Breasts are best

[druidevo]

So yesterday we attended a breastfeeding class. It was interesting, and there was a enough technical information to keep me (and I suspect the other dads) interested in the topic at hand, with the occasional youtube videos and requisite number of pictures of "what not to do" and "What am I looking at... oohh

Comments

Jaundice and formula

[womanofsalt]

jaundice is the most common reason a maternity ward will push formula (b/c it can take days for breast milk to come down and there is tons of "stuff" a baby's got to dispose of in the first couple days jaundice is fairly common). Even being the breast feeding nazi I am, I support nearly whatever it takes to avoid a full bout of jaundice. A good way to keep formula in reduced portions (should this happen) is to breast feed a hungry baby first then have them lap up (like a kitten) formula from one of those little medical cups (don't let the hospt. use bottles or eye dropper delivery). Its perhaps hard to imagine but I baby will stick out his/her tongue and lap up formula, and this delivery method is slow like the breast so it doesn't cause feeding confusion.

[stregalunae]

pumping can also help bring milk in if it's taking "too long" but honestly, jaundice isn't the end of the world...

[urthlvr]

agreed. the urthling got up to something like 13 whatever the measurement is before my milk came in. the urthling never got formula and the breastfeeding took care of her jaundice.

[jbrenner]

Jaundice might not be the end of the world, but it wasn't any fun, having baby's heel poked daily until both little heels looked like raw hamburger meat (so they could check levels). Had to have a bili-bed, had a home-health nurse, etc. So very, very not fun.

[stregalunae]

yeah... all premies spend their first few days in a bili-bed and have their heels pricked constantly so I guess I didn't have a normal reference... but compared to the incubator, feeding tube down the nose, IV in her head, only being able to spend 30 minutes with her on days 2 and 3 and not being able to touch her on day 1... the bili-bed and heel sticks were very minor

[geekatlarge]

Patrick will be 4 months old in about 2 weeks and has not had a drop of formula his entirely life. Meghan has had to pump for certain situations, but he's always been fed breast milk.

[saffronhare]

With all three births, we had the girls staying in the room with me/us...never any pressure to have her go to the nursery or to take formula. It wasn't just that they were supportive of rooming-in and breastfeeding; it was more that those choices were considered to be perfectly normal. We didn't even have to get to a point of having to *insist* on anything. Good luck!

[lilia_blackbear]

Where did you deliver K and F?

[saffronhare]

Fiona was born at Overland Park Regional; Kira was born at Shawnee Mission Medical Center.

And I'd argue with the assertion that Dads are there "to ensure that nothing happens that wasn't preplanned." I mean, yeah, that's part of it. But Dads as advocates and coaches are so much more...but you already knew that.

I found it was more useful to focus on what we DID want to have happen, and frame things in the positive, rather than make our birth plan all about the DO NOT WANT. This had the effect of enlisting the nurses in helping us achieve what we wanted, rather than feeling like there were things they should not do. (shrug) Your mileage may vary. :)

"We plan to breastfeed immediately after the baby is born, and continue to breastfeed exclusively, while the baby rooms with us."

v.

"We do not want the baby to receive any formula and do not want the baby to go to the nursery."

Good luck!

[lilia_blackbear]

But Dads as advocates and coaches are so much more...but you already knew that.

Yes, and D knows this too... writing to get his point across is not one of his strengths. :-)

I will be delivering at OP Regional, as will all women who were in that class. I think the teacher was just really trying to impress that our birthing experiences are exactly that -- ours. I know it is not always easy to realize for some people (me included with Sir Dynamo -- I was very frightened considering past experience, had had a problem pregnancy, and just did everything I was told I "should" do instead of listening to my inner voice who knew my body much better).

The birthing plan she gave us to either use in full or take bits and pieces from and make our own uses a mixture of positive and negative language (and references studies to back up what is said, lol). I agree -- better to say what we want and not what we don't want. I had planned on writing my own.

[jbrenner]

All three boys stayed in the room with me. Both hospitals I've given birth at had this as their normal deal. They also asked before baby was born if breastfeeding was planned and would have a lactation consultant come by and talk to you, make sure you're comfortable with everything, help you out a bit, get a loaner pump if you needed one...