The Good: My old roommate just had her first baby this Saturday! He was born at 36 1/2 weeks (she had been on medication to prevent labor since about 28 weeks) and even though he was that early he still came out at 6 lbs. 7 oz. and 19 3/4 inches and overall in good shape!
The Bad: Because he had some breathing difficulty (which I'm not too sure of, but my paranoia of hospitals intervening unneccessarily is a whole other story) he was put into the NICU. My friend, who has been excitedly anticipating breastfeeding, was told by a nurse that she could not breastfeed him. When I spoke to her Saturday evening (he was born around 1 in the afternoon) she said that he was being tube-fed some formula because she had requested that they not use any artificial nipples and she had not gotten the chance to breastfeed him AT ALL. She had been harassing the nurses all day to let her know as soon as she could put him to the breast and no one would let her. The next morning (Sunday) a nurse called and told her that she could come try to breastfeed and said, "I don't know why someone told you you couldn't!" She did attempt to breastfeed that morning but said he was sleepy at the breast and wasn't latching on that great. Finally, around 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon she got an LC (whom she called twice and had to practically beg to come to the NICU with her) and called me excitedly saying, "I breastfed."
and talking about how amazing it was and that she would get to go breastfeed him again at 5:45. We visited her just before that trip to the NICU (we didn't get to see the babe unfortunately) and she was talking about how upset she was that they had not let her breastfeed him that first day. My heart broke for her. Now, I am not a doctor and I know very little about preemies but is there absolutely ANY reason why she would not be able to breastfeed her infant... her premature infant that probably needs her colostrum even more so than most? I am livid for my friend. She is young and without much breastfeeding support (her dad rolled his eyes when she asked for some privacy to pump
); She does have a doula that is also an LC but I'm not sure where she went after the birth. I'm glad that she is successfully breastfeeding even with all the roadblocks they tried to put up along the way but I do think that NICU nurses disallowing someone from breastfeeding their child should be brought to SOMEONE'S attention. Even if the formula was medically necessary- what they did severely jeopardized their breastfeeding relationship. I do not want this to happen to another woman and child. What if the next woman this happens to isn't as persistent as my friend and when met with opposition from a NICU nurse doesn't even attempt to breastfeed? What would be the best way to go about filing a formal complaint? TIA.
Oh, and this was at the hospital voted "Best Place to Have a Baby" in our city.
The Bad: Because he had some breathing difficulty (which I'm not too sure of, but my paranoia of hospitals intervening unneccessarily is a whole other story) he was put into the NICU. My friend, who has been excitedly anticipating breastfeeding, was told by a nurse that she could not breastfeed him. When I spoke to her Saturday evening (he was born around 1 in the afternoon) she said that he was being tube-fed some formula because she had requested that they not use any artificial nipples and she had not gotten the chance to breastfeed him AT ALL. She had been harassing the nurses all day to let her know as soon as she could put him to the breast and no one would let her. The next morning (Sunday) a nurse called and told her that she could come try to breastfeed and said, "I don't know why someone told you you couldn't!" She did attempt to breastfeed that morning but said he was sleepy at the breast and wasn't latching on that great. Finally, around 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon she got an LC (whom she called twice and had to practically beg to come to the NICU with her) and called me excitedly saying, "I breastfed."
and talking about how amazing it was and that she would get to go breastfeed him again at 5:45. We visited her just before that trip to the NICU (we didn't get to see the babe unfortunately) and she was talking about how upset she was that they had not let her breastfeed him that first day. My heart broke for her. Now, I am not a doctor and I know very little about preemies but is there absolutely ANY reason why she would not be able to breastfeed her infant... her premature infant that probably needs her colostrum even more so than most? I am livid for my friend. She is young and without much breastfeeding support (her dad rolled his eyes when she asked for some privacy to pump); She does have a doula that is also an LC but I'm not sure where she went after the birth. I'm glad that she is successfully breastfeeding even with all the roadblocks they tried to put up along the way but I do think that NICU nurses disallowing someone from breastfeeding their child should be brought to SOMEONE'S attention. Even if the formula was medically necessary- what they did severely jeopardized their breastfeeding relationship. I do not want this to happen to another woman and child. What if the next woman this happens to isn't as persistent as my friend and when met with opposition from a NICU nurse doesn't even attempt to breastfeed? What would be the best way to go about filing a formal complaint? TIA.Oh, and this was at the hospital voted "Best Place to Have a Baby" in our city.
: They should have let her try and given her a pump! That way they could at least give the baby the colostrum. Also skin to skin contact is one of the best things for early babies.
