She met me where I was mentally and emotionally with nothing but empathy and zero judgement. Not only did she provide care on our breastfeeding journey, she had a large impact on how good I felt mentally in those precious early weeks. She was able to catch my son working too hard to feed/ not transferring milk well and gave us appropriate resources for a tongue tie revision along with follow up post revision! She took the time at each visit to really check in with me to understand how I was feeling postpartum and gave me encouragement that I will treasure for years to come. I could go on and on with the list of reasons Rachel has been crucial to our postpartum journey, but I’ll end this by saying if you’re looking for not only a competent, but kind and compassionate IBCLC look no further!
— Mary Ann
Rachel is a knowledgeable and dedicated lactation consultant. I had the privilege to have her as one of my mentors while training. She brings experience and compassion to her work, helping parents navigate their breastfeeding journey with confidence.
— Ana Wennberg
Rachel is a warm, caring, and knowledgeable lactation consultant with a soothing presence. She takes both physical and mental health into account as she holds the space of new mothers and their breastfeeding journey. As a mental health therapist I find Rachel’s wholistic approach so supportive and impactful to the moms I have had the honor of sending her way. I highly recommend Rachel.
— Rebekah Mo
Rachel is awesome! She helped us navigate a hard start to breastfeeding and now my baby and I are doing great! She also makes sure I’m getting the mental health support that I need which is essential as a first time mom. We are so lucky to have Rachel caring for us!
— Christina Mentzer
Rachel offers a wonderful blend of a client centered approach combined with a wealth of knowledge from a lactation perspective. She is so supportive and a perfect person to have in your corner in those early postpartum days. She actively listens, doesn’t push her views but supports what works best for your situation whether that be full time nursing, pumping, weaning and all the feelings in between. You have someone by your side supporting you with your breastfeeding goals. I’m so thankful I had her support and expertise during my journey.
— Jess Stevenson
Rachel is grounded, present, and very knowledgeable. Being a new mom would have been much scarier and lonelier without her expertise and guidance.
— Jessica Simon
