Hi all,
After Nikki's post on the weeks-old baby who still wanted to do it herself,
I just have to share a story from the night shift... new mother, first baby,
CS after many hours of painful contractions without progress, for diagnoses
'failure to progress' and 'fetal distress'.  Fine baby, mother had general
anesthesia so was out of it, came to ward late in the evening.  Had seen
baby and had him at breast once on arrival.

He was asleep in our nursery when we got to work, mother turning in for the
night in her room.  She dozed for the first part of the night but asked for
pain medication at 3 a.m. and when I was in to give it to her, said
wistfully, 'I thought someone would bring me my baby during the night?'
He'd been sleeping all along, and I reassured her that he hadn't been upset,
and of course she could have him with her.  In nursery he was just waking
up, possibly from passing meconium and spitting up large amounts of amniotic
fluid mixed with blood, typically seen after CS and usually accompanied by
little interest in feeding.

I took him in to mother with only a diaper on, and her face when I lifted
him out of his blankets and up to her, was a joy to behold.  Placed him on
her chest, reminded her where the cord for the call light was, and said we
could help her move him if he seemed to want to nurse.  Five minutes later
she rang, baby was rooting eagerly at her neck and chin.  Turned him so he
would find a breast, and within 15 minutes he had moved himself into
position, kneaded her breast, and attached well.  She was totally charmed,
and I just stood there watching that halo-like glow spread around the two of
them.  What a lucky mother to have a baby who can retain all his reflexes
and instincts through heavy maternal medication and then separation, I
thought.  He stayed with her for a couple of hours, and then she felt so
drowsy that she asked if we could watch him again.  He came out, spit up
again but it was colostrum this time and not much came up, and then fell
asleep himself.  By 6 a.m. they were both awake again, and together, and
happy.

This is how it should be at the first baby-breast meetings, no matter when
it happens, I think.  Unhurried, in privacy and safety, with help available
as needed.  As long as we really are relieving mothers I don't think it is
harmful for the baby to sleep in another room, but all parties involved need
to be willing and able to respond quickly to mother's and baby's need to be
together.

One other nice event (there were more!) was seeing a mother of a boy born at
just over 37 weeks, also by emergency CS due to maternal complications in
pregnancy, on the fourth day, after having cared for her on Tuesday when
baby was sleepy, uninterested in feeding and being threatened with forced
formula feeds if she couldn't 'get something into him'.  Weight loss by day
3 was just about 10% of birth weight, which was over 7 lb.  Her milk was
just starting to come in on Tuesday.  We tried an SNS with EBM to get him
swallowing at the breast, but no go.  He was just too drowsy.  She was sure
breastfeeding would never happen but of course was willing to pump in order
to stimulate her breasts, avoid serious engorgement and have something
better than formula if they really did start pushing feeds on him.  Would
take small amounts by cup but no more.  Last night he had fed well at her
breast twice and she couldn't believe it might continue.  She was still
pumping, however, because the pressure was unbearable if she didn't.  Pumped
120 ml (about 4 oz.) in just minutes, from one breast and we are trying to
recruit her as a donor to our bank, as we do all sufferers of 'insufficient
baby syndrome'.  In this case we also seem to have managed to respect the
baby, so that when he finally did sober up, he was raring to go.

It's been a long time since I was on night duty, and now I remember what I
love about it.  No rounds by pedis, ob/gyns, no phone calls or unannounced
visits from friends and relatives, no bother about lab work, minimal
paperwork since no one is being discharged on night shift, just mothers and
babies and lots of breastfeeding with the opportunity to make it easier and
better for them all.

from the trenches, where it ain't so bad, actually,
Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html