I am a Nursing Student and a mom of 2, the youngest is 3 months old. I had
difficulty nursing this last go around. My daughter was not latching well
and her pediatrician believed there was a lactose intolerance problem too.
So by 3 weeks old we had tried regular formula (stopped due to the lactose
issue), soy formula (stopped due to the constipating effects), and returned
to regular formula because by this time my milk supply was gone. Then
through my studies at school I came across a journal article on relactation
and I sought out my local LLL. The leader here was able to get me a SNS and
put me in touch with a LC to get the ball rolling. It took about 2.5 weeks
of pumping every 2-3 hours around the clock but I was able to re-establish
my supply (also used fenugreek, blessed thistle, and domperidone). Now my
daughter is 12 weeks old and the lactose problems seem to have resolved (I
have cut dairy out of my diet)and we are working on getting her to latch
properly so we can wean off the SNS. The transition I saw in her health and
disposition as we transitioned back to the breast was incredible. She
became a calmer baby, her gassiness decreased and she started having those
wonderful mustard yellow BMs on a more regular basis. (She was experiencing
thick mucousy green stools with formula)
I must say that without the SNS I would not have been able to go through
this. It was a great encouragement to be able to have my baby at the breast
and calmly eating. I did find the tubing to be a bit cumbersome at first,
but after a few days it became much easier. Honestly, I would be willing to
use the SNS permanently if I had to. I use it daily and it has just become
part of the routine. I think it is less cumbersome than having to prepare a
bottle at every feeding. I found it to be FAR superior to using bottle and
has helped me feel successful at breastfeeding.
I would be willing to help anyone who may need support, encouragement, or
advice with using a SNS and I definitely think that if a SNS was offered 1st
instead of a bottle, many more moms would be able to continue breastfeeding.
Natalie Parker
Student Nurse
University of North Dakota
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Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2007 21:15:23 -0500
From: Kirsten Berggren <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Help with partial breastfeeding lecture
I'd be interested in people's thoughts on supplementing with an SNS
(or, more simply, Jack Newman's version with a 5 french feeding tube
in a standard bottle). I see SO many problems with the bottle to
supplement, including that anyone can do it - the mother's role as
essential to feeding is removed. While initially, this might be a relief to
her, it does complicate a return to full breastfeeding. I
think a lot of people see the at-breast supplementer as overly
complicated - but again, complicated can be good for encouraging the
mom to fully breastfeed - if it's possible.
One story - we saw a mom who had a reduced milk supply at 2 months,
and a very weak and scrawny baby. In spite of domperidone and lots of
pumping, this mom never regained a full supply (though she'd had one
initially) and was supplementing with bottles as necessary. The
slippery slope reared its ugly head, and she was bottle-feeding more
that breastfeeding at one point. We'd held off on the
tube-supplementer, and I shared the perception it was too difficult
for daily use. But we thought we'd give it one last try - and the mom has
been 100% thrilled with it. Those who think it's too hard should
have seen this mom after just one week - she was so smooth with it,
carried it right in her bag with her, and could get it all set up just
about as easily as breastfeeding. She loved that all the feedings were
with her, and once the baby started taking solids, they were able to
get rid of the formula.
I think about our non-latching baby of last week, and this baby
latched very well before the supplements were given. What if she had
been supplemented at breast? Would we even see our current breast
refusal?
Anyway - that's my perspective, but I have very little experience with this,
and would love to hear what others have found using this device.
Kirsten Berggren
www.workandpump.com
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