Dear Friends:
I have had several interesting cases in my role as community health
nurse (like a health visitor). Both moms in these cases are bottle feeding.
One mother had a sudden cesarean section due to a quick rise in blood
pressure. She spent 2 days in intensive care before the surgery; afterwards,
she went back to intensive care. She never even saw her baby until he was 2
days old. The obstetrician told her not to breastfeed because of the
medications. I offered to check in Hale about the meds, but both parents were adamant
that they "trusted their doctor".
Sigh.
I saw them at 10 days postpartum. Her incision has opened, and requires
twice a day packing. Her husband is doing one, and a home nurse is doing the
other. Both parents kept saying that 'everything is fine'; they reminded me
of seeing people after a car crash who are insisting that they are fine, while
blood drips down their arm. Adrenalin power is protective.
The dad was so uptight. He's been doing a mighty job, coordinating all
the medical visits, being scared about his wife and baby, and not sleeping a
whole lot. I suggested he try skin to skin with his baby.........he did, and
I watched him literally melt into the sofa. After about 20 minutes, he told
me he'd never seen his baby so calm, ever.
I did some paperwork with the mother, and then the dad brought the baby
for her turn at skin-to-skin. She also melted; it was the first time she had
held her baby so close since the surgery. It was a blessing and a privilege
to witness this family finally connect with their baby. The baby loved it, and
curled her little hand under her cheek as she slept deeply.
The second case that is fascinating is of a woman who starts bleeding
from her nipples in mid-second trimester. She's been to several breast
specialists; it is blood. She spontaneously leaks blood until about a month after
delivery. She has done this with all three babies. She doesn't want to
breastfeed; the thought of her baby drinking blood discourages her. I've never heard
of such a thing. She told me it was called "bleeding nipples of pregnancy". I
did a google search on this topic and only found sites relating to bleeding
after breastfeeding has started. Has anyone heard of this?
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
www.breastfeedingalwaysbest.com
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