From Nina Sobiek

My son was severely jaundiced from an incompatible RH factor. Within 2 hours of birth they had a Lactation Consultant come to my room and tell me how I NEED to breastfeed. I have flat nipples and my son was just not latching. He was put in phototherapy three days after birth (we were never discharged) and again they sent a Lactation Consultant to his room and she again kept telling me to keep nursing him. I didn't know it, as a first time mom, but he wasn't getting anything. After two days of phototherapy they told us his levels were just barely good enough to go home and told me to nurse every 2 hours. I got home and was feeling more defeated adding to my post partum (I'm clinically diagnosed bipolar). From his birth I was told he needed to be breastfed and the stigma of formula feeding was always stopping me from using it. At my son's first follow up pediatric appointment he was immediately sent to the ER for a heel prick and his jaundice levels had skyrocketed and he had lost 1 lb in a few days. I was NEVER once told that dehydration would make his jaundice worse nor was I ever informed by the lactation consultant that nursing with jaundice could worsen without supplementing. My son had his heel pricked every day two times on some days for 10 DAYS STRAIGHT. I had to listen to his screams and cries from the tests. I couldn't bond with him because he has to be in the phototherapy bed. I finally started supplementing when my milk dried up over night. I tried pumping. I tried nursing. But ultimately I had to do what was right for my son. Breast is not best if you aren't producing enough for your baby. Had I not started supplementing the next step was going to be a blood transfusion for my boy. All women should be told the PROS AND THE CONS of breastfeeding and stop pressuring them with LC coming to them. If you send a LC to my room, also send a formula representative so I can have BOTH sides.

From Valaree Villanueva-Moczygemba‎ posted on Breast milk is best, but only if you have breast milk.

Valaree Villanueva-Moczygemba to Breast milk is best, but only if you have breast milk.

September 6, 2015 · 

Ok so to all the woman on this page that think all woman get milk... Your wrong! I had my son 3 weeks ago he went 24 hours without eating he had a great latch and I put him to breast every 2-3 hours and the the nurses and lactation consultant said he's getting enough, but I knew he wasn't getting anything and I could tell he was hungry. Finally in the middle of the night I cried cause I could tell he was so hungry I told the nurse bring me a bottle and he ate. At that time I also asked for a pump, sure enough I had nothing not even colostrum! It wasn't until day 3 that it came in and guess where he was? Under the light because he developed jaundice! Anyway I kept pumping and taking him the 10 MLs of colostrum every 3 hours and I still continued to supplement with formula but after a week I noticed my milk never came in and even the watery colostrum was reduced to 5 MLs every 3 hours. I was drinking water like crazy putting him to breast and like I said this kid could have written the book how to latch and nothing till this day I still put him to breast before feeding but even when I choose not to, hardly anything comes out. Mind you I have huge breast and it's very heart breaking when all you want to do is give your child liquid gold and you can't. It does make you feel like you failed them especially when your well built for the task and the well runs dry. So yes, it's true some of us are the 5-10% who dont produce milk. My daughter is 6 years old and with her I only produced milk for 6 weeks but that's because I was taking supplements to increase my production. I didn't do that this time because I didn't have access to the supplements I took with her.

From Jill and Jarod Johnson about their son, Landon who died of cardiac arrest 12 hours after discharge from a Baby-Friendly Hospital

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

As another birthday passes....

Landon would be three today if he was still alive. I've been wanting to share for a long time about what happened to Landon, but I've always feared what others would say and how I'd be judged. 

I've recently been thinking a lot and it's now weighing on my heart to share in hopes that no other families ever experience the loss we have. 

Jarrod and I wanted what was best for Landon as every parent does for their child. We took all of the classes. Bought and read all of the books. We were ready! Or so we thought....every class and book was geared toward breastfeeding and how it's so important if you want a healthy child. Landon was born in a "baby friendly" hospital. What this means is everything is geared toward breastfeeding. Unless you'd had a breast augmentation or cancer or some serious medical reason as to why you couldn't breastfeed, your baby would not be given formula unless a prescription was written by the pediatrician. 

Landon was on my breast - ALL THE TIME. The lactation consultants would come in and see that "he had a great latch and was doing fine" but there was one who mentioned I may have a problem producing milk. The reason she gave was because I was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and it was just harder for women with hormone imbalances to produce milk. She recommended some herbs for me to take when I got out of the hospital. 

Landon cried. And cried. All the time. He cried unless he was on the breast. The nurses would come in and swaddle him in warm blankets to get him to sleep. And when I asked them why he was always on my breast, I was told it was because he was "cluster" feeding. I recalled learning all about that in the classes I had taken, and being a first time mom, I trusted my doctors and nurses to help me through this - even more so since I was pretty heavily medicated from my emergency c section and this was my first baby. But I was wrong. I've learned I have to be my child's number one advocate. 

Did you know newborns aren't supposed to cry all the time? They're supposed to eat and sleep and dirty their diapers. I  had no idea that he was inconsolable because he was starving - literally. And when a baby is only on the breast, how do we gauge how much they're actually getting out? Sure, there should be wet and soiled diapers, and weight checks, right? And where is the limit as to weight loss and a minimum for the diapers changed? 

So we took him home....not knowing that after less than 12 hours home with us, he  would have gone into cardiac arrest caused by dehydration. And the best advice I was given by one of his NICU doctors while he was on life support is sure breast is best, but follow with the bottle. This way you know your baby has eaten enough....if only I could go back in time... 

See more at:

http://afairytalewithendlessadventures.blogspot.com/2015/02/as-another-birthday-passes.html

Story from N.K., a physician and mom about her first-born son.

My son born on September 21st at 8 pounds and 3 ounces. He had a large cephalohematoma and I was status post a breast reduction. He went home 2 days later down 8 percent of his birth weight and exclusively breast feeding. According to every OB, pediatric provider and lactation consultant he met discharge criteria. He had already required tongue tie clipping for poor latch and I left the hospital with bleeding cracked nipples, a screaming inconsolable son and a total of 3 hours of sleep since my admission 4 days prior. 2 days later at his scheduled follow up he was found to be down 10% of his birth weight and his T bili was 21. He was readmitted and put under the lights. I was still told I could EBF because he didn't meet supplementation metrics but the pediatric nurses were horrified that I wouldn't supplement. But it wasn't that I wouldn't I was just being told over and over by everyone else that I didn't need to. All of this as a physician myself who had done my breast feeding research because of my history. But I listened to my baby friendly agenda pushing providers at my hospital instead of my baby's cries, my instincts and my mother's pleas to feed the baby. The day before my son was readmitted he was having episodes of lethargy. I thought he was finally "Tiring out"...he was instead lethargic from the bilirubin bathing his brain. I still don't know what his glucose was on admission. It was never tested.  I let this happen. I will never let it happen again. I will fight this misguided policy until the day I die.

From Steph Monty, from her blog article called "Insufficient"

Steph — July 30, 2014

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When I was pregnant with my first child (my daughter), I literally had no idea what I was getting myself into. And please trust me when I say that I don’t use the word literally when I really mean figuratively. I had the confidence of ignorance. An image in my head of an ideal – an ideal birth, an ideal child, ideal parenting…perfection, based on a set of unfair and largely unachievable expectations. Hopes, dreams, plans. I often say that parenthood is 100% different than I thought it would be; both 100% better and 100% more challenging.

What happens when our hopes and plans are replaced with a reality that is less than ideal and less than perfect? And what happens when the other parents we know put up a front of perfection and shame those who parent differently or are unable to achieve the ideal?

Confusion. Guilt. Shame. Feelings of inadequacy. Feeling less than.

If you are lucky, you adapt, you ignore the mean people on the internet, you move on, you adjust your expectations to reflect reality and surround yourself with imperfect, snarky supporters (people, you know who you are). You still feel shame, fear and inadequacy, but you allow yourself to also feel tremendous joy, love and fulfillment.

Shortly after my second child (my son) was born, I was diagnosed with Insufficient Glandular Tissue (IGT). Basically, I didn’t have enough of the right kind of breast tissue necessary to produce enough milk for my babies. Depending on who you ask within the lactation field, this condition impacts less than 1% or as many as 5% of women. Probably more, as many women choose formula from the start or give up breastfeeding without a diagnosis. I have always wanted to be special (kidding). I find it ironic that the name of this condition matched how it made me feel – insufficient.

In a way that diagnosis was also freeing. I wish I had been diagnosed with it when my daughter was a newborn. I finally knew what was wrong with me. I could finally let go of some of the stress and shame.

After my daughter was born, I wasn’t able to produce enough breast milk. She had to go to the NICU for weight loss (20% of her birth weight), dehydration and jaundice. With formula supplements, she quickly started gaining and became a healthy, beautiful baby. However, my life became about feeding her. Each breastfeeding session took an hour – filling the supplemental nursing system (a bottle with a tube to feed her at my breast), getting her to latch, inserting the tiny tube and then switching sides. After each feeding, I pumped. And then a little while later, we started again. I took several herbal supplements and a prescription drug for which I paid about $200 a month from a compounding pharmacy. My midwife would only prescribe two months’ supply. My life became feeding baby K and building my supply. I ate all of the foods reputed to boost supply, drank my weight in water and tried to get enough sleep... See article at http://groundedparents.com/2014/07/30/insufficient/

From Maria Mijala Darin-Baclohan posted on Facebook

I'm a first time mom of a five-month old baby girl. Unlike most women do, milk did not came out after giving birth. There was constant crying and the baby was struggling just to get some milk. My mom and husband Joel Baclohan told me to give formula but I refused because I was told to just keep the baby suck my breast because milk will eventually come out. Two days later, we were discharged from the hospital. The following day we immediately rushed back to the hospital because the baby had a fever. We were so nervous back then because how come a three-day old baby have fever? She is our first baby and we can't afford to put her life in great danger. When we were in the hospital tests were done and results were normal. Doctor said baby might be dehydrated because I don't have enough milk yet. So that's the time we gave formula. At first I feel guilty and I feel incapable and fail as a mother because I can't breastfeed her. Ever since I always wanted to breastfeed my baby, it's just that supply isn't enough for my baby. Now I feel relieved knowing that there can be adverse effect on a child`s brain through prolonged starvation. I'm a mother and I can't compromise my baby's safety that's why I can say I did the right thing in feeding her formula milk. It may not be the best milk for her to grow healthy and strong, but it's the best milk for her to live and do away with brain damage or any damage starvation may have caused her. I salute all the mothers who breastfeed their baby, and I have great respect and I praise those mothers out there who, like me, are brave and courageous enough to put down their pride and choose to feed their baby with formula. I did not gave up breastfeeding but I gave up seeing my baby starving. I don't care anymore of my pride, all I care is for my baby to be fed well. My baby just turned 5 months and day by day, she grows to be healthy, strong, smart and a happy baby. And it's all that matters to me.

From Jamie Quintain-Good from her Blog

Things I Learned About Formula-Feeding Moms From My Breastfeeding Journey August 2, 2013

Filed under: Uncategorized — dyaymee @ 3:14 am
Tags: out-of-the-ocean

We were expecting Bradley Boy to come out anytime between Christmas and New Year last year, but God knew how much we wanted to hold and kiss him, so He sent him out a little early. One month early. He was born 36 weeks and 5 days. And between the house moving (which by the way coincided perfectly with my nesting! think oc-ness to the top!) and planning for his arrival, thinking I still had a month to prepare, we were absolutely not ready when he came out.

His clothes were not washed.  His crib and car seat were not out. My hospital bag wasn’t ready. I thought I still had a month to get all those done.  Everything else was not ready, but I knew there was one thing I was ready for. One thing I dreamed about night and day, one thing I talked to my husband incessantly about, one thing I knew I would do no matter what. I will give him the best and nothing less. I will BREASTFEED. 

So, I didn’t buy him bottles, sterilizers, bottle cleaners, pacifiers. Heck, I didn’t even buy my breast pump. Because I was set out to be a hardcore exclusively breastfeeding mom.

Then, it was time. It was time to hold him in my arms and nurse him for the first time. I couldn’t put a tab on my emotions because there I was, about to give my helpless newborn everything his tiny body needed, and all he needed and wanted was me. It was a beautiful rush. Up until I realized no milk was coming out. He wasn’t getting anything out. I panicked a little, but he would spend so much time sleeping that the first few hours didn’t bother me.

Then, the nurse came in to see how he was feeding. I was told he had to be able to have milk because his blood sugar was low, and it was urgent that he fed to raise it to a safe level. Now, I panicked a lot. We received donor milk just to raise his blood sugar, but it hurt that it did not come from me. I was supposed to be Bradley’s super hero with magic milk for him. But, I did not deliver. I was hormonal, but it really got me down in a way I knew that was beyond hormones.

But well, either I receive donor milk or give him formula. I wasn’t ready to introduce my tiny baby with a tiny tummy to the evils of formula milk. So, we continued to receive donor milk until his blood sugar was finally fine.

Bradley Boy’s first night at home

Now, the real battle began. We took Bradley Boy home and no donor milk anywhere. I needed to produce milk ASAP. I wasn’t only crying, but wailing like a little girl lost in a mall. My mother and mother-in-law thought the best decision would be to give formula because they both gave Brian and me formula and we turned  out ok. But, I couldn’t do it. I’ve read this type. Well-meaning older gen moms would wonder why you wouldn’t supplement with formula because they did, and all their kids turned out fine. Formula was such a trend when we were babies. So, I called for reinforcement. I called our childbirth prep class teacher, and I cried on the phone asking her if Bradley would be fine because I couldn’t give him milk. She reassured me my milk will come in soon, just as long as I let him latch, and just continue to nurse him. Our neighbor  taught me the breast massage to coax the milk to come out, and well to relax me because milk doesn’t come out of a stressed momma. Again, she told me I will be fine and that milk doesn’t really come in right away. When she was a new mom, her milk came in after 4 days, and her little boy  is now a smart, healthy exclusively breastfed 4 year old.  I called my sister-in-law and she told me, that on her fourth baby, her milk came in after 3 days. But, she didn’t panic because she had panicked enough on her first child, and that what I was going through was completely normal. Just continue letting Bradley latch, she said. I called my other sister-in-law, she tried to breastfeed but ended up supplementing with formula, and she said if there was one thing she could do over, she would’ve continued nursing. She didn’t want me to regret any decision I made then because one little move could change our breastfeeding journey forever. 

So, after a rough first night, Brian and I decided we were getting up with a united front.

We will fight tooth and nail to give our little Bradley the best kind of milk there is: breast milk. 

So, my milk did eventually come in after a few days. I was a blissful nursing mom. But, then Bradley would still sleep most of the time so I thought he was getting what he needed.

Then we noticed he was nursing for hours on one breast and either he cried afterwards seemingly unsatisfied or he would just fall asleep. I asked if it was normal that he nursed for so long, and they said he must be going through a growth spurt, and that he was hungrier than usual.  Then, he was still yellow and he probably got a little sunburnt because we made sure he got enough sun to get rid of his jaundice. He wasn’t getting the bilirubin out of his system. His poop was still green and never turned yellow as it should. It could have been from a foremilk-hindmilk imbalance so I nursed him longer on each breast instead of switching too soon.

Then, his weight began to drop. We lost his chipmunk cheeks and he looked like a wrinkly old man when he cried. His birth weight was 2.8 kilos, and after a month, he weighed 2.2 kilos. It crushed me. I held him in my arms that night, locked our bedroom door, and cried out to God. I was asking Mama Mary mom to mom, to please intercede for Bradley, to help us find out what to do.

Bradley on his first month birthday and baptism weight dropping at 2.2 kilos

Ate Karen, who just gave birth to my godson Inigo then, had her milk come in too. So, she came to see Bradley everyday, and let him nurse for as long as he wanted. Surprisingly, I noticed he had no trouble latching on to her as he did with me. And Inigo, on the other hand, latched on to me like a pro. We seemed like we were anatomically incompatible, breastfeeding-wise. I also noticed Bradley seemed satisfied about less than half the time than when he nursed from me. He seemed like he was taking in more in a lesser amount of time.  His Ninang Karen came to visit him everyday so he was back to his birth weight of 2.8 kilos after a week.

We brought him to the doctor, and when I was asked about his feeding, I told him we struggled to latch, but we do manage to continue nursing. He was on my breast for hours so I thought we were safe to assume he was nursing well. He was diagnosed with FAILURE TO THRIVE. Failure to thrive. My heart sank. Those three words told me that his superhero with the magic milk was failing him. My breasts were supposed to give him everything he needed, but here he was 4 weeks into the world, already failing to thrive. My heart couldn’t stop breaking.

 Bradley Boy got admitted to the hospital for 3 days, constant tests, blood work, monitoring, and his tiny foot had an IV drip lodged into it.

Bradley Boy slowly regaining back his weight at the hospital

Every time he cried when they took blood out or put in his dextrose, my heart bled because it was my fault he was failing to thrive because I couldn’t give him milk. I cried when he cried. I cried when I nursed him. I cried when he slept. I cried because I did not understand why I couldn’t give him nourishment. I was an emotional wreck.

I started pumping milk for him so I could measure how much he was taking in. He was supposed to be taking in an ounce an hour and if I couldn’t keep up with that, the doctors said we must supplement because he needs to thrive. I was scared to death of giving him formula so I pumped like crazy. and when tiny drops trickled into my bottle, I cried even more. Ninang Karen religiously sent him milk at the hospital to supplement my supply and he started regaining weight. We were discharged with the instructions to not let his intake fall below 24 ounces in 24 hours, whether with breast milk or formula, just as long as we comply.

I religiously recorded my milk output every pumping, which I did every hour. I had a notebook for his intake, and between my milk and Ate Karen’s donor milk, we were able to comply with his 24 ounces without opening the can of formula sitting threateningly at my bedside table.

I continued eating malunggay every meal, not caring if I had eaten the same stuff three times everyday for almost 2 months. I continued taking my malunggay capsules, at least 10 everyday. I continued taking Fenugreek, at least 9 capsules everyday. I drank the lactation tea like water, brewing a whole liter of it and carrying it around the house because I was on a mission to finish it. I took Domperidone religiously every day. I ate lactation cookies, oatmeal and anything and everything that has some proof to increase milk supply.

Then, after just a week of Bradley’s release from the hospital, it suddenly was my turn.

I had unbearable abdominal pain, probably from the abuse it took with my obsession to bring in the milk. Plus, my gastric juices exploded like fireworks because of the little voice inside my head, stressing about that can of formula in our room that had to remain sealed. I was confined for two days, and there was nothing in the world I wanted to do but hold my Bradley Boy again.

I was discharged after two days, but I was given medication for 2 weeks, and those meds made me unsafe to breastfeed. Crap. 2 weeks. That was crazy. I pumped but unfortunately had to dump the pathetic ounces of milk I could produce. Ate Karen continued sending over milk, but without my share, it just wasn’t enough to meet the quota our doctors have set. And so, the can of formula had to be opened.

The first bottle was the hardest. I couldn’t do it. I had let Brian do it. It was as if I was succumbing to the fact that I couldn’t produce enough milk to keep my son thriving. It got better eventually, and I remember Bradley’s doctors telling me then, “Breast is best, but formula isn’t poison. It could be life saving in your case.” I remember being horrified each time I gave him a bottle of formula, but when he was hungry and I couldn’t give him milk, I knew in my gut, I had to nourish him in some way. I never stopped pumping milk for him though, every hour, everyday. I power pumped at least once a week, 10 minutes of pumping with 10 minute intervals of rest for 2 hours. I pumped when he drank from the bottle, I pumped when he slept. I was beating myself just to increase my milk supply, and eventually I literally bled myself dry.

I realized then I suddenly missed my baby. I was obsessed with pumping that every time I see his eyes light up, I feel guilt shooting up for not giving him milk, that I rush into my little pumping corner. I hadn’t played with him in a long time. I may be giving him a few ounces of milk, but I am taking away his mother. Because you see, motherhood is not just breastfeeding. Not being able to breastfeed shouldn’t stop you from being the mother your child deserves to have. I had to learn it the hard way. I still believe that breastfeeding is the best way to feed your child, but I have come to understand that it is not the end all and be all of being a mother. Motherhood is feeding, nourishing, giving life. 

I realized that once upon a time I was the kind of person who judged moms who formula-fed. I thought they were selfish, they just wanted to go back to the life they had without the inconvenience of a demanding baby at their breast 24/7. I thought they were irresponsible, that they did not take the time to research on the irreplaceable benefits of breastfeeding. I thought that they were lazy, that they did not try hard enough to breastfeed because the books say milk will really come out if you just keep at it. I thought I was going to be a better mother than them one day because I will breastfeed my child as long as he wants to.  Now, i know there are moms who formula-feed who are selfless, practically consuming themselves with an obsession to breastfeed but failing nonetheless. I know there are moms who formula-feed who are responsible and making sure their babies won’t ever have to be diagnosed with failure to thrive and by all means nourish them in whatever way possible. I know there are moms who formula-feed who beat themselves up, working hard to get the milk flowing but will never be able to. I know that moms are not better than other moms because there is just no reason to compare or complete a checklist to make you win the best mom award. Motherhood is a special thing that you share with a very special someone. There are no comparisons, no charts, no benchmarks. Love is the only requirement.

I realized that breastfeeding doesn’t come easy for everyone, so when you and your baby manage to work it seamlessly, embrace your blessing. Don’t stop nursing just because there is a lifestyle you need to get back to. The jealous bug still bites me sometimes when I see moms nursing effortlessly, and why Bradley and I had to go through what we went through when all I wanted to do was give him the best. Don’t give every formula-feeding mom well-meaning advice without asking what they’ve been through. It gets me each time somebody tells me just to eat malunggay, like it was the obvious first step that I didn’t take. I know I have followed every advice in the book, I have even downloaded audio galactogues and painstakingly listened to it while pumping. That mom may have tried the tried and tested methods, even the unconventional ones, just to get the milk flowing, so don’t judge her and bomb her with advice like she didn’t try.

Be there for your formula-feeding mom friend. Though it’s true that there are moms who just prefer to formula-feed for reasons that are entirely theirs without needing explanation, you never know if that formula-feeding mom next to you is that kind of mom, or the mom who fought tooth and nail to breastfeed but failed. I am blessed to have Ate Karen as a friend. She has been with me and Bradley Boy at the start of our breastfeeding journey, encouraging, supporting and reassuring. But, when she saw how my obsession was taking its toll on me, she told me it was okay to relax. She continued giving milk to Bradley everyday, and she did so lovingly, without judgment. I was blessed because I had supportive breastfeeding friends who loved me and Bradley more than my ability to make milk, who hugged me when I cried, and not once judged me.  Coykee even offered to have frozen milk flown in from Manila for Bradley and Monique changed his diapers dotingly while I sobbed inconsolably. Kat never questioned why but texted me every time she could pump extra milk for Bradley. I have the best neighbors ever. So, be there for your formula-feeding mom friend, my friends kept me sane even if my hormones easily made me a candidate for post-partum depression.

Husbands, stand by your wives. Keep your united front. During our journey as new parents, there were many times we questioned our ability to raise another human being, and if we did not get our act together, we might have been unable to bat other people’s judgment. After we got over the initial shock of parenting, we supported each other all the way, supporting and trusting instincts and informed decisions. Brian supported my desire to breastfeed, sheltered me from judgment, and when we started to formula-feed, he was just as supportive. We only had one goal in mind, to raise our Bradley Boy healthy and happy, however it takes.

And 8 months later, we know we did.

I still definitely want to exclusively nurse our next baby, and I believe I have become a stronger, less judgmental, more respectful kind of person coming out of this adventure with Bradley Boy.

This blog is for all the formula-feeding moms out there who get judged into thinking they are not good moms. This is for all the breastfeeding moms who give liquid gold to their babies and untiringly change the world with this advocacy one mommy at a time. This is for the partner of every new mom, who stands by her and buckles up on her emotional rollercoaster and unconditionally hugging and supporting her. This is for Bradley love, I have loved you before you were born, and loving you more each day. I will always, always love you.  This is for me. It’s kind of liberating to share our story, and have a chance to thank the people who were there every step of the way.

Motherhood, especially the first take, isn’t easy. But the rewards far outweigh the sacrifices. The smiles, the giggles, the sloppy kisses and hugs, the heartwarming milestones make all the tears, self-doubts, pain, worries all worth it. I would do them all again in a heartbeat. That, I believe makes us one in this motherhood thing, not the way we feed our kids. The way we love our children is what we must hold on to to stand by our united front.

Happy breastfeeding month to all moms! Yes, that includes breastfeeding moms, and formula-feeding moms who believe in breastfeeding!