Refreshing talk today with HV's regarding BFing

[summer rain]

Can I be shown how to make up a feed?

If you decide to bottle feed your baby, you will be shown how to make up a feed in hospital after the birth[/U]. It is generally thought better to wait until then so that it is fresh in your mind at the time it is needed. This is because studies have shown that this information is often forgotten when the time to make your first feed for real comes round if you were shown during your pregnancy. [/I][/B]

https://live.unicef.org.uk/BabyFriendly/Health-Professionals/Care-Pathways/Bottle_feeding/Pregnancy/

I wasnt shown how to make up a feed in hospital. They had prepared bottles and we used them. I had help every time i tried to BF including the consultant breast specialist.

I ASKED for help to feed my baby its first bottle as I had no clue what I was doing. The MW left seconds after I put it in her mouth with no advice. I fed her till she stopped which was the wrong thing to do, Lo then covered the whole room in puke! Which was distressing for her and me.

I did get help from Hv's regarding FF which milk would suit her best as she was a very sickly baby. Which teat to use with that particular brand. They watched us make up a feed to make sure we were doing it the right way.

Also for the users have said that FF is the 'easier option' I can tell you listening to a baby scream for 20-25 mintues for a bottle you are preparing from scratch at 3am is most certainly not easier that putting them straight onto the breast.

I'm not saying that people would necessarily be shown how to make a feed in real life; but just answering the question with regard to if the policy of giving out FF information at baby friendly hospitals is the same as at baby friendly sure start centres. Unfortunately on a practical level most hospitals do not show mums how to do anything really; but when it comes to baby friendly hospitals, this is not down to policy but more to do with things like staffing levels xx

 

[summer rain]

I wasnt shown how to make up a feed either, but to be fair I wasnt shown how to bath them (which too can be dangerous, like if water is too hot) but I just got on with it. I really think (in my area at least) a lot of it is time constraints, like formula feeding is seen as quite straight forward so when a mw has to choose between showing someone how to make a bottle or help a baby latch on, or even give baby some medication or whatever, they will probably chose to help the BF (or if it is medication give medication), it doesnt mean they dont want to help the FF but just they have to prioritise.

I think what the people meant by the 'easier choice' is that on paper it can read like FF is easier (especially if you dont know anyone who has BF), like when people read of baby not latching, mum and baby getting thrush, mum getting mastitus, baby BF every 2 hours and so on, it could seem to some people that just putting a bottle in a mouth would be much easier, iykwim? Although as you say making a bottle up when baby is screaming, steralising etc means that actually (IMO) BF is the 'easier' option.

And just a side note, please no one think I am saying BF is easy, I know it isnt but for me it was easier, and I wish I stuck it out longer, maybe if there is a next time I will.

A lot of mws are poorly trained in regard to infant feeding in general, many of them know virtually nothing about BF or FF, I could imagine that maybe some of them don't feel confident in teaching mums how to make a bottle up safely or to advise on types of formula;even if they are allowed to. You do get hospitals where the time constraints and short staffing mean that midwives will try and get mums to give formula if there are any BF problems, because thats easier than trying to sort out a bad latch or having to deal with consequences of baby not being to get any colostrum or milk into themselves, so it works both ways.

In the hospital where I've had my eldest, which did start to improve in terms of BF support but has now stopped applying for baby friendly accreditation as they were and seem to be going backwards again-there was a BF specialist on the ward but she worked for the whole hospital and several other hospitals as well, so when I asked her for help (my son couldn't latch) she told me to piss off basically-which was so upsetting at the time but I understand now she was probably extremely overworked. None of the midwives there had the first clue about any aspect of BF, the auxillaries seemed to know more than them and were more helpful! xx

 

[aragornlover8]

I wasnt shown how to make up a feed either, but to be fair I wasnt shown how to bath them (which too can be dangerous, like if water is too hot) but I just got on with it. I really think (in my area at least) a lot of it is time constraints, like formula feeding is seen as quite straight forward so when a mw has to choose between showing someone how to make a bottle or help a baby latch on, or even give baby some medication or whatever, they will probably chose to help the BF (or if it is medication give medication), it doesnt mean they dont want to help the FF but just they have to prioritise.

I think what the people meant by the 'easier choice' is that on paper it can read like FF is easier (especially if you dont know anyone who has BF), like when people read of baby not latching, mum and baby getting thrush, mum getting mastitus, baby BF every 2 hours and so on, it could seem to some people that just putting a bottle in a mouth would be much easier, iykwim? Although as you say making a bottle up when baby is screaming, steralising etc means that actually (IMO) BF is the 'easier' option.

And just a side note, please no one think I am saying BF is easy, I know it isnt but for me it was easier, and I wish I stuck it out longer, maybe if there is a next time I will.

A lot of mws are poorly trained in regard to infant feeding in general, many of them know virtually nothing about BF or FF, I could imagine that maybe some of them don't feel confident in teaching mums how to make a bottle up safely or to advise on types of formula;even if they are allowed to. You do get hospitals where the time constraints and short staffing mean that midwives will try and get mums to give formula if there are any BF problems, because thats easier than trying to sort out a bad latch or having to deal with consequences of baby not being to get any colostrum or milk into themselves, so it works both ways.

In the hospital where I've had my eldest, which did start to improve in terms of BF support but has now stopped applying for baby friendly accreditation as they were and seem to be going backwards again-there was a BF specialist on the ward but she worked for the whole hospital and several other hospitals as well, so when I asked her for help (my son couldn't latch) she told me to piss off basically-which was so upsetting at the time but I understand now she was probably extremely overworked. None of the midwives there had the first clue about any aspect of BF, the auxillaries seemed to know more than them and were more helpful! xx

Side note but how is it that midwives are so untrained on something so vital as infant feeding? That's very unfortunate.

 

[summer rain]

I wasnt shown how to make up a feed either, but to be fair I wasnt shown how to bath them (which too can be dangerous, like if water is too hot) but I just got on with it. I really think (in my area at least) a lot of it is time constraints, like formula feeding is seen as quite straight forward so when a mw has to choose between showing someone how to make a bottle or help a baby latch on, or even give baby some medication or whatever, they will probably chose to help the BF (or if it is medication give medication), it doesnt mean they dont want to help the FF but just they have to prioritise.

I think what the people meant by the 'easier choice' is that on paper it can read like FF is easier (especially if you dont know anyone who has BF), like when people read of baby not latching, mum and baby getting thrush, mum getting mastitus, baby BF every 2 hours and so on, it could seem to some people that just putting a bottle in a mouth would be much easier, iykwim? Although as you say making a bottle up when baby is screaming, steralising etc means that actually (IMO) BF is the 'easier' option.

And just a side note, please no one think I am saying BF is easy, I know it isnt but for me it was easier, and I wish I stuck it out longer, maybe if there is a next time I will.

A lot of mws are poorly trained in regard to infant feeding in general, many of them know virtually nothing about BF or FF, I could imagine that maybe some of them don't feel confident in teaching mums how to make a bottle up safely or to advise on types of formula;even if they are allowed to. You do get hospitals where the time constraints and short staffing mean that midwives will try and get mums to give formula if there are any BF problems, because thats easier than trying to sort out a bad latch or having to deal with consequences of baby not being to get any colostrum or milk into themselves, so it works both ways.

In the hospital where I've had my eldest, which did start to improve in terms of BF support but has now stopped applying for baby friendly accreditation as they were and seem to be going backwards again-there was a BF specialist on the ward but she worked for the whole hospital and several other hospitals as well, so when I asked her for help (my son couldn't latch) she told me to piss off basically-which was so upsetting at the time but I understand now she was probably extremely overworked. None of the midwives there had the first clue about any aspect of BF, the auxillaries seemed to know more than them and were more helpful! xx

Side note but how is it that midwives are so untrained on something so vital as infant feeding? That's very unfortunate.

It is very unfortunate and something that really needs to be changed. Some MWs have done additional training around infant feeding but others haven't and don't have a clue, on the BF bit of this forum we have often had mums who are also MWs and they come and ask us regular average joe mums for help because they just don't know. xx

 

[xolily]

can i just say all areas must not be the same cos at my local hospital if you're FF they like you to bring bottles in so they can make sure you know how to sterilise! xx

 

[Laura2919]

We had ready made glass bottles but they ask for you to bring your own bottles in so baby can get used to them when they were in NNU so I had to sterilise them there. Normally though they dont show you, thats just NNU.

I still think information should be available for both. Not just having to do all the research yourself.

In NNU they did things completely different, the nurses always put the girls to sleep on their front, dummies were encouraged and so were bottles to encourage a baby to suck, thats why I chose to express.

 

[Alisa F]

Agreed Laura. I have had Morgan in Ealing Hospital, Naomi-Mae in Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital (Hammersmith), Honey in West Middlesex Hospital, Kaysie the first part of her care was at Queen Charlotte's and then from 22/24 weeks it was from Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, and Riley Rae was born at Queen Charlotte's, so a wide variety of London hospital's have all provided me little information and/or support.

TASHA - may i ask why you were transferred from Queen Chalotte's to C&W? I'm looking for good high risk hospital, I'm equal distance between QC and St Marys Paddington. Had really bad experience at StM's so was hoping QC would be better...

Alisa x

 

[Tasha]

Hi Alisa, I wasnt transferred as such I moved because I wasnt getting what I felt was suitable care, Honey had died due to medical negligence (at West Mid) and after my 20 week scan they said they would see me at 38 weeks, I tried to argue that with my history (two pregnancies with pre-eclampsia and early induction, as well as Honey who I premature rupture of membranes at 28 weeks, infection and failed induction at 29 weeks, stillborn at 36+6) it wasnt enough care but they said they couldnt provide me more care, I spoke to the woman who runs my local sands group and she told me how they have a consultant at C&W that works alongside SANDS, so she told that consultant my story and she agreed to see me. I was then seen weekly by consultant and weekly at DAU , until later on when I was seen weekly by consultant and twice weekly at DAU.

I also went back to Queen Charlotte's with Riley Rae cos I was under there care for my recurrent miscarriages. And I honestly believe them taking me off of a medication (clexane) at 16 weeks and ignoring results of ultrasound scans as well as my concerns directly contributed to Riley Rae dying.

Having said all of this, I think an experience at any particular hospital is individual for example I know people who had a great time at both West Mid and Queen Charlotte's, I also know someone who had an awful time at C&W

Are you pregnant or TTC atm? If TTC I would as your doctor to refer you to pre-conception clinics, say at Queen Charlotte's and a few others and ask what care they would give you, give your history. Get what ever is agreed in writing and then decide where you go on the care they have promised

 

[lhancock90]

Honestly, i felt bullied into breastfeeding and when i wasn't able to, it broke my heart.
I understand breastfeeding needs to be promoted but its getting to serious extremes where women are afraid to ask/tell their HV's they are FF. I know i was.

 

[Eve]

Woman shouldn't feel scared to ask their HV or doctor for advice regarding FF... that is a shame hun