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Date: | Tue, 29 Aug 1995 14:51:27 -0400 |
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Thanks to all of you who sent posts & e-mail re: my battles w/nipple
confusion & local hospital policies. I saved all of the ideas in a separate
file, so that I can go back to refer to them for later use.
I empathized w/Kathryn Dettwyler's thoughts on parents taking responsibility
for their experiences in the hospital, as well as to later comments re:
vulnerability & disempowerment of new parents. I can say that I feel I have
done the most good w/ my premie moms, who come, looking shell-shocked, to
pick up their pumps. Because many of these babies are not yet on oral
feedings, I have a chance at educating the moms before they put baby to
breast. Our local hospital is a secondary level nursery, so we get mostly
transfers from the city hospitals once the babies are out of NICU. So, I can
reccomend readings on Kangaroo Care, talk about what to expect from early
feeding sessions to prepare them. While this hospital uses bottles to feed
their SCN babies :-(, some of the moms have had luck requesting bottles be
delayed for a week or so while baby gets "initialized" at the breast & having
mom basically camp out in the SCN while baby is there. One mom (now on her
2nd 30 wk. premie) was finally successful in getting a room to stay in so
that she and her baby had a real chance to get in synch before going home
:-). So, I do feel good about having made some changes at least for the
premies.
I liked the idea about educating through some local peds. Does anyone have
a good reference for nipple confusion? My husband does some graphics on the
computer & is thinking about how we might make an alternative feeding methods
poster. Have any of you LCs w/ photographic talents thought about doing
this? I can imagine Chele doing a great job...
It was such a boost to be reminded that I was not the only one on the planet
to believe in b/f. You made it possible for me to return to the trenches.
Ro K. Andersen, IBCLC
Winchester (near Boston), MA
Ro [log in to unmask]
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