[JennyB]

Hi Happybilly,

You've had some fantastic information from Sarah and loupou which I hope will help you have a good breastfeeding experience at the hospital. The only advice I would add is do everything you can (in birth plans and in person) to underline to the staff that you don't want any bottles, or formula, given to your baby unless your consent has been obtained. Repeat this mantra often, to every change of staff, if you want to get breastfeeding off to the best possible start.

Also, get advice on all the things you can do to promote natural delivery and minimise the pitfalls that sometimes lead to unnessesary ceasareans. You could have a consultation with a pro-natural midwife such as from Annerley, they are great. They will tell you things like the BRAN checklist (to refer to every time the hospital suggests a medical intervention). I forget exactly what it stands for but I think it is: B - is the Baby OK? R - what are the Risks? A - what are the Alternatives? N - do we have to do it Now?

[happybilly]

Thanks all of you for your kind advice! I gave birth to a healthy baby girl last week! I only stayed at the hospital for 3.5 days and unfortunately i didn't have enough milk to feed my baby so a few times a day, I'd let her suck for 20-45 min and then cupfeed her with formula. The rest of the day, the nurse would cupfeed her with formula.

i've having problem breastfeeding my baby since we got home from hospital:
1. as soon as we got home, the baby somehow refuses to breastfeed and prefers formula (i've switched to bottlefeed after two days). However, once in while she would be ok to breastfeed but we'd always have to give her formula as she seems to be still hungry.

2. i dont have enough breastmilk, and it's already Day 9! I express my milk since she wouldnt take it directly from me but i could only manage to pump 0.5-1oz each time. I've tried massaging and hot pack and drinking lots of water but nothing works!

It's really worrying. Please help!

[barbwong_130]

There is a breastfeeding clinic at the Matilda Hospital on a Monday afternoon. You don't need to have given birth there to attend the clinic.

The sort of problems you have need a face-to-face meeting with a trained lactation consultant. Don't wait longer make an appointment and go as soon as possible.

Tel: 2849-1500 for an appointment - do go the sort of problems you have need solutions this week not next week.

[LLL_Sarah]

Dear Happy Billy,

Is your baby able to latch on and feed at the breast?
If you can latch the baby at the breast is she drinking?
How long is she actively drinking for?

If you don’t understand what I’m asking then you will find a face-to-face consultation with a lactation consultant very helpful.

If you contact me at sihung7@netvigator.com or on 2548-7636 I can send you some photos and diagrams which may help explain how to improve your latch.

The NHS in England has a pamphlet, summarised at, http://www.breastfeeding.nhs.uk/in_howtobf.asp, which shows in pictures how to latch your baby to the breast.

Dr. Jack Newman explains how to latch a baby on his web site, http://www.drjacknewman.com/

When Latching, http://www.drjacknewman.com/index.ph...d=63&Itemid=92

He also has video clips on his web site which can be useful. I think that a picture saves a 1,000 words and a video saves a 1,000 pictures.
Go to http://www.drjacknewman.com/index.ph...d=18&Itemid=42
and click on First Latch
This video shows how to achieve the "asymmetrical" latch, which reduces pain and allows the baby to get more milk.

Kellymom.com has information about weaning from supplements to the breast and a useful form to fill in which helps you know exactly where you are and what the next stage is.

Weaning from Supplements Instructions
http://www.kellymom.com/store/handou...upplements.pdf

Weaning from Supplements Log
http://www.kellymom.com/store/freeha...log-sample.pdf

Two more techniques that may be helpful are Breast Compression and Switch Nursing.

Dr. Jack Newman also explains how to do Breast Compression on his web site, http://www.drjacknewman.com/

Breast Compression at http://www.drjacknewman.com/index.ph...d=70&itemid=98

He also has video clips on his web site which can be useful
Go to http://www.drjacknewman.com/index.ph...d=18&Itemid=42
and click on Second Latch, Some Compression and Compression
and show the Breast Compression technique.

Another good technique is Switch Nursing. Switch nursing is changing to the other side when the baby no longer seems interested. Usually when we start feeding the baby is very interested to suck, as the baby slows down we start the breast compression and when the baby slows down with the breast compression we change and get the baby to have the other side. On the other side after the baby starts to slow down we again use the breast compression and when he slows down again swap back to the first side again. We can continue swapping sides as much as we like and for as long as the baby is willing to continue to suck. It is fine to swap sides 8, 9 or 10 times in one feed.

All this information is difficult to take in and talking to someone or better a face-to-face meeting will help.

Best wishes,
SARAH

[joannek]

or you can try calling mrs chee (lactation consultant) she can come to your home & help you in person. (sometimes new mothers are reluctant to go out, so she can be really helpful) she's very kind & helped me with all my bfeeding problems (which a had them all). her no. 93176366. leave her a message she'll call you back. the only thing is, she's always late cos she doesn't know how long helping each mothertake , so she's a little messed up with her time management.

[babyrib]

Hey all, I'll be delivering my first baby in St. Teresa this May. I learned that the hospital has a fixed feeding timetable(4 times per day). So if I intend to breastfeed my baby right from the beginning, this time table cannot meet the need of normal feed times(every 2 hours) and I'm afraid the hospital will give formula in between the 4 times breastfeeding sessions. Anyone can share their experience and advice on this?

[wasabibunny]

I give birth at the HK Sanatorium hospital and I just wanted to share my breastfeeding experience and the frustration at the staff. I had to book a private room for the expressed purpose of being able to room in with the baby and feed him around the clock. If you stayed in the ward or a semi-private room you could NOT room in with the baby although they did allow around the clock access to the baby in the nursing room.

I gave birth at 1:21am. I was not given time to try breastfeeding right after birth. (I had a vacuum assisted birth). The baby was taken to be weight and changed and brought back to my room so I could try breastfeeding around 3am. ( I requested BF only when I first checked in). However, after 1/2 hour or so the nurses wanted to take him back to the nursery because they insisted I would not be able to take care of him on the 1st night. I slept for about an hour and was miserable and missing my baby (since I was used to him being inside me for 9 months!) so I had to insist they bring the baby back to my room so I could feed him. I kept him in the room and the nurses contently checked me and asked if they could bring the baby back to the nursery. I refused.

I was only in hospital after the birth for 42hrs since I was so miserable and frustrated at the treatment. The lactation consultant were helpful with latching the baby onto me (mostly by somehow squeezing my nipple into the baby's mouth when he cried) but I was unable to replicate their eagle like grip on my nipple myself. Every time I requested help with latching, they kept trying to wipe my nipples with the fragranced sanitized wet wipe. I think the smell definitely turned the baby off the breast and had to refuse their attempts to wipe my nipples after the first time.

The worst thing I experience during my short stay at the hospital was they kept telling me my baby was dehydrated!!! Since my milk had not come him, he was sucking just a little colostrum. They said he was not having enough wet diapers! But since the was not drinking much liquid OF COURSE he had no wet nappies! He did poop 6-7 times after birth so I knew he was doing fine. After ignoring the nurses the pediatrician came the next day and give me a stern looking and telling me my baby would suffer seriously from dehydration of I did not allow them to feed my baby water! I had read up A LOT on breastfeeding but never came across feeding newborns water. I fought off the nurses but when the pediatrician told me this I was scared and ultimately allowed them to feed 1 once of water to my baby twice. Now that I KNOW YOU DON"T NEED to feed babies water, I feel bad for letting them do it. HOW CAN they be so ignorant and threathening?

After I got home, my milk came in the next day and now my baby is a little over 1 month old I am very successfully breastfeeding. He was 11.5lbs and 58cm at one month!
In the hospital, I tried to breastfeed him every hour or two. He was not interested most of the time but I tried very hard to feed him around the clock. He latched on very successfully only a couple of time a day but after my milk came in he was feeding every 2 hours around the clock.
I was very well prepared to fight the "local" thinking at the hospital and I think I mostly succeeded. But it was a daunting task for a new mother and I don't think most women would be prepared for it. I still feel bad that I was intimidated into letting them bottlefeed my baby water. Fortunately, it seems to not have sabotaged my breastfeedin attemps.

I think it's a challenge to breastfeed with the hospital system but if you are set on it everyone can do it! Sorry for the long ramble but I hope it helps prepare new mothers who want to breastfeed. It takes a lot of determination and work! Engorgement was also very painful for a day. But the experience and benefits are truly rewarding.

[jaykay]

My wife had completely the opposite experience at the PWH hospital. There they encourage bf, leave the babies with the mothers in the bed to do so and help if there are initial problems. We'll certainly be back there for the next one.