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  1. #41
    psophia17 is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Default RE: Survey for BF moms

    ITA - I would've been so thrilled if anyone had said that to me in the hospital!

    -Petra

    DS - Nathan, 12/29/03
    Petra
    Mother of Two
    Owner of BaDumBums

  2. #42
    Cassandra27 Guest

    Default RE: Survey for BF moms

    I was hooked up to two bags of IV magnesium sulfate due to PIH for 3 days in the hospital. On the third day, the staff pediatrician informed me that I shouldn't be bf'ing my baby while on the mag, and that it would make her sleepy. This was extremely upsetting to me for various reasons:

    1. Jenna was 5 weeks premature with an immature sucking reflex, and I had been unknowingly "putting her to sleep" every time I nursed (or attempted to--not sure how much she really ingested). She lost 25% of her birthweight in those 3 days, which I have to attribute partially to being too sleepy to nurse.
    2. It took him THREE days of visiting her before he told me this.
    3. My OB and none of the nurses thought to inform me
    4. And the ped didn't stop to explain anything beyond "you shouldn't have been nursing her while on the mag". I felt so guilty, yet I couldn't figure out what the alternative would have been--bottles of formula, I guess?

    Anyway, that's my wish. That he would have been more forthcoming and speedy in his advice, and actually counseled me a little rather than dropping that bomb on me and then leaving. To top it off, he discharged her at 4lb 12oz with severe jaundice, even though I hadn't even been cleared for discharge yet and we knew it would be at least another day before I could leave. (She ended up being readmitted by a different staff ped, and we filed a complaint.)

    A second suggestion would be to provide some kind of counseling or literature on caring for preemies. I had no idea what I was in store for, and weeks after coming home, I was still bf'ing her every 45-60 minutes round the clock. I was a wreck--mentally, physically, and hygenically. We did make it through in the end, but I almost resent that they sent me home with this 4lb bundle of a thing with no real instructions or pamphelet or at least helping to set my expectations (as far as the difference between caring for a preemie vs a full-term baby).

    Cassandra
    mom to Jenna, born 02/03/04

  3. #43
    ellies mom is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Default RE: Survey for BF moms

    What a wonderful idea. I had DD at a kaiser hospital that is very pro-breastfeeding. That said, looking back there were a few things I wish were done differently.

    Each nurse had different way of trying to get the baby to latch on and hold the baby. That is fine in itself. But instead of saying "this is THE right way to do it", it would have been better if they had said something like "this is what works for me. let's see if it works for you" The different ideas were great but not when presented as "the other ways are wrong".

    The first LC I saw was completely unknowledgeable about any pump other than what Kaiser sells (medela), including the very popular Isis (strongly discouraged it). She was also the worst about doing it her way. The second LC I saw was much more helpful.

    If a mother is planning on breatfeeding, I think someone needs to say that it is hard at first, but it will get better. I think too many new mothers feel as though they must be doing something wrong because it hurts or that the baby isn't doing what the book says.I think some more honest information would be helpful. Luckily I had my Mom to tell me that it will get better, to give it three weeks. She was right and 11 months later we are still going strong and I still love my Isis. :)
    Veronica

    Miss Ellie 11/03
    Baby Audrey 4/08

  4. #44
    squimp is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Default RE: Survey for BF moms

    The best thing the ped could do is to find a way to have a LC visit moms every day while in the hospital and then do a follow up home visit for free within a week of returning home (preferably 5 days). Fantasyland? Nope - standard practice at my hospital.

    The LC spent at least 30 minutes talking with us every day in the hospital, and was like a goddess to me. I looked forward to her visit, and that's not just because she said I had great breasts (for BF, of course :D). The home visit was several hours and really built our confidence.

    My experience was that the pediatricians were extremely busy. The best they can do is say how beautiful and wonderful the baby is, share all the pertinent baby health info and not say something offensive because it will stick with the parent for months. I also agree that the nurses are really key - they are the ones there with the moms at 2 a.m. when the baby is hungry and won't sleep, and you need sleep so formula starts to sound like a good option.

  5. #45
    Join Date
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    Default RE: Survey for BF moms

    It's nice to see someone in the medical profession looking for this type of feedback. I had a tough time in the beginning but guess I am pretty determined so I persevered. I had a c-section. My son was a barracuda baby so he did some damage early that made it difficult to keep on trying. He also had jaundice and was partially supplemented. My advice would be:

    *Explain to the mother (&Dad)that bf'ing is a learning process for both baby & Mom. It takes time to figure out what works. You don't want the Mom to think this naturally occurs otherwise she may feel like a failure. Tell them that it gets so much easier as time goes on and Mom & baby get to know each other.
    *Encourage the Dads to be supportive of bf'ing.
    *Educate the nurses so the message/advice given is consistent. I got conflicting info from the nurses while in the hospital which was frustrating. A LC who later came to my home laughed at some of the misinformation I was given.
    *Let the nurses know that new Moms have feelings and need support. I got the feeling that some of the nurses were just trying to check off that I was breastfeeding successfuly rather than really hearing what I was saying or experiencing.
    *Explain to a nurse that when a Mom brings a baby to the nursery so she can take a quick nap bringing the baby back to her in 5 min because he/she is crying so he/she must be hungry is preventing the Mom from having a break that she desperately needs and can make them feel like a failure.
    *Tell the Moms to seek out an LC right away if they start to have problems. I was 80% there but still experiencing some painful latches and I had an LC come to my home. She helped me find positions that worked for me in my home and was so supportive that she really helped my confidence and put me over the edge to being 100% successful. Even if their insurance does not pay it is money well spent.
    *Educate new Moms about when their milk should come in ie for a c-section it is usually later and let them know that the baby is getting nourishment from colustrum. I think many Moms worry that their baby will starve in the beg and feel a lot of pressure & stress because their milk has not come in yet.
    *Let the new Moms know if they have to supplement either for medical or sanity reasons it does not mean that they must give up bf'ng or won't be successful bf'ing

    As you can see most of my gripes were with the nurses. They interact with the patient the most. If you can add a little consistency to the information they supply the Moms with and help them realize that new Moms are feeling a lot of pressure and worry about failing so the way they treat the Moms can have significant impact on the Mom's success with bf. I have a great Pediatrician. The whole practice is pro bf'ing. They always make me feel good leaving their office because they are supportive. Overall what you & other Peds can do is to educate and be supportive.

    Thanks for listening & trying to make things easier for New Moms!
    Kim

  6. #46
    audys Guest

    Default RE: Survey for BF moms

    Dear PPS,

    I would not have succeeded at BF without my LC - she was instrumental in the learning process for me. The nurses at my hospital were positive but some gave me downright wrong advise about latching, technique, etc.

    For the pediatrician (or nurses), additional helpful comments to your patient's mother would be:

    - drink a glass of water during or after EACH feeding

    - the best advise I received in the hospital was that "growth spurts" occur and just hang in there through them - these periods were difficult but that little bit of knowledge to just feed-on-demand was helpful

    - info on a good latch and how to deal with painful nipples

    - LC (one you LIKE - people vary so much...) that mothers can contact immediately if there are any problems. I was hesitant to do this initially but WOW, did it help me!

    - breast pump discussion - I think that having one (rental or purchase) can make all the difference in starting off that milk supply if the baby isn't nursing well initially. My son took formula after BF for jaundice and my supply was not affected for those first 6 months thanks to the breastpump

    - how to wake up the baby for feedings - my nurse incorrectly had me wait until the baby woke up (sometimes after 6 or more hours) and I quickly learned from the hospital LC to wake him and feed him

    - how to tell if the baby is getting enough (# wet diapers per day, etc)

    Audrey, mother to Graham


  7. #47
    Ksinglet Guest

    Default RE: Survey for BF moms

    I wish the ped would have told me that it is going to hurt a bit but to keep at it. It is a learning process for mom and baby. All the books seem to give the message that it only hurts if you are doing it wrong. Nonsense. I do not know one breatfeeding mom who had a totally pain free experience.

    As to the nurses, I think it is important to make sure that the new mom is not getting mixed messages. The hospital I delivered at is "pro-bf" and the LC are pretty militant about it. Kinda intimidating. On the other hand the nurses were not really that supportive. My son developed jaundice and had to stay at the hospital an extra night. The nurses seem to blame the jaundice on breast feeding. They told me that he had jaundice because he was not having a bm (untrue, he had a bm his first day) and he was not having a bm because he was not getting enough to eat. They told me ff would help fix the problem (along with a session under the lights).

    At the same time the LC made me feel just awful for being unwilling and unable to shuttle back and forth between the hospital and my house every two hours to bf the night we were apart. She made it seem that once a bottle nipple touched my boy's lips, it was all over with - he would be unable to bf. I would have happily stayed in the hospital another night but that was not an option and there was no place in the nursery for me to rest between feedings.

    The nurses seem to not want me in their hair hanging around the nursery. There was no place to sit next to the incubator thingee they had him in. I was expected to stand there all night if I wanted to stay with him. I could only sit down to use the rocker they set up for bf-ing when I actually fed my son. When they took him away to put back in the lights they would give me the strong hint that I should disappear until his next feeding - where was I supposed to go? I turned to the ped for reassurance that bf was not the problem and that one or two ff were not going to be the end of bfing and she was not very helpful.

    Happily, in the end, I did manage to feed him for all but 2 feedings by making a nuisance of myself in the nursery. Despite the 2 ff he got, we eventually figured out how to bf and we are still going strong 7 months later.

  8. #48
    hellosmiletoday Guest

    Default RE: Survey for BF moms

    Update.

    I've been BFing 5 months and counting...and its going well so I'm aiming for 12-24 months. However, I attribute my success to perserverance, and advice on these boards rather than any aid from the hospital staff or books.

    I wish the nurses, OBs, and pediatricians would have been more encouraging about pain during BFing. NO ONE told me that pain was normal or customary, and that it would likely subside. I took it one day at a time...I guess my mindset helped alot...that I would give it my 100% effort, but if I still failed I knew my baby would be fine, as I was not BF as an infant and am healthy and obtained a graduate degree. Thus I was focused on getting BF to succeed, but not to the point that it stressed me out (which could hurt my milk supply). My mom helped me as much as she could, but she was sad that she could not provide me advice and mad that she was not properly informed by her own pediatrician when I was born.

    I delivered on weekend and was NEVER seen by an LC. There were no boppys to help hold DD, no lansinoh at the hospital. I could not BF DD until 6-7 hrs after delivery until I could walk to wheelchair and be transfered from the labor/delivery to the "baby" floor.

    Just a few simple actions would have helped immensely in encouraging moms to Bf!




    Mommy to baby girl 5.8.04

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