Breastfeeding routine in the hospital

Debbie - posted on 02/19/2009

Quoting Emily:

 

Here is a link to a breast-crawl video, it shows a baby initiating breastfeeding all on their own, in their own time.....truly amazing!     http://breastcrawl.org/video.htm

This video is AMAZING. it truly shows that this is th eway we were meant to feed our babies!

Allison - posted on 02/18/2009

Oh! I just remember something else: When I was in the hosptial, in was 3am and the nurses were trying really hard to get me to give my daughter formula. They said her glucose was low - so I told them to test her. They she and said it was 43 (if I remember correctly), but anything below 35 was low. So she *wasn't* low, yet the nurse still wanted me to force formula. The next morning I talked with the lactation consultant and the pediatrician and *both* said the nurse was incorrect to force formula because 43 is fine. So the nurse had the right info but still thought I should give formula. I don't know why...and they badgered me for several hours, 2 nurses constantly telling me my baby needed formula. AFter 27 hours of induced labor and a c-section. When I felt all I needed was to sleep and baby was fine! I was (and still am) very angry at them. Then we dealt with a difficult latch for weeks...

Rebecca - posted on 02/18/2009

Sounds like you are on the right track getting prepared!

I just wanted to echo everyone to know exactly what you want and demand it.  Don't be afraid to firmly ask nurses or whomever may be pressuring you to leave the room.  You could ask them to send in the lactation consultant if they insist they need to make sure nursing is going okay.

Both of my older two children lost over 10% of their birth weight and I was being told they would need formula supplementation.  Luckily when my milk finally comes in (a bit "late" as I have c-sections) I have a HUGE supply and they nursed well with help from lactation consultants.  With my third I had no pressure about her weight although she lost just as much, but I did have a veteran nurse encourage me to use formula because "we didn't want my nipples getting sore".  I refused and talked to the lactation consultant about her when she came around :)  If I had given in it would likely have ruined breastfeeding for us!

Again, I agree with everyone else.  Come well-armed with research and DON'T let them try to scare you, especially with the weight thing.  As long as you are nursing on demand and don't have separate supply issues your supply will keep up!  I always offered my newborns the breast like every 30 minutes!  I used my breast as a pacifier. . . if they have a need to suck it's a sign they need to nurse!  Practice makes perfect, and I'm sure that's part of why I always had SO much milk for them.

Good luck!!!

Jen - posted on 02/18/2009

Only one hospital to deliver at and I'm and hour from it. I just wasn't prepared the last time, this time I will be. We had alot of complications the last time, and I most likely would not have continued breastfeeding even if it had started well. This time I'm determined it will work!

Melissa - posted on 02/18/2009

Wow what hospital are you having your baby at? I am giving birth at a teaching hospital with the best neonatal unit in our state. I feel so lucky to be having my baby there, God forbid she should have any problems as infants from all over the state are life flighted there when they are born with problems. When I took my breastfeeding classes affiliated with my hospital they explained to us that the baby only needed a small amount of colostrum for the first few days and showed us some tiny marble that was representative of how very small a newborn's belly is at birth. In fact they told us not to freak out at all if we had trouble nursing as the early time was more for practice latching on and less about nutrition as the baby does not require much in the way of that until the real milk comes in a few days after birth. My hospital is VERY supportive of breastfeeding if that is the mother's choice and told us to tell the nursing staff we are breastfeeding so no supplemental formula, water or pacifiers will be given to the baby during our stay unless the doctor orders it for a special medical reason which is usual and would be explained to us if ordered. You are not given a ticking time table in which to nurse or else you "fail" and they force formula on you. This does not sound very nurturing to me and I am so sorry you and your sister in law have had to give birth in a place like that. It is your baby and should be your decision either way. We have several hospitals where I live so if I did not want to deliver where I am I could have chosen another hospital whose philosophy appealed to me. Is this an option for you? If not you may just have to be more aggressive about your desires and make sure your support people back you up.

Angie - posted on 02/18/2009

Wow, that is awful!!  I told them before giving birth I wanted to breastfeed.  Luckily for me this is something that they heavily believe in so they were very helpful.  After my C-section they took me into a private room for just me and my husband and helped me latch her on.  Then they stayed in the room with me for as long as I needed them in case I had questions.  They would not let anyone else in the room (and my mother in law was trying to push her way in) until I was done and ready.  They also have lactation consultants that are there 24/7.  They were wonderful and gave me the support when I needed it the most.  I hope this next time is better for you.  Call ahead and ask them if they offer such services.  Good luck!

Emily - posted on 02/18/2009

Whoa!!  There is no way I would be letting hospital staff dictate how to feed my child.  One of the benefits of skin to skin right after birth is to bond with your baby.  Babies are born with the rooting instinct to nurse, and the skin to skin allows them to "search" for their food source, your breast.  A baby-led latch is something that doesn't happen instantly, but the baby knows what it needs to do to eat and will latch on eventually.  I would not be letting anyone put my baby on a 10 minute timer to nurse, and then deciding it was necessary to formula feed once the time limit was up.  When my daughter was born it was 3 hours before I was able to nurse her, and the hospital nurses knew she was going to be breastfed....not one of them suggested giving her formula until I was able to nurse her.  It's your baby, and you have every right to decide how you want to nourish them.  Most hospital nowadays are very breastfeeding friendly, and won't be pushing formula on you.  If necessary I would get the lactation consultant in there to help you right away if you're worried about them giving your baby formula, and don't be afraid to put your food down! 

Here is a link to a breast-crawl video, it shows a baby initiating breastfeeding all on their own, in their own time.....truly amazing!     http://breastcrawl.org/video.htm

Mellisa - posted on 02/18/2009

I agree with the KellyMom site-Its great! I encourage rooming in also.  I encourage skin to skin contact or as our lactation folks call it--Camping out in the kitchen.  They need to find thier way around the "kitchen".  My baby nursed a lot in those first few days. 

Mellisa - posted on 02/18/2009

You baby has all they need for the first few days after birth.  This is how they make it on just colostrum.  If necessary you can weight your baby before and after the feeding once your milk comes in to see how much they are gettin and if supplementation is necessary.  My baby nursed 10-12 times a day as a newborn.  Dont give up!! If it was easy everyone would do it.  Remeber that you are LIQUID LOVE!!

Allison - posted on 02/18/2009

Ug - they *do not* get to choose how you feed your own child!

What is always best for establishing a good milk supply and a healthy, working breast-feeding relationship is a lot of skin-to-skin contact (yes, unwrap that baby burrito and hold close to your skin often, just keep a blanket over both of you to make sure baby stays warm!) and nursing as often as you and baby want, often even hour or two.

Rooming in with baby is also important, as you and baby can get a rhythm established - you'll notice he/she is hungry before a nurse will (watch for rooting, wiggling, hands to face) and be able to get him/her latched on before he gets upset. An upset baby won't latch easily and this only causes you and baby to get frustrated.

Don't let the nurses take the baby to the nursery *ever* - often they will undermine your wants and give pacifiers/formula/glucose solution for no medical reason (this doesn't happen everywhere, but I've had that experience myself). Also, educate yourself on why and when supplementation might be necessary - I had nurses outright lie to me just so they could get me to give formula to my baby, and we had a much more difficult time getting breastfeeding going.

If you experience jaundice: remember that breastmilk is *better* at clearing it up than formula. Nurses will often think that formula is better, but because formula is harder to digest and can cause constipation, and moving the bowels is one of the things that helps jaundice clear up. Also, some research suggests that it is healthier for bilirubin levels to drop slowly over time rather than a drastic change - breastmilk tends to help those levels drop slowly, but sometimes medpros would rather see it drop very quickly, and formula can do that...but it's not necessarily a good idea.

I highly recommend taking the book The Baby Book by Dr. Sears with you to the hospital as it has really good breastfeeding info and talks about when to supplement and how to supplement without using a bottle - nipple confusion can certainly cause problems, as well as feeding more than what baby would naturally get from you. Remember that the first few days, you only have colostrum, and that baby was designed to be able to get all his/her nutrition from it (at day 1, baby's belly is the size of a small marble, and day 3 it's the size of a shooter marble, and at day 10 it's the size of a ping pong ball - not big enough for 2-4 oz. of formula per feeding). It's not ounces of liquid, it's teaspoons, but it *is* enough for baby, even "big" babies. When you give formula based on what the hospital tells you, you end up putting a lot of liquid into baby's tummy, which stretches it out and then they expect to get fed that amount each time, but your body will only produce a little bit at first - this can set you up for breastfeeding failure.

Definitely have the lactation consultant come in as soon as you can - and if she makes you uncomfortable, ask to see another one. I've very knowledgeable about breastfeeding, but after my last baby was born a LC came in to my room and told me I was doing everything wrong - I shouldn't be holding baby in the cradle hold because I'd had a c-section and that I needed like 10 pillows to prop me up better, but I felt find and wasn't able to get the pillows all the way she told me by myself or quick enough to feed my son when he was hungry. I was so upset, even though I was, indeed, doing everything right. I asked to see another one (through tears) and when she came in, she reassured me that it was working fine. that as long as I was comfortable (I was), and baby's latch looked good (it did), that we should just keep doing what we were doing. We did! :-) I never used formula with my son, and he was born at 9 lbs. 10 oz. I did have the nurses suggest it many times, but I stuck with my guns, let him nurse as much as he wanted (which was a lot) and my milk was in 12 hours after he was born.

For more really great information, visitto http://wwwkellymom.com/. I'd also suggest you find a local La Leche League chapter and go to at least 1 or 2 meetings *before* baby is born - they will be able to support you and may know a little more about your specific hospital policies, so they could give you good advice.

Stick to your guns, be confident (or at least seem like it ;-) and know that you are making a good decision for your baby - no matter what scare tactics the hosptial staff uses. If, for some reason, there is a serious medical problem that prevents you from nursing right away or baby from latching, I'm sure you will really know that and be able to modify your desires for the benefit of baby...but these cases are rare. Try to relax and just love on your newborn - he/she will do the rest!

Mellisa - posted on 02/18/2009

You baby has all they need for the first few days after birth.  This is how they make it on just colostrum.  If necessary you can weight your baby before and after the feeding once your milk comes in to see how much they are gettin and if supplementation is necessary.  My baby nursed 10-12 times a day as a newborn.  Dont give up!! If it was easy everyone would do it.  Remeber that you are LIQUID LOVE!!

Mellisa - posted on 02/18/2009

You baby has all they need for the first few days after birth.  This is how they make it on just colostrum.  If necessary you can weight your baby before and after the feeding once your milk comes in to see how much they are gettin and if supplementation is necessary.  My baby nursed 10-12 times a day as a newborn.  Dont give up!! If it was easy everyone would do it.  Remeber that you are LIQUID LOVE!!

Jen - posted on 02/18/2009

Is there a time when formula is necessary? Should you be at a certain point in feedings by a certain time before you say "somethings not right, this baby needs to eat"

Mellisa - posted on 02/18/2009

Be Very Assertive with what YOU want for YOUR baby.  I had a great experience and lactation was waiting for me when I got out of the OR.  If I called they were there within 2 minutes-NO JOKE.  I had my baby at Athens Regional Hospital in Athens Georgia. I also still go to the mothecare group operated by the hospital lactation department where you can go three times a week and get free help.  Dont be afraid to get Assertive.  I made them put a sign on my baby's basket that said no bottle no pacifier.  You know what is best for YOUR baby.