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Subject:
From:
Katherine Goodwin <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 7 Jul 2011 23:06:51 +0100
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Hi all,

I'm new to lactnet but am working with Morgan Gallagher of Nursing Matters to try to help a mother who has been struggling in hospital with her pre-term baby.  I have limited access to her due to distance/transport but we are working to try to put together an advocacy statement with regards to breastfeeding and co-sleeping to try to support her.   I'm a breastfeeding mother but don't have any official training so any help and advice on the issues here would be really appreciated.

 I've put together an outline of the situation which she has been able to read, but its obviously not exhaustive, and she only has access to it via her phone, so she is not able to easily work on it herself.


Carys was born on 1 June at 34 weeks.  Claire has had a struggle with jaundice and other things normal for a premature baby, and she's exhausted from having been in hospital (or travelling in and out) for 5 weeks.

Staff at the hospital have, along the way, expressed concern about a few things, but it seems that rather than trying to help, they have escalated their concerns and have brought in child protection and social services, and are saying she can't take Carys home with her.  Out of nowhere they are also expressing concern about the well-being of Isabel and Sian.

As you can understand, Claire is emotional and very, very tired but she's been trying to keep up with what the medical staff have been expressing concern about.

The main items seem to be:

 - her tandem feeding Sian (who is 2.5) (they seem to think this has somehow affected breastfeeding Carys, with suggestions that she express before a feed as she is apparently making too much foremilk.  However, she has not been able to nurse Sian much at all while being in hospital)
 - the danger of her falling asleep while breastfeeding Carys - they will not consider any co-sleeping arrangements and are worried that Claire will sleep while breastfeeding when she gets home.
 - 'non-compliance' with feeding plans (Claire has followed requests to give bottles of expressed milk and and formula where necessary, but understandably wants to be able to feed at the breast in the long term, so wants to be able to continue feeding at the breast whenever possible - some staff are being very unsupportive in this)
- they are convinced that if Claire takes Carys home, she will only breastfeed and will not continue to give topups
 - her taking co-dydramol for her existing conditions and its affect on breastfeeding

Carys had some small weight losses (Claire has some sample weights including these losses and how much 'topup' she was getting which I will add later) but at the moment is a pound over her birth weight.

Claire says:
"We expected too much of her in the early days and she went too quickly to the breast. She couldn't keep up, she lost almost 10% of her birth weight and her liver wasn't functioning properly. They put her on bottles to try to get over both those issues, EBM as a first choice and Nutriprem as a back up. I'm hoping to use it as little as possible because she throws up (and I don't mean a little dribble after a burp) after every bottle of it but never mine (which is a little dribble after a burp)

I'm amazed at how this stay has gone, to be honest. I've never known anything like it with the other two. Some things I've accepted have been necessary, like the move to bottles but the way people have treated me is shocking. I don't think there is a group of people from the domestics to the drs who haven't earned a complaint."

Claire had a meeting with social services on 7/7/11 and said the following:

"Just come out of the meeting. Social Worker was quite positive and said we should just need some extra support at home and can't see why we shouldn't leave but it's down to her manager. 

I'm shaking now but just kept reminding myself she didn't refer me. They've told her I've stated I *will* breastfeed when I leave here. I told her it's a lie that I've only ever wanted to know where we go from here. I'm pumping every two hrs and feeding her every three. The plan the Dr wrote I took to be to preserve the breastfeeding so I've assumed the plan is to get it back when she's strong enough. This is not a long term solution so I need to know what next. Do we work on reestablishing the breastfeeding or move to a more realistic bottle pattern."

She's still trying to follow what the medical staff are asking her to do, but she is finding it difficult:

"I've been told I have to feed her every time she's awake because I don't know the difference between rooting and looking to be with me. So I've just spent 20 mins giving her 10ml. Just glad it was nutriprem! 

I think they're not used to a month old baby who wants to be sociable but I'm trying to force feed her just because she wants a cuddle :( it's like she's being punished for being awake, being a normal month old baby!"


Please let me know if you can offer any advice on this.  Claire is desperate to take her baby home, but is so scared they will try to separate them that she does not want to bring up the subject of breastfeeding (not even the use of an at-breast supplementer that she now has available).

Thanks in advance

Kat Goodwin


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