Undermining BFing at a BFing class???? - Page 2

[Sagesgirl]

Yeah, it's catch as catch can with regard to MTFs. My older two were both born at NMC Portsmouth. I could not take the breastfeeding class. It was offered specifically and solely to minority women. This is actually fine by me, because I somehow doubt their classes were any better than their postpartum nurses. I nursed in spite of what I encountered at that hospital. My favorite, I think, was being told I was having difficulty breastfeeding because my boob was too big and it was hurting the baby's chin. Then with #2 it was "You have to make her nurse more, if she loses too much weight she won't be able to go home."

Oy.

[OkiMom]

It totally depends on the hospital.
My first I had at Pendleton. They were awesome at the hospital but the peds stunk. The peds thought was they could solve it and you didn't need to see a LC. However, the nurses when I gave birth and during the hospital stay were great. My Labor/delievery nurse was actually a LC and helped a ton. All the corpmen (men and women) were required to take regular breastfeeding classe. I had ALOT of problems but mostly becuase I was told at the 2 day appointment that it was impossible to be allergic to lanolin and I am. It took me a while to relize that.
My younger one I had in Okinawa and she was in the NICU at Lester Hospital. They are AWFUL! Makes me want to cry every time I think of it.

[beautifulnm]

"I am the only person I know of, in six years of military service, that BF more than a couple of weeks, much less pumped at work. "
I know of a few women who have pumped long term, both of them more concerned with their child's lives than the condition of their breasts. I don't think it's a direct effect of being in the military, just that a lot of girls in the military have kids early and aren't exactly focused on their child. One girl in particular bf briefly and then thought if she didn't switch her breasts wouldn't go back to "normal." Hello, that's what they're there for, I think it's normal. Shrug.

Originally Posted by EdnaMarie

It's not like mama could take work off for breastfeeding even if it did go well. Suppose she nursed for three full months and it went great. Then if she gets deployed, that's it, she's not pumping from Afghanistan, kwim? Sad but true.

You can't deploy 3 months after birthing unless you REQUEST to deploy and you're medically cleared. USN/USMC has 12 months of hold time after baby comes before you are able to deploy with your unit.

[annekh23]

Maybe I'm missing something, but why would you take a bottle to the hospital? Don't they provide them, I thought most hospitals used prepared 2oz bottles of formula with single use nipples. Isn't suggesting you take a bottle for the baby a bit like suggesting you take your own knife and fork to eat your meal?

[KarlaC]

Originally Posted by SinginMamaTo2

The class my niece attended was in Co. Springs, but now she's her in NC giving birth at Ft. Bragg.
I'm trying to help her make sense of all the conflicting information. Poor thing is already stressed about her DH not making it home in time for the birth (they've given him a months window to come home around her due date), she's even talking about inducing!!!!! So the whole BFing thing is making me crazy!! She doesn't need to be worried about that as well!

She really should hit up the LLL meetings at Womack. Sadly Bragg is about 800x better than the off base alternative too(btdt).

[hippiemommaof4]

I had 3 kids at fort bragg, they used to be horrible there back in the day the prenatal care was heinous when I say that I mean that they were beyond negligent, the bfing support was non exisistant and what you did get was disgraceful. That all started changing later though. It started changing because a lot of people myself included got tired of it and took action. we went as far as reporting every little wrong they threw our way even to the extent of going to the media, some of it is OT so I wont go into it but I had them bullying me and talking me into aborting a healthy fetus when I said it wasnt even an option and everything . Finally when I had my 3rd child there things were starting to progress thankfully but I know it's only because the sheer volumes of complaints and lawsuits they had against them . I had to fight for a lot of my rights there even when i was kidless and in the military myself so it had been going on years and years before even that. So the good news is it is a lot better now. good luck to her.

[hippiemommaof4]

Originally Posted by KarlaC

She really should hit up the LLL meetings at Womack. Sadly Bragg is about 800x better than the off base alternative too(btdt).

wow they have LLL meetings there now? they have come a long way!

[Emmeline II]

I had my first at Elmendorf AFB. I had a CPM for a pre-e inducement that I was pretty happy with (though there was this young tech that told me my baby would suffocate if he wasn't suctioned the second his head popped out).

They were very supportive of breastfeeding and spent a lot of time helping me with my inverted nipples, they had a pump in my room, and told me I shouldn't use the formula if I really wanted to bf.

[MaddieMay]

Our naval base is pretty good about supporting active duty who want to BF. Not great, but better than some.

Slightly OT, but still in the same realm. DH went to a new dad class offered by our Fleet and Family Support Center here on base. They sent him home with a "breastfeeding friendly" pack (for me) sponsored by a FORMULA maker. And the pack had formula samples in it! I was so mad, I threw the thing out. I still need to write a letter over that one.

[Katsmamajama]

Originally Posted by SinginMamaTo2

My niece will be birthing at a military hospital, her hubby in serving in Iraq. She has been told that she can go as natural as she wants, the majority of staff are midwives, she will be in control of whatever she wants...
I have concerns for her, for many reasons....but those are other issues.

So, she attended a BFing class, very supportive, informative, she learned a lot. Then at the end, they told the class it's a good idea to bring a bottle to the hospital just in case bfing doesn't go well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When she told me this, I was dumbfounded! I explained to her that it's going to take a day or two for her milk to come in. That could be minunderstood as "BFing not going well".
I'm just worried that the first chance they have, they're going to stick a bottle in that baby's mouth.

Is this the kind of support and information they're dishing out to new moms?

That's not the info they dished out at Tripler AMC a few weeks ago, nor the info dished out at Wuerzburg Army Hospital 9 years ago with my first daughter. That's not to say there's not a military hospital out there that is spewing that misinformation....but not ALL of them are like that. Tripler adhered to the "natural as I want, staff of midwives" ideal you're concerned about, and even the discharge class was more about nursing than formula feeding.

I agree with FiveLittleMonkeys, she could file an ICE complaint. She could also mention it to her OB/Midwife at her next appointment, as well.

[LaffNowCryLater]

Just a side point- that is so weird that they would tell her to bring a bottle, since hospitals provide bottles. I FF my eldest and had him at a military hospital and they gave me tons of nursettes to use and bring home.

I had my second there as well and 100% BF her (no formula) for 24 months.

[LaffNowCryLater]

Originally Posted by Sagesgirl

Yeah, it's catch as catch can with regard to MTFs. My older two were both born at NMC Portsmouth. I could not take the breastfeeding class. It was offered specifically and solely to minority women. This is actually fine by me, because I somehow doubt their classes were any better than their postpartum nurses. I nursed in spite of what I encountered at that hospital. My favorite, I think, was being told I was having difficulty breastfeeding because my boob was too big and it was hurting the baby's chin. Then with #2 it was "You have to make her nurse more, if she loses too much weight she won't be able to go home."

Oy.

I had my first two there, I took the class with my second child and it was not only for minority women. This was in early 2004 though.

I do put some blame on my failure at breastfeeding my eldest due to their nurses, he was in the NICU and they gave him bottles, and when I would go to pump they would run over and snatch the pump away b/c a preemie mom needed it and I guess her baby was more important than my fullterm baby was was in the NICU for a birth defect.