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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Bf'ing my sisters baby

37 replies

Piggyleroux · 24/04/2011 12:47

My sister has a 15 week old ds whom she ebf. She was waiting for an appointment for spinal surgery (she has scoliosis) and a date has finally come through for may.

She will be in hospital for about three weeks. She doesn't want to give her ds formula because he is quite colicky and expressing will not be possible so I offered to bf her ds for her while she is out of action (her dh and ds will be staying with us while she is in hospital) she has agreed and is happy for me to do this. I am still bf my 13 mo.

Is this ok from a health perspective? Any ideas?

OP posts:

TrinityRhino · 24/04/2011 20:11

I agree boffin, definietly better than formula

A very kind thing to do

CakeandRoses · 24/04/2011 20:19

What a lovely woman you are :)

Have no experience of the feeding side of things but I agree with others about your sister insisting on some method of expressing after the op. She'll be extremely uncomfortable at best and get terrible mastitis at worst.

I remember how much pain I was in just going a day without bf ds so I can't imagine what a week would be like.

Thornykate · 24/04/2011 20:44

Am by no means a BF expert but it might be an idea for your Sis to find out in advance what medication she is likely to be prescribed & the effects on lactation & whether it will pass through to the milk & effects on baby. There may be alternatives that the medics can look into prescribing but it is better to get these things organised in advance.

Good luck to Sid with the op & hope all goes well for you guys!

Thornykate · 24/04/2011 20:45

Sis not Sid....bloody iPhone sorry!

gateacre1 · 24/04/2011 20:48

what a kind thing to do, my colleagues sister did the same for her, while she was in hospital too
good luck to you all

runningmom · 26/04/2011 15:52

i have had this surgery and you can barely think or sleep due to pain and morphine drip so whilst i admire your sister's intentions to express/feed her baby after the op i am not sure she would be able to or even want to when the time comes
expressing extra would be a good idea

morethanasong · 26/04/2011 16:03

BFing your sister's baby sounds like a lovely thing to do :) I am however extremely concerned by the idea that your sister won't be able to feed or even express her milk for some time after her op - milk supply concerns aside (and these are valid), afaik this will put her at high risk of blocked ducts, mastitis or even a breast abcess, which can be very serious. I'm by no means an expert but I think she needs to talk to someone who is!

NotQuiteCockney · 26/04/2011 16:06

She may well be in agony after the op - no expressing, no feeding, and lying on her front sounds like a recipe for disaster. Engorgement, at the very least, would be likely to result, which can be real agony, even if you never ever lie on your front. At the very least, I'd hope they would have a special bed with cutouts, as TruthSweet describes.

FriedEggyAndSlippery · 26/04/2011 16:25

Nothing to add, but what a lovely thing to do. :) best of luck!

HarrietJones · 26/04/2011 16:39

Nothing to add of usefulness but good luck to all of you.

whathellcall · 26/04/2011 19:15

Have been a lurker for a while but wanted to post when I read this. I think that's a lovely thing for you to do. I am currently breastfeeding my first baby, and have two older sisters who are breastfeeding their babies too. If it weren't for my eldest sister deciding to breastfeed her first baby, and persevering even when it was difficult, me and my other sister may not have had the confidence and support to sucessfully breastfeed our babies. I know I'd much prefer my baby to be given breastmilk from my sisters if a situation like this arose.

pregnantpause · 26/04/2011 20:33

i fed my dss dtds when they were born alongsdide my dd, it was rewarding and i am closwer to the girls as a result. Its a lovely thing to do.

Aside from that- I had surgery when my own dd was 16wo and the hospital had an electric pump brought to me from the mat ward and the nurses assisted me in turning on my side to express to prevent mastitis/ bolcked ducts. Your sis could enquire if her hospital could arrange something imilar? the electric double pump was a necesity, a hand pump would not have been practicaql due to the short amount of time i could spend on my side.

When I was more recovered, and no longer taking unsafe meds, they also stored my expressed milk for me in the fridges, and then arranged for a private room with a cot so that my dd could stay with me to help reinstate the bfing.

Good luck

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