[BittyBugsMama]

Originally Posted by *Jillian*

And back to the original point of the debate!! Breastfeeding education has never hurt anyone.

And I never said formula companies knowingly did anything. That's irrelevant to me because the harm was done and the parents had no control in the situation. Not the case with most breastfeeding mothers. I'd wager that most of us know that what we put in our bodies has an impact on our milk.

I think that is a unlikely. The amount of dumb people in this country alone makes me doubt it. I think the percent of people who are truly educated about breastfeeding and breastmilk are the minority. I'd love to see statistics on it if anyone has any though.

[*Jillian*]

Originally Posted by foxfire_ga79

Toxins don't matter as long as the baby is sitting in a bumbo while being nursed.

Thanks! I needed that laugh.

[*Jillian*]

Originally Posted by BittyBugsMama

I think that is a unlikely. The amount of dumb people in this country alone makes me doubt it. I think the percent of people who are truly educated about breastfeeding and breastmilk are the minority. I'd love to see statistics on it if anyone has any though.

I've Googled several things and I wasn't sure if you wanted sources on people that breastfeed and how knowledgeable they are, or if you meant non educated people in general are the ones that breastfeed.


Here's an interesting article in what breastfeeding education can do for BF rates in this country...which our maternity leave is so terrible this also contributes to why many mother's don't breastfeed past a month or two.
Major Factors Influencing Breastfeeding Rates: Mother's Perception of Father's Attitude and Milk Supply

Also, the CDC recommends breastfeeding education to ALL MOTHERS in order for breastfeeding rates to rise.

[HappyHippy]

Originally Posted by BittyBugsMama

I think that is a unlikely. The amount of dumb people in this country alone makes me doubt it. I think the percent of people who are truly educated about breastfeeding and breastmilk are the minority. I'd love to see statistics on it if anyone has any though.

Exactly why we need educated and trained LCs and CBEs as well as OBGYNs, Midwives, Doulas and Pediatricians being trained and educated on breastmilk.

[frgsonmysox]

Many mothers assume, incorrectly, that they can't take certain meds while nursing. They can. Most meds are safe, and those that aren't generally have a safe alternative. I have to take narcotics, I have been breastfeeding pretty much non-stop for 5.5 years. Many people think narcotics are not breastfeeding compatible, but they are.

Originally Posted by frgsonmysox

Many mothers assume, incorrectly, that they can't take certain meds while nursing. They can. Most meds are safe, and those that aren't generally have a safe alternative. I have to take narcotics, I have been breastfeeding pretty much non-stop for 5.5 years. Many people think narcotics are not breastfeeding compatible, but they are.

Very true. I know I was really worried at first because of the meds I take for my Acid Reflux, turns out they are safe. The only time I had an issue was when I needed a bone scan and they had to inject that radio active die, I couldn't BF for 3 days after that. I would have preferred to wait, but I didn't really have much choice. I hated pumping all that milk just to dump it Thankfully I had enough frozen BM I didn't need to give her formula. She was about 3 months at the time. I was lucky that she was able to go back to BFing easily after.

[HappyHippy]

Here is a good list kellymom.com :: Selected List of Medications approved by the AAP for use in breastfeeding mothers

[Babybear4]

I took Depakote while nursing DD from the time she was 9 months old. I wouldn't take it with a baby younger than 6 months and won't take it unless/until I need it now but was told my DD's pedi that I should stop nursing and start her on whole milk. I didn't listen because I did my own research and felt comfortable that it was a safe medication to take while nursing and that the benefits of continuing to nurse outweighed the risks of the medication.

[frgsonmysox]

They tried to tell me I couldn't nurse for 24 hours after my surgery. I fought that one HARD, and eventually they relented

Originally Posted by frgsonmysox

They tried to tell me I couldn't nurse for 24 hours after my surgery. I fought that one HARD, and eventually they relented

I had a nurse try that on a friend of mine. I was with her visiting after her surgery. She said she couldn't BF because she was taking Oxy's, I laughed at her and told her she might want to check with the maternity ward because thats what they give all the section moms, including myself (My DD was 4 months at the time) and BF was safe. She did, she came back and apologized

Thankfully in this case the nurse actually was just miss informed and I doubt she'll try that again.

[frgsonmysox]

They told me it was because of the anesthesia, so I brought in all the literature that says you can nurse as soon as you are awake, my IBCLC, and demanded a meeting with the head of the anesthesia department and the surgical team. They relented, but then tried to do it all over again the next time I had surgery.

[sophiesmommy]

This is my first post on this board... but I have lurked for awhile.

I think the biggest problem is with the education and some of the myths you hear. Before I had my daughter in May, I was told by everyone that breastfeeding was natural, baby would know what to do, babies nurse right away after they come out. Everyone made it sound soooo easy.

After she was born, she did not want to nurse right away, she just took a few lazy sucks and then fell asleep. It was over 27 hours later and multiple requests that the LC came to see me. I told EVERY nurse I saw that I didnt think she was getting anything from me and they all said "Don't worry, her stomach is only the size of a marble, she doesnt need much." The LC figured out in 10 seconds I had inverted nipples, and my daughter had nothing to eat since birth. We got a nipple shield and the LC could not get her to latch on that, so she left and told me to try to get her to latch at every feeding and then give her formula. Um, thanks?

That night, we discovered she had jaundice and the NICU doctor gave me a choice: give her formula, or we will discharge you and keep her in the NICU. Maybe some will say I shouldnt have given in, but I wanted her home with me. I did pump every three hours around the clock for 2 weeks and tried to get her to latch at every feeding, but she would scream, I could never get her to suck, and I never established a supply. I dont think the pump was stimulating enough.

Needless to say, she is now 100% formula fed. I definitely feel that the lack of support/ help I received from the hospital/LC made it impossible for me to breastfeed and I am still very bitter over that. I hope I can be more prepared to make it work with my next one.

[BittyBugsMama]

Originally Posted by sophiesmommy

This is my first post on this board... but I have lurked for awhile.

I think the biggest problem is with the education and some of the myths you hear. Before I had my daughter in May, I was told by everyone that breastfeeding was natural, baby would know what to do, babies nurse right away after they come out. Everyone made it sound soooo easy.

After she was born, she did not want to nurse right away, she just took a few lazy sucks and then fell asleep. It was over 27 hours later and multiple requests that the LC came to see me. I told EVERY nurse I saw that I didnt think she was getting anything from me and they all said "Don't worry, her stomach is only the size of a marble, she doesnt need much." The LC figured out in 10 seconds I had inverted nipples, and my daughter had nothing to eat since birth. We got a nipple shield and the LC could not get her to latch on that, so she left and told me to try to get her to latch at every feeding and then give her formula. Um, thanks?

That night, we discovered she had jaundice and the NICU doctor gave me a choice: give her formula, or we will discharge you and keep her in the NICU. Maybe some will say I shouldnt have given in, but I wanted her home with me. I did pump every three hours around the clock for 2 weeks and tried to get her to latch at every feeding, but she would scream, I could never get her to suck, and I never established a supply. I dont think the pump was stimulating enough.

Needless to say, she is now 100% formula fed. I definitely feel that the lack of support/ help I received from the hospital/LC made it impossible for me to breastfeed and I am still very bitter over that. I hope I can be more prepared to make it work with my next one.

Neither of mine would ever latch either, I didn't have any supply issues, they just refused to latch. They were both primarily formula fed after about 4 months. BFing / pumping are not easy and its even tougher with no support.

[sophiesmommy]

Originally Posted by BittyBugsMama

Neither of mine would ever latch either, I didn't have any supply issues, they just refused to latch. They were both primarily formula fed after about 4 months. BFing / pumping are not easy and its even tougher with no support.

Seriously! It really annoys me when people make it sound like it is the easiest thing in the world! It is not for some people. Dh tried to be supportive, but other than holding me when I cried for not being a good enough mother, he had no idea how to offer support for BF. My doctor, the LC, the pediatrician, they SHOULD have known and I feel they failed me (and my daughter).

[BittyBugsMama]

Originally Posted by sophiesmommy

Seriously! It really annoys me when people make it sound like it is the easiest thing in the world! It is not for some people. Dh tried to be supportive, but other than holding me when I cried for not being a good enough mother, he had no idea how to offer support for BF. My doctor, the LC, the pediatrician, they SHOULD have known and I feel they failed me (and my daughter).

You know, I dealt with a lot of anger over my c/s for a long time (6 months to a year after he was born) until I finally realized one day that holding onto that anger was actually standing in the way of my relationship with my son. He was already here and he was healthy and I couldn't go back and change the past so eventually I had to accept it and move on. Not saying that is what you need to do with the BFing but just sharing a similar experience where I felt failed by the people who were supposed to be there to help me.

Originally Posted by BittyBugsMama

Neither of mine would ever latch either, I didn't have any supply issues, they just refused to latch. They were both primarily formula fed after about 4 months. BFing / pumping are not easy and its even tougher with no support.

DD#2 was the same She would not latch. The difference is though she wouldn't suck at all. Not a finger, nipple, bottle, nothing

She was 4 days old before she started sucking. By that point my milk wasn't coming in because of lack of stimulation. The LC set me up with a pump, and a schedule for pumping, but the midwife, myself and the LC agreed that she needed to eat something, so she got formula exclusively for 3 days. When she was 6 days old and strong enough to eat properly I started pushing the BFing with her. She would BF first, then finish with formula. By day 8 the LC suggested I try Domperidone, because she figured it was because I hadn't been able establish BFing fully with her. So we did. Within 24 hours my milk was in with a vengeance. I had to continue pumping for months lol I just had too much, but it I stopped taking the domperidone I would stop producing. It wasn't until she was nearly 10 months I could stop taking it and my milk was stable, though still too much. I could fill 2 8oz bottles in 10 minutes pumping. My freezer was full LOL.

If I hadn't had an LC like I did have I wouldn't have been able to succeed the way I did. So I do not under value the importance of a good LC. I wish more were dedicated, but not over baring, so more moms could get the support. It will take time though for that to occur. Things like that always take time.

[Tammyjh]

I think what some people fail to understand is that their experience is not the experience everyone else will have or because they read in a book/article that its easy, it doesn't always mean it is. I was fortunate in that none of mine had latch issues and I found breast feeding to be very easy. I did have supply issues with my oldest but there were a lot of factors that had nothing to do with breast feeding itself. With my other three, the situation was completely different and I had tons of milk. I always found pumping to be difficult though and was thankful that I was a sahm those days. I always laugh when the nip and extended nursing debates start up and someone says "pump it and put it in a bottle/cup". With the exception of the week my milk came in, I could never pump more than an ounce and many times much less than that.

[*Jillian*]

Originally Posted by KimberlyD0

I had a nurse try that on a friend of mine. I was with her visiting after her surgery. She said she couldn't BF because she was taking Oxy's, I laughed at her and told her she might want to check with the maternity ward because thats what they give all the section moms, including myself (My DD was 4 months at the time) and BF was safe. She did, she came back and apologized

Thankfully in this case the nurse actually was just miss informed and I doubt she'll try that again.

We don't get Oxy's here. Not even close. Lorcet 7.5's is what c section mother's here get.

Originally Posted by sophiesmommy

Seriously! It really annoys me when people make it sound like it is the easiest thing in the world! It is not for some people. Dh tried to be supportive, but other than holding me when I cried for not being a good enough mother, he had no idea how to offer support for BF. My doctor, the LC, the pediatrician, they SHOULD have known and I feel they failed me (and my daughter).

It took weeks before I got into the easy phase of nursing. In the mean time I had cracked and bleeding nipples and we had a lot of nights that both of us cried and cried.

Help and support are crucial to a lot of women. I wish more people had it.

[Undomesticated Housewife]

People get OXYs (!!!) for a c-section? When you say oxy, are we talking Oxycontin or Oxycodone?

[BittyBugsMama]

I got Darvocet, Hydrocodone and Ibuprofen 800s for my c/s. Didn't really take them but they gave them to me anyway.