Bottle Feeding - what happens in hospital

[hockeymum]

Feels a bit strange posting this as I fed my dd very successfully for 18 months. Due to have db in April and will be having an elective section (no other option). When I had dd (emergency section) I had to have a lot of antibiotics etc for infections. However they wouldnt give me the high strength versions due to the fact I was breastfeeding, so I had a lingering infection for 2 months which was really awful. I am considering not breast feeding this time if I need strong antibiotics to get rid of the infection sooner (am terrified of getting a worse infection). I was wondering what do they do if you choose not to breastfeed which you are in hospital for a couple of days? Do they provide you with bottles etc?

Also, random question but what happens with the milk in your boobs? do you need to express it or does it just dry out?

Not going to go into the whys and what fors of breast feeing, but if it turns out that you do bottle feed, they have ready made up formula in glass jars and disposable teats in 2 or 3 different brands.

Check with your m/w as Im sure they do vary from one hospital to another.

I'm not sure if the same happens on wards as in special care but they provide milk it's in small glass bottles and they have disposable teats.
If you never breast feel or express then you don't get as much leaking and it stops sooner.
Hope this helps.

Soory breast feed not breast feel

i bottle fed dd in hospital, and the hospital (the homerton) provided the bottles and milk in those little glass sterile bottles, im not sure if all hospitals provide them though. as for my milk, i didnt express, it just dried up on its own.

Spelling not good is it

Oh, and yes, it does just dry up, although you may have boobs like watermelons for a couple of days.

lol @ breast feel, oh, its been a long day.

Well I never had any infections with either of my caesarians and I think it is more likely you will be fine than not. I certainly wouldn't let the fear of an infection stop me breastfeeding, esp as you did so well last time. Why not start with breastfeeding, then see what happens? And if anyone tells you you can't have proper treatment because you are breastfeeding, come on to Mumsnet and get a second opinion!!

I had two sections, always breastfed, no infections. I think they give you mild antibs with your drip when you have the baby, but that's all I had, either time.

What sort of infection did you get?

I suspect an emergency section might be more likely to give you an infection, because of the greater strain on your body?

I used tea tree oil after both my CS, and had no infection. add about 8 drops to bath, or sprinkle on sponge and squeeze the water/teatree over wound.
It is used in some hospitals (australia, i think) to combat the MRSA bug and is very potent againat most bugs.

When the stitches come out you can rub pure aloe vera gel, mixed with some tea tree,on the wound everyday.

I also took 1000mg vitamin C everyday, boosts immune system and helps wound healing.
Both times, HV said my wound healed very quickly.

in my ward, there were 4 of us post-CS and all BF
(was a fantastic experience, as time before I was the only one in a ward of 6 BF and felt a bit odd-one-out!)

Good luck whatever you decide!

that's really interesting about the tea tree and aloe vera too - where is the best place to buy them from?

I think my infection was worse because I have an overhang!!! but also because it was a boiling hot summer and I wasnt told how to clean the wound, other than to leave it alone, just hosing it down with plain water with a shower hose once a day. Do you think it gets better sooner with cleaning etc? I didnt even know it was ok to have a bath after the section? how long do you have to leave it before your first one? and is there an issue with the lochia etc?

Oh, hockeymum, everyone has an overhang!

I was told to make sure to pat the wound dry. Make sure it's dry after a bath, make sure it never stays wet (with sweat, water from shower, whatever). I don't think I was told to specifically wash it, by and large I was trying to pretend that part of my body didn't exist.

But you do have to pat it dry, or let it airdry somehow, otherwise things go wrong.

hockeymum, I always buy mine from health shop.

in ireland you stay in hospital for 5 days, used shower there as baths looked disgusting and unhygenic, so for me my first bath was on about day 7.
very very important to dry dry dry dry wound afterwards. I placed a little bit of gauze on the wound after washing, this is a good way of making sure the area stays dry and not damp. there is usually enough of a belly-overhang to hold the gauze in place.

I had a massive infection a couple of weeks after having ds. Ended up back in hopsital on intravenous broad spectrum antibiotics and ant fungal stuff while they tried to work out what it was. Ended up on I/V natibiotics for 5 days and then more to take once I was discharged. I was never discouraged from continuing to breast feed - in fact I was positively encouraged to do so.

(I only realised in hindsight how ill I was: it turned out it was a Pastuerella infection, which got the micrioboligists very excited!)

I think (but am not sure as I breast fed) that at UNICEF Baby Friednly hopsitals, they can't have formual milk made up ready for you to pick up - it has to be made up as and when required.

At my mentrnity hopsital they used little plastic bottles and teats. Used them to express in to when I was back in with my infection (I was giving every second feed as an epxressed feed at the time, so if that changed his slow rate of weight gain)

I used to dry my scar with a hair dryer on a cool setting. Made a lot of difference. Also used a mirror to check the redness - as I couldn't see myself easily due to the overhang! I also used to put some talc on, but not sure if you are meant to - it was medicated talc (from the US so not very helpful) that is recommended for the umbilical area on babies, so I thought it would be OK.

I never had infections with either of my 2 elective sections if that helps

BTW - before you get worried, I didn't have a section. My infection was a wierd one-off and only coincidentally becasue I had had a baby (and so was immuno-compromised)