This can be such an emotive issue for both midwives and parents. Pethidine certainly tends to make the baby's sleepy, but some suck beautifully and others just keep on falling asleep.
Having had two babies, both with decent doses of peth in labour, one fed for 12 months like a dream, the other fed well for 2 months and then turned into nightmare time with 3 doses of mastitis and thrush etc. Bottle fed, healthy as a horse and off we go. But saying that, I hope desperately that I will be able to breastfeed No 3 due in a few months, because having done both methods of feeding, breastfeeding wins hands down. And as a midwife, if new mum's ask me - I'll tell them all the details about both, but having been there and done it - give me breastfeeding any day!!! Cheryl >From: "James & Stephanie Fairbairn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] too hard to brestfeed >Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 14:35:35 +0930 > >I have been on both side of the B/feeding fence re the too hard to b/feed >debate - and I know the anguish of difficult attachment / baby pulling away >from the nipple etc.... My first son was this tricky feeder and I too felt >that B/feeding would be natural - where there's a will there's a way type >thing... However after 6WEEKS of cup feeding spoon feeding cracked nipples >/ >expressing / nipple shields and baby losing weight I discovered myself - >(Noone suggested it was an option) - but I was willing to try anything - >That I would keep offering the breast at every feed with a nipple shield - >which was the only thing he would latch onto! - and if the baby still got >frustrated I would give formula afterwards. I still expressed all the time >(I was hooked up like a cow for several hours a day!) Eventually at that 6 >week milestone I tried faithfully the breast feed first and he ACTUALLY >latched on for the first time without fussing and pulling back - I was >nearly as overwhelmed as I had been in the delivery room and he was fine >for >a year after that! That experience definately pushed me to the limit and >with the 2nd I was thinking that if the same sit. was to happen I wouldn't >have coped so long - thankfully the 2nd was a dream home birth - but all >the >same I have endless sympathy for those with mountains of will and a tricky >baby as most seem to assume it is the mother that determines the success or >failure - sometimes the baby can be a little monkey!! >By the way Jamie was not tounge tied or anything physical - but i will say >he had a bad dose of pethidine post birth and was difficult to rouse - and >the midwives who tried to latch him on were quite rough with his head and >held it in a vice like grip to force him to the breast - I reckon it took >that many weeks to disassociate that experience from the breast feed. >Any other experiences like this? - I am always interested to see if >pethidine had anything to do with it as all other conditions were >supposedly >Ok - ie position, latch, my diet etc. > >Interesting debate - I always have a hard time at reunions when I have >correctly predicted the bottle feeders! >Ie. full of self doubt at the prenatal breast feeding class...AND >ambivelent >husbands - big factor. >Steph. Adelaide. >----- Original Message ----- >From: "MICHELLE WHITE" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Sent: Wednesday, August 21, 2002 3:51 PM >Subject: FW: [ozmidwifery] too hard to brestfeed > > > > > > I'd like to add my thoughts to this debate.. > > I agree with you that I think it's incredibly unfair to dismiss women >who > > choose > > to bottle-feed as being selfish.... > > It's a tough decision to make and I doubt any women who has desperately >yearned > > for their child, would ever make that decision lightly. > > Before I had my little girl I decided that I would breastfeed because we >all > > know that it's the best thing you can do for your baby. > > I also thought it would be the most natural thing in the world. > > However, after a week of extreme pain and anguish I decided to put my >child on > > formula because I could not get her to attach properly, she wasn't >getting > > enough milk, she was sick and jaundiced, I was a physical and emotional >wreck > > and faced leaving hospital without my little girl being able to feed >properly. > > It should have been the happiest time of my life, but I was totally >miserable. > > My baby looked miserable and my husband was distraught because we both >were > > suffering. > > It was a tough decision to make, I was treated like dirt by the nurses >in >the > > hospital when I decided to switch to formula and I was offered no advice >or > > assistance on how to bottle-feed. Basically I was told that if I formula >fed, I > > was on my own, which made me furious. > > However I did switch to bottle-feeding and for ME I think it was the >best >thing > > I could've done. I went from hating feed-times and feeling like a total >failure > > to being able to enjoy having my baby in my arms watching her feed. > > So, yes, breast is best. But please Megan, don't assume that someone is >any less > > a caring, 'real' mother if their circumstances mean they'd rather >bottle-feed. > > > > Michelle. > > Perth w.a. > > -----Original Message----- > > From: owner-ozmidwifery > > Sent: Wednesday, 21 August 2002 2:09 PM > > To: ozmidwifery > > Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] too hard to brestfeed > > > > > > In a message dated 8/21/02 9:37:24 AM W. Australia Standard Time, Megan > > writes: > > > > > > > I wonder how many of these parents that find breastfeeding too tiring, >time > > > consuming, etc had oodles of energy to go out to nightclubs to all >hours. > > > Granted you have all Sunday to recover. There is so much energy for >doing > > > things that only benefit ones selfish needs(my opinion), if society >cared > > > as > > > much about birthing and nurturing as it does about football. > > Megan > > > > I have had three children. > > > > The first was formula fed from about 2 weeks of age. > > > > I would have dearly loved to breastfeed my second, but he died shortly >after > > birth, and so I went through the physically and emotionally painful >process > > of letting my milk dry up. > > > > My third baby (premature) was breastfed until 10 months of age. > > > > In the case of babies 1 and 3 the decisions that I made, were not made >out >of > > selfishness - far from it. How to feed you baby for many (most?) is a >very > > emotive one, and bound up in all sorts of history and background, but I >would > > suggest that very few women make decisions about feeding their baby >lightly. > > Even if they make a decision about feeding - for what someone might >consider > > a "selfish" reason - who are we to judge? > > > > I know what you are trying to say, and I do agree that the whole issue >of > > parenting and having children does not seem to have a high priority in >this > > high-tech consumer led world, and certainly the case of the Nigerian >women >is > > awful (and not an isolated incident according to a report in Marie >Claire > > last year). > > > > Debbie Slater > > Perth, WA > > > > -- > > This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. > > Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. > > >-- >This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. >Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. 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