Breast feeding

shayser

run_Forrest_run wrote:

shayser, in relation to your experience with the hospital....I don't mean to offend you by asking this but did you and your wife go public? I am just asking this becuase of what seems the blantant difference in treatment (on a 'human' level) between public and private deliveries.

My point is that you hear people saying, "oh I had my baby privately and I will never go back,the care and attention I received was second to none etc etc" - my concern is that people feel in order to get treated with respect and dignity they must pay through the nose for it and go private. We all seem to assume if you go public then you are going to be treated badly (possibly...not all the time). We all seem to just accept this which at the end of the this does nothing to actually address the public system...I dunno, perhaps there is nothing we can do since government support is not there for a start...

FYI: We are currently going private ourselves...for the exact same reason so I suppose I am contributing to everything I harped on about above!

Yes, we went public. This was our second child. Our first was born 9 years previously, also public. The care then was very good. Seems a lot has changed in those nine years. With regard to the breast feeding, wall posters and comments from staff espousing the practice were met at every turn, yet the nurse had only 30 seconds (literally) to spare with my wife when she required assistance getting the baby to latch on for his first feed. Her parting comment was "Try it there yourself".

I would guess that the public health service will never improve now. Maybe government would prefer everyone went private.

All the best for your stay.

Kernel32

I'm sure that the help that you get in the hospital does make a big difference. We kind of had an opposite problem with nearly too much help which overwhelmed us. We are in the US and so its pretty much all private, which means you get your own room, own bathroom and shower etc. My wife had a lot of trouble getting our son to latch on and the nurses spent a considerable amount of time with her, as well as help from our mid-wife and we had a lactation consultant help us. It become overwhelming and it caused my wife a lot of stress. In the end it worked out but it was a good week before he would latch on well and have good feedings.

deisemum

I went public with my second child and the care and support was very good. I couldn't fault it. Maybe different hospitals and staff treat people differently. There were 4 of us in our ward and I prefered this compared to having a private room when I had my first as I had company. I've also heard of those with private rooms and can often be "forgotten".

embee

Well, I am going public in Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda and so far, I can't fault the service they've provided. They've been great altogether and the midwife doing the Parentcraft classes is really lovely. Unfortunately, as my due date is 12 days away and I'm a late booking to the ante-natal classes, I will more than likely miss the 4th and 5th classes (I've only had one class so far, second one is tomorrow). The breastfeeding talk is on the 5th class, but the midwife doing the classes is also the lactaction consultant for the hospital so I plan to have a good chat with her tomorrow night if I can after the class re breastfeeding.

run_Forrest_run

My partner gave birth to a beautiful daughter last friday so I return to this thread with my recent experience on breast feeding.
My partner is trying to breast feed and she is finding it awfully difficult. She is in tears sometimes due to the pain! Also our little baby seems to latch on OK but then she sort of gives up sucking and instead falls asleep due to the comfort of it all.
We are trying to keep her active by pulling her away when she falls asleep and put her back on again when she starts to cry (usually around 1 minute after coming off). By doing this we are trying to get the message across that the breast is for feeding and not for sleeping/comfort! I think the fact that the milk is slow to come is also contributing to the problem. We are giving her top-up bottle feeds in the night time which often results in a 4 hour sleep which is nice!
But my partner is so stressed about the whole thing I fear she may throw in the towel...and I wouldn't try stop her because if she is not happy then I feel it's not worth continuing....a happy mother is paramount IMO.
She is still in the hospital (due to section) but will be coming home tomorrow so then I will begin to experience the difficult long nights of on/off breast feeding so the sooner we get her into a routine the better!

has anyone else had similar problems. BTW: This is our first baby (if that wasn't obvious from the above story

Pink Bunny

To the OP:
I breastfeed my 7 week old son. Nursing makes your uterus shrink back to normal size faster and seems to help you get your figure back faster because you burn more calories while you breastfeed. Also, nothing compares to the convience of nursing in the middle of the night, you don't have to run to the kitchen, heat up a bottle etc.

Fast_Mover

Anyone see programme 'extraordinary breatfeeding' on C4 last nyt..my god some of these women were still breast feeding their children, their agees varied from 18months-8years!!! :eek: like wtf!..you just see these children coming over whipping up their mothers jumper and having a feed!

Shabadu

run_Forrest_run wrote:

My partner gave birth to a beautiful daughter last friday so I return to this thread with my recent experience on breast feeding.
My partner is trying to breast feed and she is finding it awfully difficult. She is in tears sometimes due to the pain! Also our little baby seems to latch on OK but then she sort of gives up sucking and instead falls asleep due to the comfort of it all.
We are trying to keep her active by pulling her away when she falls asleep and put her back on again when she starts to cry (usually around 1 minute after coming off). By doing this we are trying to get the message across that the breast is for feeding and not for sleeping/comfort! I think the fact that the milk is slow to come is also contributing to the problem. We are giving her top-up bottle feeds in the night time which often results in a 4 hour sleep which is nice!
But my partner is so stressed about the whole thing I fear she may throw in the towel...and I wouldn't try stop her because if she is not happy then I feel it's not worth continuing....a happy mother is paramount IMO.
She is still in the hospital (due to section) but will be coming home tomorrow so then I will begin to experience the difficult long nights of on/off breast feeding so the sooner we get her into a routine the better!

has anyone else had similar problems. BTW: This is our first baby (if that wasn't obvious from the above story

I have to disagree with you on one point. The thing is, breastfeeding *is* for comfort too. It's a beautiful and bonding experience. Don't worry about the pain, I was in absolute agony for a fortnight before I got into the swing of it. Just stay supportive of your wife. It will get much easier, I promise. Enjoy your new baby, they grow up way too fast.

tomED

Fast_Mover wrote:

Anyone see programme 'extraordinary breatfeeding' on C4 last nyt..

Yes! I came on here today specfically to talk about it. And this is the only thread that had anything about. I was quite simply shocked by it!!!!

I have absolutely nothing against breastfeeding, I don't care if people need to do it in public etc. It's a natural thing.

BUT!!! This programme last night - my god - that was not natural.

It started off that I was really shocked that an 8 year old child was still breastfeeding - and in my opinion is an absolute disgrace.

I couldn't believe the mother went as far as to say it was natural. Then to make things worse - the husband said he sometimes joins the breastfeeding sessions - that is sick.....

But for someone that isn't very easily shocked, something else in the programme, shocked me even more.... A woman who is breastfeeding her own 2 year old child - was now adopting a chinese orphan and planned to breastfeed her.

When she got the child, she basically tried to force the child to breastfeed - the child was obviously freaked out by it all.

Her last way of trying to get the child to breastfeed was to "milk" herself onto a spoon and feed it to the child........ This got to me.... that's just not right.

She went on about the benefits of breastmilk etc - so why not just fill a bottle with it for the child - it doesn't need to suckle on her breast to get the goodness of the milk. It seemed like she had some weird desire to have the child suckling on her - which I thought was very very weird.....

anyway - now i got that off my own breast, i can try and think straight for the rest of the day!!!

luckat

run, first, congratulations to both of you.

Your partner is stressed, naturally - it's a bit of a shock when the wriggly bump you've been carrying around for months turns into a person!

The baby is enjoying nursing for comfort - so she's fine! And it's a way of getting her to snooze off, so that's fine! She's not going hungry, because you're giving her extra, so that's fine too.

Now, the discomfort. Maybe your partner might learn to use a breast pump, which will take some of the pressure of over-full breasts away, and also keep up the supply. Both mother and baby are on a learning curve here - it's new to both of them.

If her nipples are sore, she needs to ask the doc about it. They can be pretty tender at first.

The baby may also not be getting the nipple properly into her mouth - if she gets the breast beside the nipple, it's excruciating. Thing to do is to touch the baby's cheek just beside her mouth with the nipple so she turns towards the nipple, then slide it into her mouth, making sure she's suckling on the nipple and aureola, and not the surrounding breast.

It's a tiring time - everyone needs lots of rest, unbelievably more than you'd expect, because both mother and baby have been through a huge physical strain (the birth), equivalent to trying to lift up a truck for a few hours.

Don't worry. The feeding will sort itself out. Rest, love, warmth, humour and lots of fluids are what everyone needs right now. And be sure to take some photos so you'll all have them years from now.

sadie06

Congrats to you and your partner on the birth of babs. This is a very special time, but also a very emotional and demanding time for you both, and she is lucky to have a supportive partner, particulary on the issue of breastfeeding. I too sufferred from excruciating pain when my son latched on to one breast...I would cry just anticipating the pain. I would suggest breastfeeding in front of the Public Health Nurse when she calls to see if she can enlighten you. Also, try pumping from this breast for a while to allow the nipple to heal. On the issue of supply:water, water, and more water is a huge help. I stopped breastfeeding at 3and a half weeks, and it took me a long time to congratulate myself on achieving that much. I was very upset when it came to stopping, so you will need to be there for her, and praise her for doing as much as she could. My attitude alway was if this works, fantastic, if not, I am not going to beat myself up about it. If she does decide to stop suddenly, which I did due to the pain, go buy a cabbage and keep it in the fridge. Peel off leaves through out the day and place inside the bra...it's a great relief. I am not some mad hippy by the way...my PHN gave me this tip.

On the topic of the breastfeeding programme last night on C4, I too was shocked by the nearly 8 year old, and felt it had become an obsession for her. However I feel a previous poster was harsh on the woman who was adopting. I could see her logic that when meeting a baby at the age of 18months, breastfeeding might speed up the bonding process. I don't think the child was freaked out at all, she didn't cry or move away. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if they had sucess after shooting.

tomED

sadie06 wrote:

On the topic of the breastfeeding programme last night on C4, I too was shocked by the nearly 8 year old, and felt it had become an obsession for her. However I feel a previous poster was harsh on the woman who was adopting. I could see her logic that when meeting a baby at the age of 18months, breastfeeding might speed up the bonding process. I don't think the child was freaked out at all, she didn't cry or move away. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if they had sucess after shooting.

Being that previous poster

I beg to differ - the child did in fact cry at her first attempt.
I don't recall her mentioning anything to do with bonding, it was all about how good breast milk was for the child.

Even still - if it was for bonding - if the child was only a few months old - maybe I would think differnetly, but at 18 months.... nah... The kid should well be started on solids at this age

EDIT: oh and i'm sure they had success too - she was forcing the kid into it (IMO). that doesn;t mean its right

Angie

Breast Feeding doesn't do your bust line any favours remember.

Nevyn

But it does help your womb retract, helps to shed baby weight, can reduces the chances of having breast cancer and once you get over the inistal ouch that hurts and your nipples toughen up can be rather enjoible.

You body is never the same after having a baby something that every mother has to adjust to.

Slutmonkey57b

I don't know about the nipples toughening up - my ex was still suffering a year later! But then she was always sensitive.

Nevyn

Nipple shields FTW tbh

Ickle Magoo

Of course breast is best, no-one can argue otherwise - the point is that not every woman can or wants to breastfeed - and that is entirely their choice....

My son was born prematurely and I expressed for him while he was in the SCBU, before getting him on the breast....I was frankly shocked at the lack of support and some of the comments I received from hospital staff - people who should really know better. In the end I called the LaLeche League and asked a lactation consultant to come to the hospital and speak with the staff to help me convince them that my breastmilk was the best thing for my son....there is no denying that breastfeeding is damn hard work in the early days and without proper support or education it's no wonder so many women give up.....I was handed a bottle of formula in a wee post-natal "gift" bag, I wasn't even consulted as to whether I wished to breastfeed or not! :eek:

Congrats on the birth of your daughter, run, I would reccomend that you invest in nipple shields & lansinoh cream - invaluable to your wife in first few weeks until her nipples toughen up a bit.....you could ask your PHN or contact LaLeche and ask if one of their volunteers could come and show your wife different latch on techniques which may help her.....remember it is early days and in the early days babs will "graze" almost constantly and will also use the breast and the skin to skin contact as a form of comfort....best of luck

run_Forrest_run

Thanks for all the kind words and advice folks. In relation to breast feeding, my partner was shown how to do it from day one by the midwives in the hospital so she is well able to do it and knows the difference between a well latched on baby and not! the pain was still intolerable but she kept it up until last friday which made it 2 weeks. anyway baby is on the bottle now. Also in relation to suggestions of using a breast pump, my partner did use a breast pump and to be honest, she would still be sitting there 1 week later just to fill a 5oz bottle!

Anyway, now baby seems happy and is sleeping a lot more at nights now and this makes mammy happy also so we are all happy and that IMO is the most important thing.

Ickle Magoo

run_Forrest_run wrote:

Thanks for all the kind words and advice folks. In relation to breast feeding, my partner was shown how to do it from day one by the midwives in the hospital so she is well able to do it and knows the difference between a well latched on baby and not! the pain was still intolerable but she kept it up until last friday which made it 2 weeks. anyway baby is on the bottle now. Also in relation to suggestions of using a breast pump, my partner did use a breast pump and to be honest, she would still be sitting there 1 week later just to fill a 5oz bottle!

Anyway, now baby seems happy and is sleeping a lot more at nights now and this makes mammy happy also so we are all happy and that IMO is the most important thing.

That's great news, Run! Two weeks of breasfeeding is not to be sneezed at, especially since your poor wife was in agony the whole time! A happy family is the most important thing, you are dead right! Best of luck

Peace

embee wrote:

I have read baby books from cover to cover. I have trawled the internet. I have seeked advice from family members and friends who have bottle and breastfed respectively. I don't need to be patronised to and told that I need to "understand" more. We are in a less than ideal situation vis a vis our living arrangements, and my own health issues and surgery in 5-6 months time. For these reasons, I expressed reservations about the practicalities of breastfeeding. Believe me, I understand plenty.

It seems shooting fromt he hip is not always the best idea.*

*This is not an admission of guilt.

Nevyn

Peace wrote:

Anything i said was meant to be helpful and constructive embee. Next time i try and help you out, remind me not to.

And how about the next time you post in this forum you try be more civil and less petty.
Next time I won't try and help you out I will ban you.

Read the charter and abide by the rules whild posting in this forum.
Thaedydal.