OK so what am I really writing about tonight? This article.
[btw, 15 minutes, and the baby is finally sleeping. *PHEW*]
I gotta give it to Mayor Bloomberg-- he's just looking out for the greater welfare of his fellow New Yorkers. First, he targeted the obese New Yorkers by cutting down the soda in-take, and now (of all people), he's targeting new mothers and NYC's newborns.
As many of you ummas know, when you go to the pediatrician, your OBGYN and the hospital, they all offer free gift bags, often in forms of baby-stuff-organizers which also include coupons and free samples of formula. Free baby food? Sure! Yes, all of my doctors, nurses (and my mom, who is a labor and delivery nurse), the posters on the walls of the offices and hospitals, my instructor in my childbirthing class, and all hundreds of books and online articles that I read reminded me that "breast is best." I had full intention to breastfeed, but I also heard about how difficult it could be and how some women had little to zero supply, so I managed my expectations. It took some time for my milk to come in, and hence, took some time for Logan to latch on. During our 2nd night at the hospital, Logan was SCREAMING while hardly anything came out of my breast-- just a few precious drops of colostrum. He was also tearing up my girls (literally) so he would cry out of frustration and I would cry out of pain. Poor husband felt so helpless watching the two of us. That night, we asked the nurse to give him just a little bit of formula since nothing seemed to appease him. I was so scared he would get nipple confusion but after just a few sucks of formula, he was happily dozing off, and we felt it was the best decision at the time. As we were discharged, the nurse offered us a big pack of formula which we accepted, and we were on our way home.
Conveniently, Hurricane Irene hit during our first night home with Logan. I breastfed Logan in the dark with candles. We woke up to feed him about every 2 hours. I didn't dread coming to him when he cried/woke up-- I dreaded his mouth attempting to latch on to my already torn up girls. My milk clearly hadn't come in yet, he wasn't latching on, and my girls were torn up and bleeding. So, I decided to attempt to nurse him for as long as I could take it (and he could drink the colostrum which was the good stuff), and then the husband would "top him off" with a few CCs of formula via a plastic syringe (given to us by the pediatrician at the hospital) to avoid nipple confusion. While the husband fed him, I pumped to try to stimulate my milk production. At the next feeding, I would attempt to nurse, then we would feed him whatever I pumped from the last feeding and a few CCs of formula. At one point, my girls were REALLY torn and needed a break in between feedings to heal, so then I would just pump, and the husband would just feed whatever I pumped. Once my milk came in and Logan properly latched on (no more torn girls!), my mom realized it was still a pretty low supply (I was no dairy queen like Jean!), so she encouraged me to supplement just a little with formula. Then at one point, I exclusively nursed for awhile, alternating sides. As Logan got bigger, I started supplementing again b/c I would nurse for a total of 90-120 minutes per session before he seemed to really stop. I felt like my body never had time to fully replenish the supply. I took lots of supplement to try to boost my supply, but in the end, I was just thankful that I was able to offer Logan some breast milk on a daily basis.
Logan's pediatrician encouraged me to exclusively breastfeed but was totally OK (and encouraging) when I decided to stick with supplementing. I think Mayor Bloomberg's proposal is great. NYU Langone Medical Center, which has already restricted access to formula, has seen its breast-feeding rate increase from 39% to 68% by doing so. But, while every mom is different and needs encouragement along the way, no mom should feel guilty if she chooses to give formula to her baby. Circumstances will arise when formula is a necessity, and I don't think hospitals should give moms a hard time if they request formula. I wonder what the lecture sounds like. Probably something like, "Breast feeding is great b/c of XYZ and provides XYZ for your baby. Are you sure you want you and your child to miss out on this? Please sign here indicating that you DON'T want to give your baby what's best for her. Don't say we didn't tell you so..."
I'm sure they phrase it a little bit better. :)
Anyway, what are your thoughts on this program?
Was reading this while pumping and had to comment before going back to work..reading this brings back all the angst ugh but breastfeeding for me is love/hate relationship, it can be rewarding but so very frustrating. While bm is better than form, I feel like in the end new moms just need to be supported in her decision to exc bf, form, or combo. It's already hard enough juggling everything with hormones without having to feel guilty if u can't bf. With the nipple confusion thing, my lactation told me that newborns/infants don't really get that when they're that young since we're applying an adult thought process on a baby that's so young (hope that makes sense). With her help (emo & physically helping with latch-on) I was able to do a combo feeding since penny was born and not just bc she's a good eater.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I don't know, I think infants can still get some type of nipple confusion. I noticed that when I used the disposable nipples that connected to the top of the mini Similac bottles, Logan's mouth was around it different and consequently, he sucked differently. So whenever I did supplement, I used the Playtex drop-ins b/c their nipples had a wide base so it would force him to open his mouth wider, just like how he'd have to when latching on. That's also why they say not to use nipple shields for too long or else they will only get used to latching onto that. Jean sort of had that experience.
DeleteThe disposable nipples flowed too quickly and didn't want her to get used to that so we switched from the disposable to medela (slow flow) nipples (b/c that's the bottle/nipples we decided to use) when feeding her formula. At some point I was worried she would only be nursing with the nipple shield but then made peace about it figuring it's better than her not nursing. Funny thing is she started to nurse without the nipple shield a week or 2 ago.
DeleteSorry realized I didn't really comment on the actual article but I think it's good as long as mayor bloom is trying to encourage not push bf onto moms and they are getting solid support from their nurses and/or lactation spec..that's what I was trying to say in prev comment :P
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Moms need to seek out support from lactation specialists instead of giving up too soon.
Deletei think i am on the same page as amy and danielle. promoting BM is definitely a good thing but even if they wanted to, not all moms are able to do that for one reason or the other. ie. not all working moms have access to nice maternity room where they can pump every few hours in privacy. not all moms are dairy queen. etc
ReplyDeleteso as long as bloomberg and the hospitals staff are sensitive to those needs, i think it can be a good thing.
As always, thanks for your input, SK! :)
DeleteI hope I don't offend anyone and I know I don't have the right equipment for this blog in any senese but I have to weigh in because it seems I have discussed this topic every day for the last week. I think Bloomberg did the right thing. The evidence for the benefits of breastfeeding for at least a year is so overwhelming yet the it is treated as though formula feeding and breastfeeding are simply lifestyle choices. I think forcing the education on staff and Moms is a good move.
ReplyDeleteReferences
American Academy of Pediatricss, (2005). Policy statement. Breastfeeding and the use of human milk. Pediatrics, 115(2 Part 1), 496-506.
American Academy of Family Physicians (2012). Breastfeeding policy statement. Retrieved
from http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/policy/policies/b/breastfeedingpolicy.html
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2003). Breastfeeding: Executive board
statement. Retrieved from: http://www.acog.org/~/media/Departments/Health%20Care%20for%20Underserved%20Women/breastfeedingStatement.pdf?dmc=1&ts=20120718T1824305115
Dave, you are welcome to say whatever you want on our blog :) Thanks for sharing your opinion! I agree that it is important to educate staff and moms on the benefits of breastfeeding.
DeleteI am in agreement with Dave but I also have to admit that I stopped bf with my 2nd way earlier (nurse until 4 mos pump until 6 mos) than with my 1st (nurse until 6 mos pump until 9 mos) because I just didn't have the time to do it any longer. Between my hectic work schedule (I often had to wake up as early as 3am) and taking care of 2 children, a slightly needy husband and a dog, there was no way. Of course I felt the guilt, and vowed "1 year or bust" (no pun intended) for the next child.
ReplyDeleteBut in a side-by-side comparison, my 1st doesn't seem to have benefitted in any way more than my 2nd. They are both in a high percentile for height and weight, they are both equally bright and responsive, and they both hate vegetables :P
In fact, some of the healthiest, smartest kids I know were formula-fed.
I hold to my own opinion that bm is best, mainly in that it is a fresh and endless supply of natural food, but I totally support a mommy's right to supplement. For whatever the reason, it is a mother's prerogative to feed her child whatever it takes to keep them alive and thriving.
Thanks for sharing, Cathy. I am totally with you. Re: BM affecting intelligence, my mom told me that if you breastfeed for at least one year, then your baby will be able to reach his highest potential IQ or something like that. My thoughts on that: Deal with the brain God's given you! :) Boobie milk isn't gonna make my kid go to Harvard... ;)
DeletePS: educating new moms to the benefits of and teaching them how to bf is all well and good and the proof is in the pudding, that the harder hospitals try in encouraging new moms to bf, the more new moms succeed. However, this business of locking up the formula is a bit extreme, isn't it? It's not some harmful drug. And in making desperate moms beg, there is a certain humiliation factor that makes the whole situation a little hard to stomach...
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, coming home from the hospital with all that "free" loot (diapers, wipes, disposable washcloths, vaseline, pacifiers, thermometer, booger sucking thing, formula) actually goes a little way toward making me feel better about the exorbitant cost of healthcare. If they took any of that away from me, I would not be a happy camper.
haha seriously, I told my nurse to stock me up on EVERYTHING. especially those super duper absorbant pads and stretchy panties. :)
DeleteBf is definitely a good thing. I don't think anyone will deny that. There are circumstances in life that won't allow that. Dave I would love to talk to you in person to educate you what really goes on in real life for people with boobs. Men will never get it until you see their wives cry for physical and emotional pain that they go through. Only if your boobs produced milk....
ReplyDeleteI know there is ample evidence that breastfeeding is best. I tried with my oldest, but when he went for his month checkup he was back to his birthweight. I had a condition where I didn't have enough nutrients for his rate of growth. What would have happened to him if I had not given him formula? I felt awful, guilty . . crying my eyes out - not what a new mother needs to feel on top of everything else. I still breastfed for three months with each of my children, but had to supplement along the way. Mom's should not be made to feel guilty about their choices.
ReplyDeleteHello there! Thanks for sharing your experience. A perfect example of how sometimes mother-nature doesn't always seem to be enough.
DeleteI'm glad Soo bfeeds because it is cheaper than formula. that is all.
DeleteI feel conflicted about this too. It was really tough for me in the beginning too - I totally understand your process. I think I reached out to every new-ish mom I knew to ask if it was common for milk not to come in and for babies to lose so much weight in the first couple of days. For the first 2 months or so, I felt so guilty giving Elliot formula and felt even more guilty for not producing enough milk, as if that was under my control. I'm really glad I stuck with it, but I don't think any man, any person who does not have the ability to lactate should have much of say in this.
ReplyDelete