tips for BF while in hospital?

[darcytrue]

I'd like to know if anyone has any tips they can share with me during my hospital stay. I may be in the hospital anywhere from 2-4 days (planned c/s and tubal). Unfortunately my hospital does not allow rooming-in. I would have to have them bring baby to me all throughout the night when she wakes to eat. I can't stand the idea of that but it's a rule at this hospital.

Should I tell the night nurse to automatically bring the baby to me every hour or something like that just to make sure she gets there enough? Should I get up and make a point to walk down to the nursery every so often just to get the baby?

I read in a BF'ing book that it's best to room-in and have your baby with you around the clock right after birth so you can connect and get that rhythm going because a mother is more in tune with her waking child when it's right next to her, whereas in the nursery the child may not be noticed that they are waking up to want to be fed until it's actually crying it's head off and ofcourse I can't hear it on another area on the ward I'm in. I can't stand the thought of that, but it's most likely going to be my scenario for a few days.

Am I overthinking this? I'm sure it won't be as bad as I envision it but I want my baby with me as much as possible and I hate the fact that I can't have her in my room around the clock.

Any advice from those that have BT/DT would be greatly appreciated.

[MeepyCat]

The hospitals I've been in have been great about rooming in - it sucks that yours is so stodgy. (Most hospitals have abandoned the healthy infant nursery because it's more cost efficient to have babies in with their moms. The thing where it's good for breast feeding and moms like it is kind of a sidebar for them.)

The thing I would keep in mind, if I were you, is that they are obligated to bring you your baby but you are not obligated to give her back.

Anytime she's not in the room with you, you should ask for them to bring her (walking down to get her may be tough after a section, so bug them to bring her to you). And you should simply not mention sending her back. If they mention it, tell them you like holding the baby and having her near you. Ask questions like "is there something you need to do to her in the nursery now? Could you do it here instead?" If they insist on taking her back, ring the nurse and ask to have her returned.

I hope you can get as close to round-the-clock as possible, and that it's a short and easy hospital stay. Congratulations on your new baby!

[paulamc]

I hope someone can give you some good advice. That hospital policy sounds so incredibly outdated - where are you?

[averlee]

oh mama, hugs to you. What a shame that your hospital does not support breastfeeding. I think, asking the baby be brought to you every hour might be OK. I'd even say, every half hour. But mama, I'm so scared for you. Who knows what they will do to your baby in the nursery? Who knows how many strangers may handle her? I'm so, so sorry.

[averlee]

I just remembered something, another mama with a similar situation. She had her hospital release the baby at the 6 hour mark. If baby is healthy, there is no reason for the hospital to keep her. but instead of sending baby home, dad camped out in the hospital room with the baby. The baby was not a patient and so was not eligible to go to the nursery.

[fruitfulmomma]

I just remembered something, another mama with a similar situation. She had her hospital release the baby at the 6 hour mark. If baby is healthy, there is no reason for the hospital to keep her. but instead of sending baby home, dad camped out in the hospital room with the baby. The baby was not a patient and so was not eligible to go to the nursery.

Good idea.

[darcytrue]

Originally Posted by averlee

oh mama, hugs to you. What a shame that your hospital does not support breastfeeding. I think, asking the baby be brought to you every hour might be OK. I'd even say, every half hour. But mama, I'm so scared for you. Who knows what they will do to your baby in the nursery? Who knows how many strangers may handle her? I'm so, so sorry.

i trust the staff at the hospital but I worry that if it's a time when lots of women are popping out babies that mine will get pushed aside in it's crib and only get attention when she actually gets to the point of crying. Since I'm BFing this time I don't want that. I've had two children in this hospital and it's a great hospital so I'm not as worried about anything else as I am the fact that this will be my first time BFing and I want her with me as much as possible so we are able to successfully do it in the beginning.

Hopefully I won't be so drugged out the first night and sleepy to the point that I can't call them to bring her to my room often because that is what I plan to do.

[Quate]

We roomed in too, with no option of doing otherwise. But--I was totally mystified by this idea that you can tune in to your baby's rhythms and start to feed before they start crying. There must be babies out there for whom this is true, but it wasn't true of my DD until well after we were at home--I'm guessing maybe around a month. Until then, she'd go from sound asleep to crying instantaneously when she was hungry, and she'd make so much noise in her sleep that I kept thinking she was hungry and getting up to feed her, only to discover that she was sound asleep and not interested. Also, if your baby _is_ sleeping at night, I'd personally recommend not waking her up every hour. 3-4 hours is probably sufficient for a normal weight full term baby. (See other current thread for opinions about whether this is even necessary--they actually "made" us do this at our hospital, though. Or threatened too, but DD definitely did that on her own.)

[momoftworedheads]

In the daytime, during visiting hours, can't the baby just stay in your room the whole time?? Then you would have access to the baby and getting used to their nursing cues.

Any time the baby starts rooting, putting their fists in their mouth or getting really twitchy during sleep (as if they are starting to wake up), these are times to nurse. These are all the cues before the baby cries. Some hospitals even have signs with the cues on them but given that this one does not even allow rooming in, I'd assume they are not very Breastfeeding friendly.

If they do not let the baby in the room during visiting hrs, I'd ask them to bring you your baby every 2 hours during the day and then as soon as the baby is awake at night, have them bring the baby for a feeding.

Also, this might help, make a sign for the basinette for the nursery that says, "I am a Breastfed baby, no bottles or pacifiers, Please. Thank you!" I did this with my 3rd child. The hospital we used when he was born was understaffed and sometimes would give Bfed babies bottles instead of brining them to Mom to be fed.

Is there any way you can go home early? I know my insurance will let you go home 48 hours after a c-section and send a home care nurse to visit you 2x at home. Good luck to you. Can you talk to your Dr about the rooming in policy?

Take care!

[Beauchamp]

Originally Posted by darcytrue

I'd like to know if anyone has any tips they can share with me during my hospital stay. I may be in the hospital anywhere from 2-4 days

nak

Bring your Boppy/My Brest Friend, Lansinoh lanolin, breast pads for when your milk comes in, and a nursing tank. I forgot ALL of these except the lanolin.

I agree with PP--- you may have to ask for your babe to be brought to you, but you don't have to give her back until you're ready. If they say they need to take her to weigh her, just ask politely if you can have her back right away. I held my LO in bed with me for HOURS, and when someone came in, I'd just say, "Oh! we're right in the middle of feeding!" and they didn't bother us.