Winnie laments about a situation she sees as impossible ... mothers who
artificially feed having to bring in their own formula, be taught how to
make it up and do it for all their feeds in hospital.  That's what happens
at our hospital, and I would guess at a lot of Australian hospitals.  We
supply the bottles and teats and method of sterilisation, but mothers have
to do the rest themselves - washing their bottles and teats, etc,
etc.  It's not impossible Winnie - hold the faith.

Phyllis goes on to say how the staff talk about how exhausted the new
mothers are, so much so that they beg the staff to take their baby away and
give it a bottle.  She's right, this happens a lot.  But let's not be too
hard on these mothers ... their feelings are very genuine and often very
hurtful to themselves, feeling they are letting their baby down, etc, etc.
In this respect the hospital doesn't make it easy!!  Rooming in, no comps,
shared rooms, too many visitors, then restricting the most important
visitor (their partner) to limited hours results in exhausted mothers.  A
newly-delivered mother is expected to take full responsibility for her
infant.  If it were a home birth the mother would have two or three of her
nearest and dearest with her all the time, and when she was exhausted they
would cuddle and care for her baby while she slept peacefully knowing her
baby was being lovingly cared for and that as soon as she was needed (ie
for a feed) that the baby would be brought back to her.
I support hospital rooming-in for the sake of the baby, because the
hospital alternative is nothing like what a baby would experience in a home
environment.  But let those Dads and grandmas and sisters (not all
together!) stay quietly with the mother while she sleeps and let them do
skin-to-skin care with the baby to keep him settled and happy too - sharing
the caring and the responsibility.  That would be so reassuring for the
mother and what wonderful bonding for the extended family.

Denise

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Denise Fisher MMP, BN, IBCLC
BreastEd Online Lactation Studies
http://www.health-e-learning.com

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