We had Debs (or was it Sophies?) baby shower yesterday and it was a great success thanks in no small part to the Hara Brigade. They showed up in force, brought everything one might need for such an event, food and snacks galore and a wonderful new sheepskin for Sophie, took charge and got everything sorted. This was great as we had only been back in the house for 5 minutes when they showed up, having been at our home away from home most of that day (I had also had to work in the morning). So thanks to everyone who came and helped and participated, and gave such wonderful gifts, we appreciate the time you take out especially when you have to drive all the way from Hara first to be with us and show us your support, and to those who couldn't be there for reasons out of your control we thank you as well for your support from afar and your positive feedback.
Check out the Cheesy grin on Rachel!
A lucky few were able to come down to the Hospital afterwards and see Sophie, she was due for a feed anyway and woke up for it. We got some photos of the oldest and youngest of the Greenwood cousins, that is to say of Rach and Soph together, which was cool. Sophie put on a display of smiles and general gorgeousness that we were all proud of, she doesn't have to try hard to be gorgeous though :)
This one is Sophie getting burped, we just thought that she looked so cute even with her face all mooched into Deb's hand.
Finger in the ear! This happened just as her next door neighbor Charlotte was breaking into one of her very frequent wailing sessions. I guess it was one of those "you had to be there" moments but still made for a good photo.
I have to admit to getting my information a little wrong, they did on one or two occasions suck out the contents of her stomach to see how much she had been able to get from the breast but it turns out that it is not a routine thing. They do always aspirate some fluid but it is only to check that the tube is actually in her stomach. They test the pH of the aspirate which should be acid, if it is not then the tube might be in her lungs, in which case putting milk down might be a catastrophic thing to do. So for the most part we are playing the guessing game that most new parents make with the exception that we have to put an actual number on it so that they can top her up to her full feed (49ml now). Rach you are quite right when you say that the inexactness of all this rubs me the wrong way, but I will have to just get used to it eh. She had three attempts at the breast today and counting, and we have also discovered that it is probably best not to let her comfort suck for extended periods of time but to just take her off and give her a tube top up, this is much more convenient for Deb anyway.
Back to work tomorrow, the start of another week of disrupted lives and long long days. Every time we say goodbye to Sophie we say "sleep and grow Sophie", if only it could happen a bit quicker.
Let her comfort suck for as long as you're happy sitting there! Two reasons:
ReplyDelete1. There's nothing wrong with comfort sucking. It's one of the wonderful bonuses of breastfeeding, that you can always quickly and effectively calm and comfort your baby. It's got a reputation as being somehow wrong and naughty, but babies have a strong psychological need to suck.
2. It stimulates the milk. More sucky-sucky, more milk. Less sucky-sucky less milk. It's that simple.
It's hard to believe right now, but she will get to a stage where she finishes her meal in ten minutes and doesn't need any more for three hours! But you get there, with heaps of milk to spare, by letting her suck as much as possible in the early months.
(Can possibly ferret out a piece of research about hormones levels and types and milk supply for Mr Scientist if required)
Thanks Rach as always your comments are informative and helpfull. I think that the nurses instruction is in part motivated by expediency in some cases and it certainly varies from nurse to nurse.
ReplyDeleteI think that one of the problems in our unique situation is that once she has finished effectively sucking and will probably get no more milk, that is the time, for reasons of practicality to do her tube top up, and once that is done she is milk drunk and wants to sleep again. It is a shame that becuase of the stuctures of having to work with busy nursing staff that we can't give her the time she obviously wants to comfort suck. Now that I know that it is not a bad thing and will probably help stimulate Debs milk supply I will push for it more, we might be able to work something out, any ideas?
I have read that the lack of positive and practical advice and support like that from women experienced at breast feeding has contributed to the decline of breast feeding in recent decades. Attitudes are slowly changing but it seems to be a slow process.
Yes, advice varies from nurse to nurse, that happened to me too, it can be confusing, but on the other hand, you can think of all the differing advice as options, from which you take what works for you. Same goes for all the advice you'll get about EVERYTHING from EVERYONE!
ReplyDeleteI really know nothing about feeding preemies so we all have to trust the nurses' advice, although you're probably right that convenience and expediency are probably strong reasons!
Give Deb a hug from me, I think expressing is the hardest! If she has the energy to give even more sucky time, kudos to her. But make sure she knows she is a wonderful and effective mother no matter where her baby gets her nutrition from.
I have friends who have used a pump to increase milk supply by pumping AFTER breastfeeding. At first you tend to think they must be 'empty' but breasts never really totally empty, and the extra stimulation will increase supply while Sophie gets her tube feed. Don't fall for the trap of thinking that you need to give breasts time to fill up again - remember MORE suck = MORE milk. No where near as nice as having a baby do the job though!
Another idea is using a supplemental tube at the same time as breastfeeding. This is a set-up some adoptive mothers use to stimulate milk supply, or others to top up instead of using supplemental bottles, and consists of a tube that goes over the mother's shoulder and is slipped into the baby's mouth along with the mother's nipple. If you did that, you could be sure that she was getting the right amount, and also allow her to stay on sucking until she literally falls off, milk drunk.
http://www.natural-expressions.org/feeding_devices.htm
I found the article about supply, and another one about feeding preemies, sadly reporting that there is a big drop-off in later months, due to supply issues. Is there a midwife or lactation consultant you can talk to about transitioning from the current set-up to a more normal newborn-type feeding, or at least someone to let you know what 'normal' is? You should try LLL, Anthea Hopkins is a member. One of the problems, along with lack of support and advice, is the profusion of incorrect advice, or 'wrong for you' advice. Things work for some people that don't for others, there's a good explanation of that here: (just switch the references to God to 'evolution' and it'll sit right with you!)
http://www.storknet.com/cubbies/breast/cuefeeding.htm