I've just arrived home from a night shift and just had to tell you what I
did last night!  I can't take full responsibility - it was suggested on
Lactnet by someone very recently... maybe Susan from Toowoomba??

To cut a long story short I had a very intensive time with a young woman
having her third baby.  We finally had the baby (only 4+ hours all up -
felt like a lot more!) with no drugs (though I could use some now!).  She
was more interested in going outside to have a cigarette than hold her
beautiful baby - couldn't let her do that, she might die of haemorrhage ;-)
and she is intending to bottle feed - surprise, surprise!

Our hospital policy is that formula feeding mothers bring in their own
formula - but she didn't.  You know what I'm going to say, don't you??
Well there's this gorgeous baby in the cot rooting away - I said, 'seeing
you haven't got the formula yet let's put her on the breast'.  She
reluctantly agreed - but it was a definite agreement and i did give her one
more chance to back out (though the baby wasn't making that decision any
easier by then).  So I put it to the breast and she had a brilliant feed
for about 20 mins - even showed the mother she did have milk in her breasts!

It was a first and last breastfeed for that baby - after about 15 mins of
feeding she said 'don't you get used to this' to the baby. She was
eternally grateful to me for my help through labour (and delivering her
8'14" baby with an intact peri) - particularly that she did it without
drugs.  I felt I had really earned seeing that baby on the breast! (That's
my story and I'm sticking to it)

If mothers don't have their own formula we do usually give them some until
they can bring theirs in...

Off to bed now and delighted with my tiny contribution to this baby's
health (one feed is better than none).

Denise

****************************************************
Denise Fisher, BN, RM, IBCLC
BreastEd Online Lactation Studies Program
http://www.breasted.com.au
mailto:[log in to unmask]
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