[blparent] latching on?

Mon Feb 8 22:03:10 UTC 2010

Gab lost 13 oz in the hospital when she was born.  With pneumonia, but once
we got the idea of how to nurse, she quickly gained all that weight and then
some. What is a shield? V

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Dena Wainwright
Sent: Saturday, February 06, 2010 6:55 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] latching on?

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
>>
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