Thursday, July 29, 2010
breast feeding help; is it helpful?
So I get paid well to do what I love! I am very blessed. I have always supported breast feeding, and I am very comfortable with new moms. But I often wonder if I over-help. Sure first time moms need someone to show them how to get a good latch and teach them about breast care, and diaper counts. But, is there something to be said for letting them figure it out? I had a lovely nurse with my first child who left me shocked but properly latched when she grabbed my breast and popped it in my sons mouth. It was wonderful that he was nursing but the next time he was hungry I still didn't know what I was doing. It goes against my nature to sit back and watch a new mom struggle, so I try to balance instruction and stepping back for a few moments. What are your experiences? did you have a helpful nurse? did you know what to do when you got home? Did your nurse ask for your permission before grabbing your boob?!?!?! (I always do, and have never been told no) Would you feel comfortable telling your nurse you didn't want to be touched?
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4 comments:
My midwife wasn't even there the first time I nursed my son. My mom had a baby when I was 16 and breastfed her for 3 years though so I was around to observe. My son latched right on, no problems and I still haven't had any. The nurses that would enter my room every so often would ask if nursing was going smoothly and offered support or help if I needed it. I suppose that if I did need help, I'd be comfortable with her grabbing my boob and placing it in his mouth. Or maybe a play by play. I think it helped a lot that I read a lot when I was pregnant about nursing as well.
I suppose with struggling mothers I would just position the baby properly for them, tummy to tummy and help them guide the nipple into the baby's mouth, then let them handle it from there while giving them reassuring advice that they're doing it correctly. It's hard when the women receive drugs during labor though I would assume because it might make the baby too drowsy to start a strong suckle. I'm sure whatever feels comfortable for you and your patients!
I got excellent help the second time around, and appreciated the hands-on approach the midwives took in helping me know what positions to have the baby in to get a good latch. They were a bit rote about things though, and I got a bit anxious when they kept saying I´d hear him swallow. I kept waiting for some serious swallowing, but that didn´t come until several days (or more) after I left the hospital. I wish they were more reassuring about that, and told me that you don´t necessarily hear significant swallowing of milk at first.
I was so happy to get real help, which I didn´t get the first time around, 4 years before, and though I nursed for 3 years I always felt I was doing it wrong, position-wise.
I have delivered in a hospital six times now. The first time I was a YOUNG teen set on breastfeeding but without a clue. My dad had been a pain in the hospital so no nurses came in except to lecture me. I kept unwrapping her to hold her close (instinct?) but they kept coming back in and swaddling her :( No one helped me breastfeed and she and I had a failed BF relationship. No support at home either.
My second I was even more determined. I had a nurse grab my breast and was a bit uncomfortable. I had talwin with him and he slept a LOT. I was also on vicodin/loratab so every time he did nurse I was drugging him back to sleep (didn't know). Wound up supplementing and since he was small he suffocated on my breast one day (poor positioning) I got scared and at four months STOPPED NURSING. :(
#3 and 4 were failures as well for their own reasons. No help in the hospital.
#5 I was determined. We were nursing. NOTHING was going to stop us. We got help in the hospital I MADE the LC come in a few times and help me make sure we were perfect. Everything was great. Until he was hospitalized. The hospital forced us to use a bottle and he got nipple confusion. His first bottle was in the hospital at 4 months old. We never recovered. He nursed until around 9 months old.
Now baby #6... Let me tell you NOTHING is going to stop us. Our goal is 2+ years. Again, I had the LC in the hospital (we were held for several days for my Group B strep positive results). #5 & 6 were the only ones to nurse within moments of birth. #6 is 8.5 months old and has NEVER had a bottle. He plays with big brothers sippy cups but has never used one for real. He ONLY gets Momma Milk to drink. He started solids when he was ready but still depends heavily on Momma Milk. I am NOT stopping for ANY reason. If he has to be hospitalized the hospital and I will fight over a bottle I promise I will win! We are being so super careful to make sure not to mess this up! I am SUPER worried that one false move and it will be over (like that daggone bottle in the hospital). ANYTHING that I have ever heard of discouraging breastfeeding is a HUGE no no here. He was biting me today and still we nursed. I was bleeding from the bite, put him down and when he crawled back to me, stood up at the side of the couch and said MOMOMOMOM I gave him more milk. We are not letting this end! I am so determined!!! Hubby backs me thank goodness!
Thanks for your input ladies! I'm sorry to hear of your woes, but very glad to hear you all seem to be working it out. Did any of you provide any kind of feedback to the hospitals where you delivered? If not I encourage you to do so, if you can find the time. Nurses are human too, and most of the nurses that REALLY support breast feeding are like me and fairly new to the profession (<5 years) and some are brand new to OB even though they have been a nurse for a while. I would love to know if what I do with my patients helps or hurts, or what I could do better.
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