Kathy Dettwyler wrote:
...
> I refused to let the nurse
> check blood sugar levels on my 9 lb. 2.5 oz. newborn, who had major
> shoulder dystocia during delivery.  I am a *big* person.  He was a big
> baby, but perfectly within normal limits for a mother my size.  There was
> no need to test his blood sugar.  Today, he is a *very big* 8 year old,
> with especially big hands and feet, very broad shoulders and very long
> arms, just like me.  He nursed within an hour of being born and many many
> times over the next days, weeks, months, years
...
My youngest was a bit over 9 (metric) pounds and the ped insisted on giving
glucose because *babies that are so big usually have had to much sugar
inside and need glucose to prevent a hypo*. Beacause the baby was tubed to
clean his stomach (he swallowed some amnion fluid) they gave him the glucose
by tube and than (!) tested the glucose. After 4 hours they tested again and
found no rise. In the mean tie I re-collected myself and got the nurses to
give me my baby. I put him to the breast continuously. After again 4 hours
the test showed a doubleling of blood sugar on colostrum! This was only 9
years ago. And by the way: he still is big and yes also in hand and feet,
like my husband's oncles are. I'm not a small woman myself, either, but
that's gained and not in-born I'm afraid :-)))

Gonneke van Veldhuizen, IBCLC, Maaseik, Belgium
mother to 5 growing up children
--- One who gives birth is partly mother, one who nurses is fully mother ---
Jacob Cats, 17th century

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