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Original poster

for fucks sake leave breastfeeders alone

181 replies

ohmeohmy · 17/02/2009 07:25

aaargh, news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7867686.stm twunts.

OP posts:
ThreadieMair · 17/02/2009 07:31

But why is this bad? Surely this is a problem that needs monitoring. Monitoring it doesn't need to undermine breastfeeding -- it might help to support it better.

ChairmumMiaow · 17/02/2009 07:34

I think it was the way it was written. Sounded a bit like scaremongering to me. One more thing to put expectant mums off.

ThreadieMair · 17/02/2009 07:35

Perhaps so. Journalists don't seem to be able to report on any medical study without dramatising it in a way that is potentialli misleading.

jkklpu · 17/02/2009 07:37

um, the main quote on the likely consequences of the report is pretty clear:
"But as far as I'm concerned the answer isn't more formula feeding, but increased support for breastfeeding from the outset in the form of counsellors.
"Women who are having difficulties should be monitored and helped - this is something society really needs to invest in."
something to celebrate, surely?

JackBauer · 17/02/2009 07:40

wankers.

the guy behind the survey seems ok
'"But as far as I'm concerned the answer isn't more formula feeding, but increased support for breastfeeding from the outset in the form of counsellors.

"Women who are having difficulties should be monitored and helped - this is something society really needs to invest in." '

It could be anwswered by jut more info on demand feeding etc etc, but what a scaremongering badly written story.

JackBauer · 17/02/2009 07:40

xpost!

but that quote is hidden near the bottom of the article

ThreadieMair · 17/02/2009 07:42

Actually, I've just re-read it and it doesn't seem scaremongering or badly written. It does say right near the beginning that the condition being monitored is rare.

ChairmumMiaow · 17/02/2009 07:42

yeah I felt like those quotes were thrown in and didn't quite fit with the tone of the article.

JollyPirate · 17/02/2009 07:42

This is a rare but potentially fatal condition - it's right that they try and gather more data regarding it. I thought the comments about more and dedicated support from breastfeeding counsellors were spot on - too many women are given scant support with breastfeeding.
In the cases of hypernatraemic dehydration I would bet that most are due to babies not being latched on properly and getting nothing because nobody has supported the Mum and shown her how to latch a baby onto the breast or even checked that the baby is feeding sufficiently.
You are right to raise this story though ohmeohmy - it needs discussion and I would hope that if reported on the news it is done in a balanced way - the article was okay in that it talked about the answers being "not formula top ups" but " breastfeeding support".

jkklpu · 17/02/2009 07:43

the condition is described as "rare" near the top

would definitely have been more helpful to specify exactly how rare, eg 1 in 10,000 bf babies (made that stat up, by the way, before I get flamed)

but I don't think it's that bad in comparison with some other stuff that's churned out

jkklpu · 17/02/2009 07:44

people could always comment on the article and suggest links to NCT, kelly mom et al.

rosbif · 17/02/2009 07:52

They are right to investigate imo from personal experience. Think it is actually very balanced

belgo · 17/02/2009 07:53

I think it is important to understand that babies not getting enough milk could be a problem if bfing is not going well. I saw a thread on this recently when the baby was readmitted due to dehydration, and iirc, it wasn't picked up upon immediately by health professionals.

Which means that health professionals need to be better trained re. bfing (we knew that already), and it would help if new mothers were aware of possible problems as well.

belgo · 17/02/2009 07:54

Before I became a mother I remember watching a TV programme on babies who died from not getting enough breastmilk. It didn't put me off bfing, but it did make me determined to find out how to bf successfully.

liath · 17/02/2009 08:08

Two of my friends have had their babies re-admitted with dehydration. Both first time mums who in retrospect realise that the warning signs were there (baby sleeping a lot, not weeing much) BUT who at the time just didn't know enough about breast feeding a newborn babies to realise things were going wrong. Both had been discharged very quickly after the birth.

I think that women are being discharged home before breast-feeding is properly established. I worked in an Australian hospital (admittedly this was 10 years ago) when first-time mums were kept in for much longer than in the UK and the midwives were very strict at not letting them out until they were certain that breast-feeding was well established.

Longtalljosie · 17/02/2009 08:17

I'm sorry, I see nothing wrong with this story and as a mum-to-be who intends to breastfeed, I'm glad I know about it. There's a lot of useful information in there (such as losing 10% of bodyweight being a warning sign). They say it's rare. And as for the suggestion they should quantify how rare - well, they don't know how rare. Which is why they think they should study it. It's not overwritten, either, IMO. If something is "rare but fatal" then that's what it is. Being pro-something shouldn't mean we can't address potential pitfalls. You know when that doctor says people get religious about bfing? That's what he means...

Longtalljosie · 17/02/2009 08:18

I'm sorry, I see nothing wrong with this story and as a mum-to-be who intends to breastfeed, I'm glad I know about it. There's a lot of useful information in there (such as losing 10% of bodyweight being a warning sign). They say it's rare. And as for the suggestion they should quantify how rare - well, they don't know how rare. Which is why they think they should study it. It's not overwritten, either, IMO. If something is "rare but fatal" then that's what it is. Being pro-something shouldn't mean we can't address potential pitfalls. You know when that doctor says people get religious about bfing? That's what he means...

Longtalljosie · 17/02/2009 08:18

I'm sorry, I see nothing wrong with this story and as a mum-to-be who intends to breastfeed, I'm glad I know about it. There's a lot of useful information in there (such as losing 10% of bodyweight being a warning sign). They say it's rare. And as for the suggestion they should quantify how rare - well, they don't know how rare. Which is why they think they should study it. It's not overwritten, either, IMO. If something is "rare but fatal" then that's what it is. Being pro-something shouldn't mean we can't address potential pitfalls. You know when that doctor says people get religious about bfing? That's what he means...

ThreadieMair · 17/02/2009 08:19

Yes, some of the objections to the article do seem to exemplify that problematic attitude.

spongebrainbigpants · 17/02/2009 08:22

Very important to raise awareness of this. My DS was nearly re-admitted to hospital with severe dehydration and dramatic weight loss because bf wasn't happening and, as a naive new mum, I didn't realise.

If I had known what to look out for and been given more support I may not have been so frightened (I thought we were going to lose him which understandably put me off exclusive bf completely ) and immediately started mixed feeding which then led to the rapid ending of bf.

Great this is being highlighted.

Longtalljosie · 17/02/2009 08:24

Sorry about multiples, over-enthusiastic iPhone

foxytocin · 17/02/2009 08:39

Oh for fuck's sake! what an arse of a neonatologist!

my DD1 became severely jaundiced in Sunderland Royal Hospital because the midwives there were extremely, even negligently CRAP at assisting me to initiate breastfeeding.

Nothing is wrong with breastfeeding.

It is because he and like minded people have no idea of how to get it working for women under their own care.

This is making me so angry it makes me want to go down there personally and slap somebody.

ThreadieMair · 17/02/2009 08:42

But foxy, the article doesn't say anything is wrong with breastfeeding. The study is to monitor the rare but dangerous cases where bf babies become dehydrated -- so that they can be picked up more quickly and the mothers can be better supported.

fifitot · 17/02/2009 08:57

Just need to have better informed staff IMHO. To educate potential breastfeeders better and hospitals should provide proper support to see bfing is established.

I left hospital with a baby who was latching very poorly but didn't know this and noone at the hospital bothered to find out. Only lots of support from various bf helplines and later a very knowledgeable HV kept me going.

foxytocin · 17/02/2009 09:10

Threadie:

I wasn't sent home though!

My baby didn't latch on at all for 36 hrs while in hospital with raised blood pressure from pre-eclampsia.

The midwives just kept saying 'don't worry'.

By day 3 I doubt she had had a good feed yet when we were not released due to jaundice.

We remained in hospital for the next 8 days and all the midwives did was conflict each other with what to do, flap around and panic because my dd and I had become so distressed.

Why my daughter did not just accept no food and just sleep and suffer "Severe hypernatraemic dehydration" ( had to copy and paste that) or suffer brain damage is by the grace of God IMHO. instead she screamed and screamed non stop and none of the clueless midwives advised me to breastfeed often as possible.

I thought the FUCKING UV lights was the best thing for jaundice so i let my poor helpless newborn scream and scream and scream for hours. I still cry thinking of how horribly and needlessly she suffered because the people who were supposed to know had no fucking clue and I trusted them to know.

The only piece of advice they gave me to make her stop crying was to give her a dummy.
For a starving, jaundiced baby!

Eventually, I thought, "fuck this", when my baby cries I will take her out and feed her to make her stop crying. She knew how to latch and feed so it wasn't technique. It was lack if information from the midwives that made her suffer so.

someone should have shown me how to express colostrum within hours of her not latching! and none of this sorry ass saga would need writing.

We were released an day 8. NO one weighed her before released. She was only weighed on day 1. She was not weighed again till she was 10 days old at least.

I remained traumatised right into the brith of dd2 over the birth and postnatal care of dd1. When DD2 had her second feed in my house, on my couch, I cried and cried because dd1 suffered so much in hospital for no good reason.

excuse me while i go away and cry again.