In honor of my Lactation Education training weekend, here is a lovely breastfeeding story.
The Princess and the Chick Pea
Here is the deal, some nurses are AWESOME, they know tons about breastfeeding, have great tips and can offer wonderful support.
Some nurses, don’t know much at all. Breastfeeding maybe scares them a little, because they can’t see how much the baby is getting.
Ideally moms will educate themselves about breastfeeding before they have their baby. They will know about the size of their baby’s belly.
Even if they are educated sometimes nurses scare moms into giving a bottle, when it really isn’t necessary. Mom can express milk and finger feed it to the baby. Mom may just need some latch help. Ask to see the lactation consultant if you are having problems in the hospital. Don’t rely on the nurses advice to be accurate.
I had a student who told me about her birth, she said it went great, but the nurse she had after was trying to tell her to give the baby a bottle. She finally asked for a new nurse who was more supportive of breastfeeding. She got one and she is so glad she asked for a new nurse. ASK for a new nurse if you are not getting along with the one you have!
2 Amazing breastfeeding facts:
There are holes along the digestive tract of every newborn baby. This allows the antibodies from the colostrum to easily enter the baby. With 2 weeks of exclusive breastfeeding, these holes close up on their own. If a baby doesn’t get breastmilk in these first 2 weeks the holes NEVER close. This can lead to gut issues later in life. The first 2 weeks of life are a critical period. Even if you only breastfeed for 2 weeks, it is important and SO helpful for your baby!
1 ounce of formula will damage the babies gut and it takes 2-4 weeks of exclusive nursing for the gut to heal itself after 1 ounce of formula.
Excellent material you’re getting! 🙂 I think one thing that many moms have trouble with is that nurses are supposed to know more than you do. So even if a mom has had good prenatal breastfeeding education and knows that her baby’s tummy is only the size of a chickpea, when the nurse says that her baby needs 30 mls of formula in the first 24 hours, what does mom know? nurse should know better – and some moms don’t want to contradict the nurse. sigh,
Also – could you supply the resource link for the info about the holes in the digestive tract of newborns? I’d love to share that info in my classes, but I’d like to read the literature first. Thanks!
It’s really sad that nurses are not given more education on breastfeeding. To all those pregnant mommies out there: If you want to breastfeed make sure you educate yourself about it and talk to somebody who has breastfed successfully. If it’s possible, talk to a lactation consultant. Don’t go to the hospital thinking that they will help you with breastfeeding there. Breastfeeding is a natural thing but to breastfeed does not come naturally to all moms!
I’d like to have references for the 2 facts you state at the end. If it’s possible for you to give us your sources.
Thanks in advance.
I will look in my materials and find the references!
Here are some links I found online. I am e-mailing my instructor to find more.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629200754.htm
http://www.promom.org/bf_info/sci_am.htm
http://breastfeeding.suite101.com/article.cfm/breast_milk_is_perfect_baby_prebiotic
Nicole,
This is SO true. Sometimes the nurses undermine the moms. If the nurses had this education, I think the BF rates would go up, because the moms would have more support!
This is fascinating! Thanks for sharing this!
I think there is much disparity in the education that nurses recieve on breastfeeding. Some employers (hosptials, birth centers, etc) are very pro-breastfeeding and are committed to educating their staff. Others are stapped financially and this may not seem to them to be a crucial thing to spend their education dollars on.
I am fortunate enough to work in a hospital that is very supportive of breastfeeding. We only do 450 deliveries a year, but we have 2 nurses who are lactation consultants and 2 who are lactatin counselors. One of the counselors did a presentation on this very subject at last year’s skills day.
I encourage you to participate in educating the nurses youself if you think they do not know what they need to know to help the women they are working with breastfeed successfully. Approach the department educator and offer to do an inservice for the staff on breastfeeding. You could suggest doing it at one of their staff meetings, or ask if they have a skills day you could come to. Bring copies of the articles you are reading, and ask the nurse to post them on thier education board.
Cheers to breastfeeding!
GREAT information and advice for new and/or breastfeeding moms and birth advocates. Especially for moms who are nursing for the first time, having the right sort of support during those first few minutes, hours, and days is crucial.
I also think that Alethea’s idea regarding holding an inservice on breastfeeding is fantastic, by the way!
Good luck to you in your lactation educator training! I’m also in the process of receiving my CLE from CAPPA, and I’m definitely enjoying every minute of it.
http://www.naba-breastfeeding.org/images/Just%20one.pdf
my baby was taken to the nicu shortly after birth. I pumped and pumped but she was also given formula. It is just heartbreaking to be reminded about the permanent damage this has caused.
Our hospital is looking towards establishing a milk bank but it is too late for my child.
I am sorry. My son was given formula in the NICU too. I hope that one day all baby’s in the NICU will have access to breastmilk as an option!
Hugs!
Sheridan
Formula does not cause permanant damage to babies. If it did there would be millions of people in much worse health than they are. Other reliable sources state breast milk is at best marginally better to address SOME health aspects. http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article6718276.ece It’s not the elixir of life most people make it out to be. For some moms it’s painful and inconvenient. Stop making new moms feel guilty as they have enough to worry about. Do you own research and decide what choice is best for YOU and YOUR BABY. Do not be swayed by judgemental fear mongers. If you want to breast feed that is great, I encourage you. If you want to bottle feed don’t beat yourself up and fall for the belief that you are torturing your child in some way. NO I don’t work for a company that sells formula. I have no agenda except to support new moms in knowing their babies will be OK despite the supposed experts who tell them they are wrong all the time.
I support moms in whatever they choose to do. But I also educate them on the benefits of breastfeeding and offer support to help them be successful at it, when possible.
My boys are 6 months old now and I am still nurinsg them. It really was hard the first 6 weeks, but mostly because one of mine wouldn’t latch on so I was nurinsg and pumping then feeding the younger. It was like magic the day he turned 6 weeks he latched on and has been doing extremely well ever since. Given the opportunity I do nurse them at the same time, the football hold is great for that. But they have gotten so big that unless I’m in a large chair or my bed their legs are cramped and they are uncomfortable. The boppy is a GREAT asset for me, but as they got longer they started kind of sliding off the back, I have a Big V pillow that wraps around me from behind and under the back of the boppy and keeps the boys level. It was also great for pregnancy when I needed support behind me, between my knees, and in front of me. It was the best 60 bucks I have ever spent. Although my husband seems a little jealous because I cuddle with it still. There are days that I think about switching to bottles, but I hate to do dishes and they are only this little for such a short time. My boys are starting to get teeth (according to their Dr.) and I need to know how thats going to change things, how do you teach a baby not to bite? I also feel, I guess guilty, that I may be making people uncomfortable when I nurse my boys in public, I sit in my car at Wal-Mart instead of in the McDonalds or on a bench, and I would like to know if anyone has advice about that. Thanks.