To Philippa-

This is a really tragic story. I hope the midwife reassured the mother that
the baby did not die because of breastfeeding, but because of sepsis.  In
fact, I am surprised that such an ill newborn was able to breastfeed. I have
worked with a few mothers whose infant ended up in the NICU because their
mothers noted apenic or cyanotic episodes while breastfeeding. These mothers
are very hesitant to begin breastfeeding again, more anxious to pump and
bottle feed EBM than to put baby back to the breast, even if tests reveal
that these episodes were caused by seizure, sepsis, or something else. These
moms are very distressed with the thought that they caused their baby harm,
so I can't even imagine what your poor mom is going through. I had one mother
whose baby became apnic and severly bradycardic at the breast but not at the
bottle. The M.D.s were very happy to send the baby home on bottle feeding.
The mother was not english speaking and medically unsophisitcated, so she did
what the docs said.  All in all,  pretty sad.

Debbie Rabin, OTR,CLC