I totally agree with this as well... However, I work in a hospital as
a Midwife, and had a wonderful homebirth experience, no drugs, normal
3rd stage, etc, skin to skin immediately... But my boy just had no
idea. My 'equipment" didn't help much, either. I ended up hand
expressing for 24 hours and syringe feeding, and skin to skin a LOT
of the time with constant BF attempts. 2nd 24 hours we used a nipple
shield to actually get him on the breast - this allowed him to draw
my flat-ish nipple out, and 3rd 24 hours he was on the breast. This
is where the damage was done. I was so desperate to have
breastfeeding as NORMAL as possible (which it wasn't for the first
few days) that I did a laydown feed, thinking gee, this hurts a bit,
but it'll be right. Nup. Once the feed was over, there was blood
and milk in the bed, and 1/3 of my nipple was missing. I developed a
nipple infection and mastitis from this. When, after 5 weeks I
realised that the reason my nipple wasn't healing was probably due to
thrush (hence the stabbing breast pain, etc)... it took another 4
weeks for it to heal. It was well after 12 weeks before
breastfeeding was comfortable.
Sometimes it just isn't easy, no matter how good at it I wanted to
be. It helps to have a baby who knows what they are doing, and 'good
nipples' (which I have now, apart from the lipstick shaped one ;)).
We are still breastfeeding now at 14 months, and I am proud to say he
never had any formula. That was never an option for us. In hospital
though, it is often a logical conclusion to the sore nipples
problem. Women express 3 hourly and rest their nipples. But if the
baby isn't being breastfed directly, out come the calculators, and if
there isn't enough EBM to make up their 'required feed', what other
choice is there? (sarcasm).
Do or do not - there is no try ;)
Jo
On 09/08/2006, at 3:04 PM, suzi and brett wrote:
Agree with others - Plus in hosp: too many cooks/ opinions
conflicting and confusing information, very few midwives practice
Hands Off Technique (letting the woman touch her own breast to
attach), too many dummies / comping / bottles, drugs in labour, no
privacy / quiet places, crowded rooms with heaps of visitors and
next beds visitors too. little education of physically what is
happening / mouth anatomy, no co - sleeping, wrapped in blankets,
high section rates and no babies in recovery, Hep B shots,
agressive use of phototherapy, lots of weighing...and i'm sure we
could go on and on here....
Suzi
--
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.
