Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Murray.
Sara, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In nursing school, the day, I walked into the Neonatal Intensive Care was the day I fell in love with neonatal nursing. I started my first job at Baptist Health Little Rock NICU in 2014. I learned more than I ever thought possible in the time I was there. I continued NICU nursing and realized how tremendously special and unique the mother and infant-bond was.
Watching extremely sick infants stabilize after being placed on their mother’s chest, or wiggle around when hearing their mother’s voice grew my wonder for understanding how significant that relationship is in the first few hours and days. I gave birth to my first sweet daughter in 2016, and as you can imagine I entered motherhood thinking because I was a nurse (not just any nurse but a baby nurse) I would easily figure out breastfeeding, and all the other things that come with newborns. Much to my surprise, my sweet baby refused to latch for days, sleep, and do anything without crying except for being held.
We had just moved to a new city far away from anyone I knew, and I felt defeated and so alone. My sister (who was in college at the time) came to stay with me that summer, and we took turns feeding my sweet baby at all hours of the night with a syringe of breastmilk because I was determined to breastfeed. Eventually, I swallowed my pride and googled a lactation consultant in the area. I met with Cindy and was able to finally get my baby to latch (with much practice). Cindy completely turned those newborn days around for me, and she will never know how thankful I am for her.
I realized something in those first few weeks as a new mom, I had all the “right” education, and I had been the cheerleader for so many new moms and their babies, but I didn’t have my own lactation/newborn cheerleader (until Cindy). I knew from those moments what I wanted to focus my nursing career on, Newborn, Lactation, and Postpartum journeys.
We expect new moms to give birth with minimal to no preparation for breastfeeding and newborn care and then wonder why moms feel defeated, and lonely, and postpartum depression is so prevalent. I started Bump to Bundles to help moms feel supported, empowered and heard.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Bump to Bundles focuses on 3 main things: Birth and newborn preparation, lactation consultations, and postpartum and newborn services. I realize each of those are very broad topic, and I leave it that way for a reason. I want the parents to tell me what each of those services looks like to them. Birth and new preparation may look like making a birth plan and packing their hospital bags to some, while to others it may be just going over each item they have for the baby and learning what is for and how to use it.
My lactation services include everything from (before baby) ordering a breast pump and setting it up, weight checks after birth, nipple measurement to make sure a pump is the correct size, learning how to use a pump, and then once the baby is born breastfeeding support for mom and baby. Newborn and Postpartum consultations range from a Zoom call or phone call in the middle of the night when mom is unsure of something, but mainly in-home help for mom (which can be when mom needs some time to herself to answer any questions she has about the baby).
With Bump to Bundles, I am most proud of seeing that mother gain confidence with her baby. There is no greater joy for me as a nurse than to walk away knowing that my mother feels supported and confident in motherhood. I have seen that happen so many times, and it is the best feeling in the world as your nurse.
There are many great services like mine in the area, but I like to think I have something special. I have been an Infant nurse for over a decade. I’ve cared for the tiniest and sickest infants and I know bringing them home after a stay in the NICU (no matter how long) can be completely overwhelming and a little scary. I can help build these parents’ confidence in a way lots of people can’t, and I’m very proud of that. I also am a big advocate for informed decisions when it comes to pregnancy, breastfeeding, and parenting.
There is so much information floating around out there that can be completely false and overwhelming to parents. I am a Registered Nurse and a Certified Lactation Consultant and do my absolute best to try and stay up to date with the latest studies.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
In the next 5-10 years, I see these consultations becoming more standard for moms. I think we all know that in-home support before and after the baby is born can be life-altering for motherhood.
I know many are seeing how important these consultants are. Let’s be real, a 6 week postpartum checkup after you just gave birth to a full human (that you are expected to completely care for and just know how to do it) is not cutting it for us moms.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bumptobundles.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bump_to_bundles/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552052403600
Image Credits
Laura Von Photography and Leah Potts Photography
