Grrrr Nurses!

[mamaofthree]

Ok, I can complain about this, as I am a nurse myself... talk about a group of uninformed people.
I work part time thru a nursing agency (meaning I go to different hospitals or different units in the same hospital). I was working last night and I was so very busy, when I finally had time to actually pump, I went up to the charge nurse to let her know I was going off the unit and that I needed a place to pump. Her reply (with a look of disgust) "use the bathroom". I said no I needed someplace cleaner then a hospital bathroom. So she sent me to a freaking cupboard (ok not really but the room was so tiny) it had an outlet hidden behind an old exam table and only a old tippy swivel stool to sit on. I went in there twice to pump during the shift, but each time I was in there the charge nurse would page me! I told her I was going to be busy for about 10 minutes! When other nurses left the floor to smoke they didn't get paged.
Later another nurse asked me how old my baby was, I said he just turned one... her response "It's about time you weaned don't you think?" I said No AAP says at least 1 year and WHO says at least 2 years. she said "Hmm." and walked away.
How the heck do you break into that mess and fix it? No wonder there is such a dismal breastfeeding rate here. Because the people you are suppose to look to for help/support/guidence are idiots! UGH!
I think I am going to contact HR or something and talk with them about having at least a couple places in the hospital for nurses to pump.

H

[SashaBear]

I'm not a nurse or anything but I would think nurses and doctors would be the ones to nurse and nurse longer. I was at scrapbook class and mom was there that was a nurse. the teacher asked if she was still nursing and she was like god no! UMMM hello!

[honeybunch2k8]

There seem to be quite a few complaints about hospital staff and their ideas of breastfeeding. I'll be putting that on my list of reasons to homebirth and just hire a postpartum doula or lactation consultant or whatever.

[Teyu]

Originally Posted by honeybunch2k8

There seem to be quite a few complaints about hospital staff and their ideas of breastfeeding.

its cos they get kickbacks from the formula companies for being drug pushers [ok formula pushers but its the same "rub a lil on yer gums, kid!" mentality] and for most people, money > morals.

[veronicalynne]

The nurses at the hospital "tried" to help me with dd1 but told me my nipples were so inverted I would never be able to bf So when I went home, I talked to the homecare nurses (or whatever they are called) and told them how important bf was to me and these incredible nurses came everyday for 2 weeks to help me to establish bf when they usually only come 1 day for vag. birth and 4 for c/s. I guess it depends on the hospital and the nurses? I did find with my 2nd dd birth that though they did encourage rooming in/time alone after birth etc, they are very negative about bf. By that time though, I was a pro and just ignored them
I do think you should talk to higher ups about getting more appropriate place to nurse. I cant believe she suggested the washroom and kept paging you....a bit of discrimination there?

[GooeyRN]

PM mytwogirls for a good story. Her story made the local newspaper.

It is very sad how nurses are discouraged from bfing. It's why I am still not back at work 6 months post partum. There is NO WHERE to pump, except for the one bathroom the size of a small closet (one toilet/one sink thats it) that ALL STAFF share. I can't tie that up for 15-20 minutes. Either there or the break room, where others are free to come and go. There is no where private that would not inconvenience others greatly. Plus, there is no one to cover my patients while I pump. I learned this after I had my dd. I went back to work 14 months pp but dd still was not eating solids and I had a large supply. I couldn't find time to pump until it was time to do my charting, which was already after my shift ended. I wound up with a severe case of mastitis, an abcess, nipple necrosis, and that breast dried up b/c I wasn't able to pump during work hours. Aunt Flo then visited and I got pregnant that first cycle. I really need to get back to work again, but have no idea how I can do it. I don't want to get that sick again, and my baby is only 6 months old so I CAN'T loose my milk. So many people gave me the hairy eyeball about having a 16 month old and needing to pump. They thought I was a freak b/c I didn't have dd on cow milk.

[mlec]

I'm sorry you're being treated poorly for doing what's best for your child.

I have to say, though, that it really doesn't surprise me. My sis's baby's NICU doc said for us (the aunts) not to donate pumped milk for the babe b/c it was for older babies it had "no nutritional value" for a newborn. So she was put on cow milk formula instead. So ignorant.

[mamaofthree]

Yeah because cow milk is way better for people babies then people baby milk from moms with older babies. See IDIOTS!
And yet they are out there spreading misinformation as real information. UGH!

H

[honeybunch2k8]

Originally Posted by GooeyRN

PM mytwogirls for a good story. Her story made the local newspaper.

It is very sad how nurses are discouraged from bfing. It's why I am still not back at work 6 months post partum. There is NO WHERE to pump, except for the one bathroom the size of a small closet (one toilet/one sink thats it) that ALL STAFF share. I can't tie that up for 15-20 minutes. Either there or the break room, where others are free to come and go. There is no where private that would not inconvenience others greatly. Plus, there is no one to cover my patients while I pump. I learned this after I had my dd. I went back to work 14 months pp but dd still was not eating solids and I had a large supply. I couldn't find time to pump until it was time to do my charting, which was already after my shift ended. I wound up with a severe case of mastitis, an abcess, nipple necrosis, and that breast dried up b/c I wasn't able to pump during work hours. Aunt Flo then visited and I got pregnant that first cycle. I really need to get back to work again, but have no idea how I can do it. I don't want to get that sick again, and my baby is only 6 months old so I CAN'T loose my milk. So many people gave me the hairy eyeball about having a 16 month old and needing to pump. They thought I was a freak b/c I didn't have dd on cow milk.

Geez, I'm so sorry, but kudos for doing everything you could.

[nataliebassoon]

Always more reasons not to have your baby at a hospital!

[honeybunch2k8]

Originally Posted by nataliebassoon

Always more reasons not to have your baby at a hospital!

Yep!

[N8'sMom]

Wow! I think I"d be writing some letters to the higher ups!

[mytwogirls]

Originally Posted by GooeyRN

PM mytwogirls for a good story. Her story made the local newspaper.

Yep I made a HUGE deal out of my incident. I worked labor delivery as an RN for over three years. I needed to pump every three hours and I got told I was pumping at the wrong times during my shift. I went to my OB and got a note from him stating it was medically necessary for me to pump. It didn't phase them, they still told me I had to find a replacement while I was away. I quit on the spot. I ended up working my OB (whom I LOVE LOVE LOVE and he and his wife are sooooo pro-breastfeeding, no formula hand-outs, offers breast feeding classes to moms and so on). Anyway, about two weeks after I quit my hospital job, I was at that hospital for a friend's delivery and my old charge nurse wanted to discuss my quitting and my OB, who was delivering my friend's baby, said "Nope, you fuc*ed up by firing her and she now works for me." That nurse could have fainted. I made the local paper, but the story sucked, very dry and not much info. I am still working on the situation and that is all legally I can say about the situation if you get my drift. I love my job now. I wish you the best and hope you don't have to do what I did by walking out, but I was so pissed off I could not take it anymore...and I worked LABOR/DELIVERY, we are supposed to support breast feeding for God's sake! PM me anytime if you want to chat any more.

[muppet729]

Originally Posted by mlec

My sis's baby's NICU doc said for us (the aunts) not to donate pumped milk for the babe b/c it was for older babies it had "no nutritional value" for a newborn. So she was put on cow milk formula instead. So ignorant.

Do you ever wonder if they check to see if the cow's milk is from nursing an infant cow I mean, I woudl hate to give my dc cow milk that was made for a more mature cow- THAT would really be wierd

[sapphire_chan]

There is NO excuse for that sort of ignorance. I wouldn't trust a nurse that treated a nursing mother that way not to kill me somehow when she took my blood pressure or weight.

[PJJ]

Higher ups

Originally Posted by N8'sMom

Wow! I think I"d be writing some letters to the higher ups!

It is not really expected to make things better. The hospitals MAKE more money with sick babies/children--that is WHY human milk is NOT valued by the medical community.

This can be extrapolated out to any healthy lifestyle behavior that ROBS the health care of quick and easy profits.

Good luck with the higher ups!

[ollineeba]

I hear you.
I'm in nursing school and our first class that discussed breastfeeding, our instructor actually said "formula fed babies do just as well- there's no difference."

It was the last class before my maternity leave but I know that when I go back, I'll have to be in that prof's class for my maternity rotations and I'll have to deal with that.

ETA: I also wanted to add that when I had my dd, the nurses were fantastic and very knowledgeable about breastfeeding. They helped to get us off to a great start

[rmzbm]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

There is NO excuse for that sort of ignorance. I wouldn't trust a nurse that treated a nursing mother that way not to kill me somehow when she took my blood pressure or weight.

But : still...*sigh*...