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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Mad question abour Breastfeeding!

25 replies

tryingtobemarrypoppins2 · 10/04/2010 20:31

I know it's mad but I keep wondering......

What would happen if you broke your legs and had to go into hospital, or I don't know, got ill and they kept you in, how would you keep feeding, what would they allow you to do??

I really should get a life and stop thinking these things!

OP posts:

AngryWasp · 10/04/2010 20:32

You would insist on an imediate transfer to a baby-friendly hospital if not already in one and they would give you a bed on a maternity ward.

rubyslippers · 10/04/2010 20:32

If a hospital has a baby friendly status i assume you would be able to feed especially if they were very young and it would be hugely distressing to both mum and baby to be separated

Alouiseg · 10/04/2010 20:33

You are worrying far too much but I did exactly the same!

You take your baby with you...........end ov..........unless you are unconscious i suppose.

Original poster

tryingtobemarrypoppins2 · 10/04/2010 20:35

Would you still make milk if you were unconscious??

OP posts:

Alouiseg · 10/04/2010 20:36

Well I made copious amounts when i was asleep, but it may be a different process???

Original poster

tryingtobemarrypoppins2 · 10/04/2010 20:45

I don't even know how much i'm feeding at night at the moment......so tired!

OP posts:

thisisyesterday · 10/04/2010 20:50

yes, you;'ll still make milk if you're unconcious

i know someone who had it written in her birth plan that if she had to have an emergency c-section under GA that her husband was to latch baby on for its first feed (if it wanted one)

Shaz10 · 10/04/2010 20:53

When I was in hospital for a few days the maternity ward lent me a pump.

Original poster

tryingtobemarrypoppins2 · 10/04/2010 20:55

Shaz10 did they give you the option of staying in with your baby?

OP posts:

thisisyesterday · 10/04/2010 20:56

i would insist on my baby being there. and if they said no then I would discharge myself.

unless i was unconcious, but I have discussed this with dp and he knows to fight this battle for me.

if there was absolutely no way i could have the baby with me i have some friends lined up to feed him for me

Shaz10 · 10/04/2010 20:57

Yes but I didn't take it as I was quite ill and just wanted to sleep! There was a ward with side rooms that mums can go in with their babies.

Original poster

tryingtobemarrypoppins2 · 10/04/2010 21:07

I know this is getting mad now but I have to ask! If you were unconcious who would pump the milk for you?

OP posts:

thisisyesterday · 10/04/2010 21:25

i would get dp to come and do it for me

admittedly this would have been a HUGE difficulty in the early days and I guess I'd have been happy as long as a milk supply remained, even if i had to top up with formula (though with said lactating friends on hand hopefully that wouldn't be an issue)

also depends how long you're unconscious for I suppose
i'd have got him to bring the baby in to nurse while i was unconscious though too

KickArseQueen · 10/04/2010 21:35

I think that "legally" you are classed as a diad, each relies on the other, I know that if you have to testify in court you are expected to bring a b/feeding child along.

Biggest problem ime is doctors saying you will need to stop because of medication when they haven't check.

Personally I pump off a few days worth of milk and freeze it, if there was an accident or something I would hope dp would go get it and give it to bubs. Either that or that one of my friends would step in.

If an op or something was planned I would expect to have my baby in with me.

Original poster

tryingtobemarrypoppins2 · 10/04/2010 21:36

Thanks for that! I have been pondering this for days! Way to much time on my hands I think!

OP posts:

ASecretLemonadeDrinker · 10/04/2010 21:39

I have often wondered this! I really must tell DH that if I go into hospital in a coma or whatever he must express some milk if we have a baby. And if I have a CS under GA to latch baby on for me. Wonder what the cut off age is? I am sure there was a thread a few years back where a MNer , or a friend of a MNer had to go into hospital and they refused her fully breastfed baby of around 4-6m...?

Original poster

tryingtobemarrypoppins2 · 10/04/2010 21:56

ASecretLemonadeDrinker really?! Thats terrible, poor baby/mummmy...

OP posts:

KickArseQueen · 10/04/2010 22:01

I think I remember that thread, didn't she question their "baby friendly" status??

I don't remember how the thread ended...

StealthPolarBear · 10/04/2010 22:09

I went into hospital with sever stomach pains when DS was 16 weeks and still fed like a newborn pretty much. They suspected appendicitis. I was in 24 hours, during which time he visited me maybe 3 times. They in theory gave me the option to have him in with me, but phrases like "you've done really well to get this far", "a bit of formula won't do any harm" were made, and so relutantly I agreed he wouldn't stay with me. As it happens, miraculously, those feeds along with the 4 expressed feeds in the freezer were enough and he didn't have formula - he even slept through the night for DH. I do look back and think , however I think it would be hard to have had him in with me. I would have struggled to change nappies (dragging myself to the toilet was an effort) and at 16 weeks he needed more that feed/nappy/sleep, he needed entertaining and interaction that I just wasn't up to. So alls well that ends well in my case (apart from a day or two of severe supply issues) but I do wonder how people cope with an older baby in hospital, keeping them entertained etc when restricted to the ward and in pain?

girliefriend · 10/04/2010 22:09

I went into into hospital when dd was 2 wks old for an op and was given my own room so dd could be with me as much as poss, had to stop bf after op for a couple of days as advised there was a risk of some of the drugs being transferred to dd but think on about day 3 post op went bk to bfing and gradually built up to being able to stop top up formula feeds xXx

Babieseverywhere · 11/04/2010 08:48

I was sepertated from my baby for a week when she was 4 months and a week at 6 months. It was a baby friendly hospital. I was told to wean and that I was endangering my baby by insisting my baby visited so she could nurse. I also had wrong information about medicine and was left in acute pain at times as they couldn't give me anything as I was breastfeeding

I suggested that they transferred me to the maternity ward or speak to those midwifes about suitable pain killers, they wouldn't.

I had ignored the visitor hours and had an adult with baby DD 'visit ' me from 9am till 9pm and then cried and pumped milk all night.

The staff were nice just a bit clueless about breastfeeding. They did manage to find me a side room so my baby didn't upset any other patient.

Baby friendly my arse.

That said I just managed to keep up enough breast milk for my daughter and she is still nursing 3 years later so we got through it.

jemjabella · 11/04/2010 08:52

I was admitted about a month ago with gallstones and jaundice (had a gallstone stuck in bile duct causing liver to dump biliruben) and demanded my baby be kept with me (despite their protests and suggestions we put her on formula).

I had to fight every step of the way - to keep her with me, to be given BF friendly antibiotics, etc but it was worth it because we were able to keep BFing (even though I was nil by mouth for about 4 days!)

So yeah, it is totally possible. Obviously I wasn't unconscious though

Shaz10 · 11/04/2010 11:02

I didn't want my son there not only because I was quite poorly but because he was only 8 weeks old and he might have picked up a bug. There was swine flu going around at the time.

CrankyTwanky · 11/04/2010 22:40

Ooh I'm glad it's not just me who ponders this stuff!
I gave DH strict instructions that he was to "milk" me if I had a PPH or something and fell into a coma after childbirth. He even said he'd let baby suckle from him for comfort if need be.

TruthSweet · 12/04/2010 08:35

I have epilepsy and post-seizure (when I pretty much out cold) I can still feed DD3. DH just puts her near me and I just seem to instinctively start feeding her. So you can feed whilst unconscious.

I have been in hospital a few times whilst BFing and have had varying degrees of success at persuading HCP to 'let' me have my baby with me. The one I knew would never go my way was when DD2 had a chest infection that needed a hospital stay at 11 m/o and DD1 was nursing as well, obviously at nearly 3 she didn't need me for all her nutrition but she still needed nursing. In the end I was just glad they fed ME as previous stays I had been told I couldn't have any hospital food, I couldn't leave the ward with DD to get food and I couldn't leave DD with a nurse whilst I got food .

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