Dear all
I recently started part time volunteering on a postpartum floor so am
seeing newborns all the time instead of 4 day plus babies and am meeting
lots of situations that are new for me. The hospital has no LC, a 15% bf
rate, and not many resources, and I spend much of my time getting babies
out of the nursery to their mothers. My biggest problem is: Moms with very
flat or inverted nipples, within 24 hours postpartum, baby not latching. I
have dealt with  this quite a bit when Moms are engorged but have no prior
experience on how to treat it when Mom only has minimal colostrum in there.
Even though I am only a volunteer I find the nurses and even the midwives
hope/expect I can walk into a room and fix these difficult cases in 10
minutes or so!
I am trying things like nipple sandwich, expressing colostrum onto nipple,
putting baby between breasts for attempts at self attachment, etx. The only
'tools' on the floor are electric breast pumps - no nipple shells or SNSs
or even hand pumps! I am trying to fix these long term gaps too.
The babies often have not gone to breast after delivery and of course the
Moms have usually had medication, and often the babies have had bottles.
You all know the scenario.
I know the answers are often long term etc. I just wonder if any
experienced postpartum nurses/LCs out there who often deal with these
situations can offer me any tips - from techniques to words of
encouragement for Mom - to help in these flat nipple/non latcher situations
where nurses are hovering with bottles and Mom is exhausted and frustrated
and baby is fed up and frustrated (and me too!!!!).
TIA! Anne Merewood
Nursing Mothers Councilor