Shoulder surgery and breastfeeding anyone managed it?

[mspotatochip]

Ds is 1 this week and a very enthusiastic boob monster. He also has a suspected cows milk allergy and has so far refused to touch nutramigen.

I am due to go for elective shoulder surgery (arthroscopy and subacromial decompression). I had assumed the easiest thing all round would be to wean him in advance but now I'm not sure. we are seeing a dietician next week who will hopefully suggest some other formula.

He just started nursery today and will have feeds morning, nightime and expressed milk at lunchtime.

The suregery is a day case with possible overnight stay which is manageable the problem is the recovery. I'm looking at two weeks of serious pain, possibly four or more weeks of no lifting and an overall recovery of up to four months.

Am I nuts to even consider not weaning him in advance? I could delay the surgery but am in a lot of pain and ds is on a steady diet of secondhand paracetamol and ibuprofen.

Any ideas /suggestions?

Well, the no lifting thing will be a pita, whether or not you are breastfeeding. In fact, it sounds to me like bottlefeeding will just make you more work in the recovery time.

I would recommend stopping lifting him before the surgery, to get him used to it.

As he's one, I wouldn't stress too much about the drugs, anyway.

My husbands just had a shoulder decompression a month ago. He's a sporty active type and its its only in the last few weeks that he has started to lift my 1 year old. He was doing a bit of lifting with his good arm but could not really carry.

Your probably have to do a lot of feeding lying down but think its very do able.

Good luck with the surgery

I haven't had shoulder surgery but had surgery on a broken ankle in Jan and didn't get back to normal capacity until about 4 months later (but I did have a baby during this time!).

I was two nights in hospital, but it was the weeks of disruption afterwards that unsettled my ds1. I couldn't look after him for long periods of time and had to rely on granny/aunties etc looking after him a lot and taking him to/from nursery etc.

He asked to nurse way more than usual and I was glad to be able to comfort and reassure him in the way he was familiar with. He was 4.3yo at the time, and was able to understand exactly what was going on and still he found it hard to cope with.

As mum2JRC says, feeding lying down could be the way to go. How often does he feed?

I've just had hip arthroscopy (Thurs) and I'm amazed by how little pain I'm in and how easily I can get about.

Everyone is different and it depends what they do when they are in there, but don't assume that you will be totally out of action. They give you the worst-case scenario so that you don't get frustrated.

Re the lifting - is he able to climb onto your knee?

mawbroon he has always fed on demand so a lot but has now started nursery and isn't fed in the "day" 8 to 5 ish. He feeds a lot at night and I can't see that changing. I saw your posts at the time and thought you were amazing to keep sane. Have you healed ok now?

nigglewiggle glad to hear you are in less pain than expected He can't climb onto my knee yet but I don't think it will be long. He has started trying all sorts of acrobatic feeding positions and I'm not discouraging him!

glad to see you all don't think I'm nuts. I shall keep going perhaps rent a double pump for post op.................

LOL, who said I kept sane??? But we got through it all and things are pretty settled now with ds2 on the scene too. Have healed well enough for everyday life, but still have stffness and soreness in the morning, or if I have been slacking with my exercises....

I don't really know what your surgery entails (I know you've written it, but I still have no idea!) but after mine, I had a lot of pain for 5 days after the surgery then it stopped and things were much more bearable.

re the drugs, I just went ahead and fed ds1, but he is a big lad, and I only had paracetemol, a couple of dihydrocoeines and three shots of morphine in the hospital, then paracetemol and ibuprofen at home which I didn't need after the first 5 days. ds was brought to visit me in hospital and nursed when he was there, so had no engorgment issues there, but then I only had colostrum at that point.

I guess that if you want to keep feeding him, you will find a way to do it.

When is the surgery?

The basic surgery involves a general poke around and "shaving" the joint to stop a bone spur constantly inflaming the tendon. Theres a possibility I might have a tear but thats worst case scenario. I'm on the waiting list should come up some time in July so time to prepare.

I'm surprised how much I do want to keep feeding him. DD was fed to 7months with bottles of formula from 5 which she eventually decided she prefered, I was devastated. DS wasnt given any bottles just in case he got the same notions and deevloped into a boob monster extraordinaire which is great apart from the bleedin shoulder business.

Dp demanding "my" netbook back grr

oo and congratulation on ds2 mawbroon

thanks he is fab and very chilled, despite all the stress and trauma he endured in utero.

I hope it all goes well for you.