I have to say, that I still am shocked at how backwards the US medical
system handles normal processes like birthing and breastfeeding after my
many years working in developing countries.  The US has one of the highest
infant mortality rates of any developed country and should be ashamed of
that, but instead we brag about our wonderful health care system that fewer
people can afford.

No offense to Jan Aken who has to cope with her hospital procedures, but I
am appalled that it could even exist that MOST HOSPITALS in the US wouldn't
allow nursing right away after a C-section.   With C-section rates > 30% adn
climbing (and I wouldn't be surprised if it is much higher in Manhattan
where I work), one would have a hard time claiming that most of these are
emergency situations.  The literature just does not support that conclusion.

Although I started in the in-hospital birthing center, after 27 hours of
unmedicated labor, water breaking, meconium staining, camel back
contractions, no descent, 2 cm dilation, and the final clincher of the heart
rate slowing once medications were started, I had a C-section.  My
obstetrician gave me a half hour to decide and everything was handled in a
very calm orderly manner.  My husband held our son first and he was given to
me within 15 minutes after the C-section.  I'm not even sure they washed
him. And I have to say, once out of the birthing center, the hospital where
I delivered is not what I would call progressive in terms of breastfeeding.
 They don't even teach cupfeeding.

Oh, just so you know why he was stuck up there so tight and not descending,
his head was turned sideways and he was coming out ear first.  There was a
brief moment of silence when I was opened up when they saw his odd position.

There are several things I don't understand:

1) My husband was put into surgical scrubs and so he couldn't contaminate
the field, because he was rendered sterile.
2) He was given our son and walked around to the "nonsurgical field" (i.e.
the other side of the sheet) and stayed there.  He's not a moron, he had no
interest in watching them stitch me up and he wouldn't have gone back anyway
had they been worried about that.
3) My breasts were NOT in the surgerical field so why would putting a baby
to the breast be an issue?
4) My son was not cold because he was where he was meant to be against my
skin! He warmed up right away. There is a wide body of literature to support
this.  And, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you can
just put a blanket over mom and baby if they are too cold!

Good grief, makes me want to go back to the Dem. Rep. of Congo where I
watched have her seventh C-section (no electricity - so I have no clue how
they managed the anesthesia) because I was interested and knew all the
doctors in town. That woman seems to have been given more consideration for
the needs of her infant than most infants in the US are given after their
mothers have been subjected to a C-section (many times iatrogenically
induced by unwarrented medical procedures).  She nursed beautifully afterwards.

Really I am so glad I don't work in a hospital and hats off to all of you
who do.  I used to do hospital visits when moms would call and ask me to
come in, but I now only do it under duress.  I'd rather mop up after the
iatrogenically-induced problems when mom is at home and more comfortable
than have to keep my mouth shut about procedures that just don't make sense.

Susan E. Burger, MHS, PhD, IBCLC

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