My sincere thanks to everyone who responded to my call for help.   I
really do appreciate it and think you are a bunch of great girls!
    This is such a sad case and I have permission to tell you the story -
the mother of 21 is unmarried - the father's mother thought she would take
the baby and give to one of the two sons that cannot have children so there
have been legal implications.  Also insisted that the bottle was as good as
the breast.   On face value the father was supportive but we have no idea
what went on behind closed doors and when I asked the mother for another 12
hours of grace to get some help she had decided to take "parlodol" and go
onto bottle.   Her mother breastfed her for 4 years even though she was
adopted.
      The granny had requested my help through the doctor who phoned the
hospital and requested that I help the mom - this was refused as they said I
wasn't registered as a private practioner but as the grandmother said "they
can allow 6 visitors in but not someone who can help her" ( I have just
resigned my post there and had worked there for 3 years.)   When a baby is
bottle-fed we know that it is anyone's baby.  The mother is young, under
pressure from the father's family, and impatient.   I am quite at peace
about my handling of the case - I did a detailed history and gave written
guidelines to the mom.   Of this I am certain, that given time and being
patient with the baby we would have ultimately got her on the breast and it
was so important for the mother and baby.   The Grandmother is going to
write a letter of complaint to the hospital and I feel she is justified.
Usually things like this get swept under the carpet but this granny knows
about breastfeeding and how it should be done.
      Just as a point of interest when I do ante-natal lessons I ask the
Moms if they would give their handbags to a stranger - you can imagine the
reaction - "Never" -" then why would you hand your baby over to a stranger
even if it is a nurse in hospital?"   Here I am talking about normal moms
and babies.
Thanks once again,
Barbie Currie. IBCLC.  White River, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

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