[blparent] latching on?

Sun Feb 7 01:55:21 UTC 2010

keeping a log is a great idea. we did this initially, too, because Elise 
lost 17 ounces in 4 days, and we needed to keep track of everything she ate, 
and how often. for awhile there, we were feeding her every 1.5 to 2 hours. 
she did catch up, though, and was 3 ounces over her birth weight by the 2 
week mark.
Dena

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Leslie Hamric" <lhamric930 at comcast.net>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 06, 2010 7:01 PM
Subject: Re: [blparent] latching on?

> Hi Dena.  I did ask one of the lactation consultants how long he would 
> have
> to use the nipple shield and she said till his due date. Yeah, I find the
> shield a pain in the ass too but if it will help him, it's worth it.
> There's this one lactation consultant that I really like and when I talked
> with her on Thursday, she said she'd call me next week if I didn't call 
> her
> first.  Also, the lactation consultants offer support on an out patient
> basis so if I needed to come in just so they can see how I'm doing, that
> would work too.  Thanks for your encouragement. And oh yes, sleep
> deprivation can make one nuts and make it easy to lose track of things and
> what you're doing.  I'm keeping a log now of whem I pump and feed him so I
> can set my alarm for the next time I need to do it all over again.
> Leslie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Dena Wainwright
> Sent: Saturday, February 06, 2010 5:57 PM
> To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blparent] latching on?
>
> Lesly.
>
> My best advice is find yourself a very good lactation consultant -
> particularly one with experience working with premature babies. Find 
> someone
>
> who is willing to be flexible with feeding positions, as many of the
> "standard" positions are not blind friendly. E.g., when I was first
> breastfeeding Elise, I would have nurses say "OK, put this hand under your
> breast, and this hand behind your baby's head..." I was like, "and which
> hand would you like me to use to feel whether or not her mouth is on my
> nipple properly?"
>
> another thing that helps with keeping a hand free to check out what is 
> going
>
> on with your baby's mouth and nose (the nose can get smushed up against 
> the
> breast, so you need to check this) is a nursing pillow. this gives you a
> supportive place to lay your baby so you don't have to worry about his 
> head.
>
> also, from what I know, the sucking reflex is one of the last ones to
> develop, and given that he was born so early, he simply may not have the
> ability to suck well yet. that's something an experienced lactation
> consultant can educate you about (like when it should be fully developed). 
> I
>
> know people who had early babies, and they had to spend the first several
> weeks using bottles or finger feeders.
>
> I would also recommend that you ask your lactation consultant how to
> gradually ween him off of the nipple shield. I used one with Elise, and,
> frankly, it was a total pain in the ass! half the time, I couldn't get it 
> to
>
> stay on...and the other half of the time I was wondering where the heck I
> had put it (sleep deprivation will do that to you). if your baby becomes
> totally dependant on the shield, you won't be able to feed him without it.
>
> finally, if you do end up having to only give him bottles, there is
> absolutely nothing wrong with pumping. it is a lot more work than straight
> breastfeeding or than only using formula, but I pumped exclusively for 22
> weeks, and it was well worth it for the benefits it gave my baby. I would
> have done it longer if my body had let me... both my husband and I got 
> sick
> last winter, and our daughter was absolutely fine. I'm convinced it was 
> the
> antibodies in my milk that protected her.
>
> keep trying until you find someone you feel comfortable with. I wish I had
> done this, as I think it would have saved me from pumping exclusively.
>
> good luck,
>
> Dena
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Leslie Hamric" <lhamric930 at comcast.net>
> To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, February 06, 2010 1:44 PM
> Subject: [blparent] latching on?
>
>
>> Hi all. For those of you who breastfeed or did so before, do you have any
>> tips on getting your baby to latch on consistently? Of course, I know 
>> this
>> wil take practice. I use the nipple shield to tickle his mouth and get 
>> him
>> to open up. Sometimes, he opens up wide right away and I can get him to
>> latch on.  But other times, he'll turn away and keep his mouth closed as
>> if
>> to say, don't put this thing in my mouth. Any tips would be great. I
>> notice
>> that it's harder for him to nurse at night and I'm guessing it's because
>> he's so tired.  With him being a premie, I have to use the nipple shiled
>> since it will allow him to get my milk easier.  Sometimes, the nipple
>> shield
>> falls off and I'll have to put it back on which can be a pain.  He'll 
>> take
>> his bottles no problem.
>>
>> Leslie
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> blparent mailing list
>> blparent at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> blparent:
>>
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/dena%40envogueacce
> ss.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> blparent mailing list
> blparent at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> blparent:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/lhamric930%40comca
> st.net
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> blparent mailing list
> blparent at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> blparent:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/dena%40envogueaccess.com 