Breastfeeding PSA
Okay. People, take notes.
If ever, ever anyone tells you to pump your milk to see how much the baby is getting, kindly tell them where to stuff their pump. It is totally useless to try and gauge the quantity of milk ingested by a baby, whose physiology is geared to extracting breastmilk, by using a pump, which is always a poor substitute.
This poor woman I went to see today had been told, by her pediatrician, to do this. I just about died. Now, note that my medical qualifications are nil, but every breastfeeding manual in the world can tell you that it's a fruitless exercise. I had enough milk to feed probably triplets (and I am not joking you, believe me. You've heard the expression "milk bath") and I still never got more than four ounces per pumping, and that only once.
It's not that the pediatrician is a bad guy. The baby hadn't been gaining, despite the fact that the mom was doing absolutely everything right. She genuinely did have to supplement; it happens. Not often, but it happens. It's what is right right now for her and her baby. It's just that putting pressure on her to pump PLUS expecting her to cope with the stress and disappointment of having to supplement is just too much.
Anyway, I feel really good about volunteering as a "dairy godmother", and I think we helped this woman today feel better about what she was doing. It's just that I needed to get that little detail off my chest.
As it were.
If ever, ever anyone tells you to pump your milk to see how much the baby is getting, kindly tell them where to stuff their pump. It is totally useless to try and gauge the quantity of milk ingested by a baby, whose physiology is geared to extracting breastmilk, by using a pump, which is always a poor substitute.
This poor woman I went to see today had been told, by her pediatrician, to do this. I just about died. Now, note that my medical qualifications are nil, but every breastfeeding manual in the world can tell you that it's a fruitless exercise. I had enough milk to feed probably triplets (and I am not joking you, believe me. You've heard the expression "milk bath") and I still never got more than four ounces per pumping, and that only once.
It's not that the pediatrician is a bad guy. The baby hadn't been gaining, despite the fact that the mom was doing absolutely everything right. She genuinely did have to supplement; it happens. Not often, but it happens. It's what is right right now for her and her baby. It's just that putting pressure on her to pump PLUS expecting her to cope with the stress and disappointment of having to supplement is just too much.
Anyway, I feel really good about volunteering as a "dairy godmother", and I think we helped this woman today feel better about what she was doing. It's just that I needed to get that little detail off my chest.
As it were.
posted by Coco at 8:52 p.m.
10 Comments:
I'll take the candy corns, lease.
that should say please
*giggle*
LOL
I try to be a breastfeeding advocate without being a Nazi. I'm practically La Leche League enthusiastic, though. I also had so much milk I hardly knew what to do with it. Really, it was wasted a lot of the time. I used to have to pump some out just to relieve the pressure. Then there'd be enough at feeding time, so the other stuff just went down the sink.
Anyway, you're right. Baby mouths fit on mommy nipples and get milk out. I'm amazed at this pediatrician. Some people can be allowed the luxury of not keeping up with medical knowledge. Doctors are not among them.
I still have my pump. It's an Avent ISIS manual one. What the hell do I do with it now?
That is some good work you are doing Coco! It is good that there are people who volunteer to help those that nurse out!
I could never get the manual pumps to work. We ended up renting an electric one, worked like a charm. (I had to start pumping once I went back to work.)
How do you get breast feeding off your chest? And where does it go?
It is a hard thing to get over at first, but once I realized there is no such thing as a PERFECT mother, but there are a million ways to be a GREAT mother, I got over it.
My friend Rhys started pumping after her maternity leave was up and she went back to work. Her son is ten months now and I think Rhys is still pumping away. So, I guess don't pump unless you have to?
PS Plus, I heard pumping is painful and (literally) sucks the life out of you.
I hated pumping with a blind passion. I just dragged the bug around with me wherever I went.
Case in point: though he was weaned at 15 mo, my first overnight without him was in September. Ah, well.
I had to pump because Conner was in the NICU for a week. And, as a result, I always overproduced. Always. Like Seanna, I had to pump first to relieve the pressure, then after because he didn't empty them.
The whole breastfeeding thing was a nightmare for me. A flat-out nightmare.
Sadly, both the hospital and I threw out tons and tons of milk.
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