Well, those of us that work in the hospital setting would not count a
non-latch as a feeding.  That first feeding is SO important.  In the modern
MCH setting, monitoring the infant's blood glucose is a major issue, to say
the least.  As with everything else in pediatrics, the artifically fed
infant has been made the norm and blood glucose needs to be above 45 in my
institution in the first 24 hours.  Unfortunately, many fullterm, health,
symptomless nursing neonates don't make the mark.  That means, for every
"low" blood glucose we get, baby gets stuck 3 more times.  In other words,
for every blood glucose value under 45 he has to get 3 "normal" values
before they will stop sticking this poor child's heal every time before
he's eats.  Now, you are the new mommy.  All you know is what the
professionals tell you.  The nurse is saying your baby may get brain damage
and the doc is threatening IVs or NGTs.  They are definitely insisting upon
formula to solve the "problem".   Can you see why the hospital LC stands on
her head to get that kid eatting within that first hour?  The mom's
confidence is totally shot if we let this baby wake up on his own.  So,
what I do is to teach mom to spoon colostrum (after trying dribbling it
first, but most of that ends up on mom's fingers or on baby's chin).   I
advise her to do this every hour until the baby finally latches on and
nurses. This does a couple of things.  It shows her (and dad) that she has
milk, and it keep the baby's sugar up, thus saving him 5 or 6 heal sticks
and hopefully preserving the breastfeeding.  It just buys us some time.
(Of course we keep the baby skin-to-skin, too).


Constance L. Tyree, RN, MS, IBCLC
Coordinator, Family Life Services
Shore Memorial Hospital
1 E. New York Avenue
Somers Point, New Jersey 08244
609-653-3238

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