Dear "Dazed and Confused in New Hampshire"
10% is not such a special number. Some babies lose 10% and are fine, others
lose 7% or less and are in trouble. MAYBE, just maybe there was something
we don't know about that the mom wasn't told, didn't understand or didn't
share with you that justified supplementation. Was the baby premature,
overly jaundiced, SGA, an infant of an insulin dependent diabetic mother
with friable glucoses, stressed in labor and delivery, cold stressed? 4 days
old and no signs of milk "coming in", not voiding, showing inappropriate
stooling patterns? Maybe an intervention was needed but probably not, I'm
just playing devil's advocate here. Most likely the hospital has a protocol
that says over 8% weight loss and you must supplement or some such nonsense
that precludes a considered response to a potential problem and dictates
actions be taken on the many normal dyads for the sake of the few with real
problems, or as it is less gracefully put, they were covering their asses.
Let's move on the bottle vs. the at-breast supplementer. Well, PERHAPS the
infant could not latch. That's a case where an at-breast supplementer isn't
appropriate UNTIL some knowledgeable help can help them learn to latch. Or
maybe mom had herpes on her nipple, again at-breast supplementer is
inappropriate. More likely, sadly, is that either the hospital has
forbidden their use because they don't have policies to cover them or they
don't carry them because they cost money and are not provided free by the
formula company. Or the "LC" doesn't understand their use, or didn't have
time to teach it. So, better to blame the mom for having a 2 year old and
use the free and easy bottle.
Of course if supplement was really, really needed mom should have been
helped to begin fixing the breastfeeding problem straight away. In most
circumstances if supplement is needed in the hospital and if things are done
properly mom should be instructed this is temporary, just until the volume
of her milk picks up. Follow up should be arranged before discharge.
Thankfully she found you. Carla
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