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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