Breast Feeding

Posted on: Mon, 07/07/2008 - 22:54
Breast Feeding
I am a mother of a happy, healthy two year old son. And yet I still feel that in a way I have failed him. All because I was unable to breastfeed him. With all the advertising on breast feeding, I was more than aware how important it is to be able to breastfeed. However, this is a long cry of my experience in the hospital. After a 28 hour labour, I was handed a wrinkly mini-me! I was handed him straight away and after 5 minutes was told that it was a good time to try to feed him. I tried 3 times myself but my baby would not latch on. I think I must have been holding him wrong or something because it felt very awkward. Milk was oozing out. I asked for help. A nurse plonked my babys face next to my breast impatiently. After no more than a minute, she took my baby and said he needed a bottle. And with that, she turned and left the room. I was left dumbfounded and shattered. I always believed a newborn baby would latch on when hungry and to be given a bottle of formula to a newborn was a last resort. My two stay in hospital was frustrating as I tried and tried to get my baby to latch on. A nurse walked in and commented how nice it was to see a mother still trying to breastfeed, despite problems. I asked for her help/guidance. She hastily told me to perservere and left the room. I was reasured through the media and the medical profession that breast is best and that mothers are offered encouragement to breastfeed? I am left torn, knowing I was unable to learn the skill alone and knowing the support thats ment to be there, totally left me out. I'm feeling hurt and angered. The hospital midwife and health visitor had me noted as a natural mum. Yeah, so natural I couldnt even feed my baby as nature intended. Did any other mums experience similar situations? Are they now left as hurt as me when they come accross "breast is best" adverts? Do articles trying to encourage mums to breastfeed really pull at the heartstrings. I know I've not cried my last tear over it yet. As for the age old arguement, should women breastfeed in public? Of dourse they should. Its the most natural thing in the world. We dont go out for a drive in the country to come across a cow and its calf succling, to ask it to cover up!

Posted on: Tue, 07/08/2008 - 12:06 #1
I feel so sorry for you that
I feel so sorry for you that you had this experience, i had a vey traumatic delivery of my first child which resulted in an emergency c section but still five mins later the nurse plonked my little girl on my stomach to breast feed, i was in agony with my scar i was lucky she did latch on straight away and i breast fed her for the first four months til she went onto solids. however my second baby who had to also be delivered by c section same medical prob, i only breast fed for three weeks because she was so hungry i ran out of milk and my nipples were so sore they cracked and it was hell so i did feel defeated but releved to resort to bottle. The nurses were very abrupt in hospital and never had the time to show you how and what to do and they think just because you have one child already that you will know what to do with this one, but every baby is different some latch on straight away and some dont. And if the baby doesnt and there is no nurse there to help the baby can just be sucking air and end up with colic, and the more distressed the baby gets the more you get upset and the baby senses that and you feel you have failed. You havent failed because bottle or breast you are nurishing your child which IS what comes natrually to a mum so dont beat yourself up you sound like an excellent mumXXXX
Posted on: Tue, 07/15/2008 - 00:43 #2
It's not your fault.
When i gave birth to my first son nearly nine years ago, he took to breastfeeding straight away which was great, However when i gave birth to my second son nearly a year ago he was premature and we both had to be rushed to hospital, i was in alot of spinal pain as i had a slipped disc in my lower back and it was decided that i needed very strong painkillers which not only prevented me from breastfeeding my baby but also dried up any milk i had. What i have noticed between both times is that whenever i took my first child to any appointments being doctors or healthvistors i was hardly ever asked "are you breastfeeding your baby" BUT this time around i have been asked on every single appointment with my second child "and are you breastfeeding?" the minute i've said no i am given alook that makes me feel so guilty that i feel that i have to explain why. Do vet's and zoos look at their animals that have just given birth and unable to look after their offspring in the same manner..... NO they don't they step in straight away and bottle feed the baby animal to save it's life. So why are we treated so differently? I would like to add that BOTH my children are happy healthy contented children.
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