"This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding
Cafe's Blog Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com.
For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate,
contact Timbra Wiist landslidephotography {at} hotmail {dot} com.
Today's post is about nursing in special circumstances. Please read the other blogs in
today's carnival listed in the comments section at www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com The
Carnival runs July 16th through the 31st!"
Today’s Prompt: Have you nursed in special circumstances?
Did you feel supported or like you were paving your own path? If your
circumstance included a lot of medical procedures and staff, did you get
interesting, strange or just BAD advice from medical staff? Family members? Or
did you have support? Where would you encourage moms to go if they were in a
similar situation?
Our son Bruss contracted RSV when he was three months
old. We got a helicopter ride from
Payson Regional Medical Center down to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. His right lung had collapsed, he was
intubated and he had two chest tubes poking into his right side to release the
pressure in his chest cavity from the oxygen he was receiving. By the time we landed in Phoenix, his oxygen level had
dropped to 20%. I was a bystander as the
pediatric EMT’s and the pilot evaluated taking extreme measures right there in
the elevator, or making a run for the emergency room. They decided to make the run for the
emergency room. The three of them moved
a lot faster together than I could on my own.
I will never forget that sinking feeling as they ran away from me, wondering
if our child would be dead or alive the next time I saw him. Nightmare.
Still makes me tear up as I write those words. Happy ending – between the amazing care we received from doctors and ER staff in Payson, and the staff in the ER at Phoenix Children’s
Hospital, they saved his life. Once he was
stabilized in the ER at the children's hospital, we were moved to a room in their Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
(PICU). Our son needed to be fed through
a feeding tube since he was completely sedated, and at the time, the go-to
hospital solution was formula. I was
utterly opposed to the idea – not my exclusively breastfed child! I wanted to do breastmilk only – we
compromised by using my breastmilk as the major component, and they added some
formula to each feeding “for calories”. We requested and got a hospital grade pump for our
room. I pumped dutifully every three to
four hours to mimic our feeding pattern.
I would say the staff was beyond supportive. They brought me the supplies we needed. They helped keep the pumping area and
supplies sterile. They even went out of
their way to encourage me and praise me for making the effort to feed our son
breastmilk. It surprised me to hear that
very few mothers went this route – most of the babies in the PICU were formula
fed without question. The staff started to notice
and comment on the difference.
Bruss gained weight while he was there.
He made incredible progress – many of them commented how quickly he was
recovering in relation to the severity of what he had to overcome. We were also told he was making more rapid
improvement than RSV babies usually made.
Several of the nurses wondered if the breast milk was making the
difference. My husband supported the choice to use breastmilk because
he believes in the benefits of breastfeeding for Mom and Baby. He thought it was great that we were able to
do it in the hospital. He
whole-heartedly believed that his recovery was a result of our choice to give
him breastmilk in the feeding tube. He
even remembers that Bruss gained weight when we there! I know that the breastmilk made the difference. By the fourth day in the hospital, the lack
of sleep and the stress were starting to get to me. My production started to tank. Luckily, we had a stash of frozen milk at
home that my husband brought to the hospital.
He encouraged me to take a break from the pump and use our frozen milk
instead of fretting over my milk supply. Once again, the hospital nurses were encouraging. One of them was also a lactation consultant
when she wasn’t wearing her PICU nurse hat.
She took the time to explain that given the lack of sleep and the stress
of our son’s illness, it was not uncommon for milk supply to wane. She assured me that once we got home and
started nursing again, my supply would be very likely to increase again to meet
his needs. Thankfully, on Day 5 they removed the last of the tubes and
he was able to nurse. I was scared to
nurse him in case he rejected me. I
talked one of the nurses into bottle-feeding him to see if he still knew how to
suck. He did! He devoured that bottle! The next time he was hungry, I took a deep breath and put
him to the breast. I cried with joy as
my son and I found each other again.
Mama joyfully feeding her baby.
Baby nursing as if he hadn’t been in a crib attached to tubes for the
last five days. What I have learned since then: you can say no to anything
in the hospital. It is your body and/or
your baby and it is up to you to decide what care providers can and cannot do,
no matter how the staff words their wishes for your care. If I had to do it again, I would ask them to
allow him to be exclusively breastfed until he showed signs that he was no
longer thriving. If he started losing
weight by being exclusively breastfed, then I would consent to adding formula
to his feeding tube. If he maintained
the same weight or gained weight, he could show it was okay to stay formula
free. If another mom finds herself in a similar situation, with
her child being in an intensive care setting, I would suggest that she surround
herself with support. Spouse, partner,
care team, prayer. If someone is not on
board with her choice to breastfeed in spite of the circumstances, I would ask
her if she was comfortable asking for a new care team. I would also encourage them to get lots of rest, meditate
on the food they were making for the baby when they were pumping (talking to
myself did help), covering the tubes and collection bottles with a blanket to
take the focus off the ounces and just let the body work (a new tidbit I
learned recently), and to research different galactagogues and consider giving
them a try in order to keep supply up in the face of sleep deprivation and
stress. We are blessed that our special circumstance had a happy
ending. One more anecdote that testifies
to the wonderful healing power of the unique food we make for our unique
species. Disclaimer:  The
material included on this site is for informational purposes only.It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. This blog contains
information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is
not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or
the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®. |
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