Dear Friends:
In the beginning of my work with breastfeeding, I had quite a few
misconceptions about breastfeeding. When I started, the resistance against
breastfeeding in the medical community, the vast ignorance was staggering. I became
stronger and reactive.
If a mother wanted to supplement with formula when the baby was a week
old, I would insist that she not do that because she HAD to breastfeed, didn't
want the dread NIPPLE CONFUSION, or the baby to get FORMULA. After all,
breast was best, correct?
Pretty foolish, eh?
Now I am so thankful that Linda Smith has kept hammering this message
for so long. While I learned to 'feed the baby' a long time ago. it has just
been reinforced this very day.
This mother, aged 43, is home with her first baby. She had a cesarean
section (surprise, surprise) which led to a paralytic ileus (the bowel stopped
moving from being handled during the cesarean section), 9 more days in the
hospital and another surgery. And now she wants her poor body to make enough
milk?? I told her this morning that as far as her body has concerned, she's
been hit by an express train.
And she got a terrible cold yesterday, on top of everything.
Fortunately her mother is attending to her. This woman spent yesterday
on the couch. She gave 1-ounce complementary feeds since last night, and the
baby has finally had a poop (a nice big, but green one) and a pee. This mother
had sense enough to call the NMAC Warmline, that serves a 5-county area
around Philadelphia. She thought her baby was getting dehydrated because there
was not a single poop or pee for 24 hours. She was right. Now the baby has
gotten about 10 ounces complement in the past 12 hours, plus spending time at
breast and getting something there (she has pumped some, so I know there is
milk). The baby is rousing more and feeding better.
We are in touch every 12-24 hours, and hopefully, the milk start flowing
quickly, and soon.
Remember, Feed the Baby.
warmly,
Nikki Lee RN, MS, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CCE
Maternal-Child Adjunct Faculty Union Institute and University
Film Reviews Editor, Journal of Human Lactation
Support the WHO Code and the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative
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