So You've Decided to Breastfeed (woo-hoo!)

As someone who helps women breastfeed almost every single day, there are a few tips and tricks I can give you.  Here is an important thing to remember: Your baby is boss.

1. Don't give a bottle. It sounds simple, doesn't it? But when you're exhausted, and it's in the middle of the night, it might be tempting to tell the nurse to just give the baby "one bottle".  There are a few reasons that this is bad for breastfeeding.
• If you take any bottle and hold it upside down, the milk just comes out...the baby does not have to work for it.  Later, when you try to put the baby to the breast, sometimes babies are like "Where is it? Before it was free-flowing into my mouth and now having to work for it!?"
• Your baby is the only person who is telling your body how much milk to make. Remember what I said...your baby is boss, and every time you put your baby to your breast, it's telling your body how much milk to make.
• Some people believe in "nipple confusion."  This means that your baby will get use to the shape and texture of the artificial nipple, and later get confused when you try to put the baby back to the breast. 
2.  Put the baby skin-to-skin after delivery.  Placing the baby skin-to-skin after delivery increases your chances of breastfeeding earlier, making more milk, and breastfeeding longer.  Any time you have trouble getting your baby to latch-on, place the baby skin-to-skin and let the baby lay there and think about it :)
3.  Tell whoever is important to you that you want to breastfeed. Your husband and family play an important role in your success to breastfeeding. They have to be your cheerleaders.  When you want to give up---and at some point you will probably want to give up---they have to be the ones to say "try one more time" and "you can do it."
   
4.  Make sure your nurse, OB physician, and pediatrician all know that you want to breastfeed.  When people know that you have a desire to do something so healthy and beneficial for you and your baby, and they know that you really really want to succeed, they are more likely to help you and offer support. 
   
5.  Ask for help.  Your hospital should have a lactation consultant. Ask to speak to her before you deliver, if possible. Let her know that you've educated yourself on breastfeeding and that you want to succeed.  Even if your hospital does not have a lactation consultant, any OB nurse should be able to help you. 

...and remember, it gets easier!  I promise :)

Milk that is Milk

Breastfeeding is important to me. Why is it so important?  Because I work with a lot of women who have don't have a lot of money.  Do you know how I know they don't have a lot of money?  Because I don't have a lot of money, and I make decent money and work six days a week.  It amazes me that so many women choose not to try breastfeed when it's FREE.

Besides being free, breastfeeding is so much better for mom and baby.  I think most people are aware of this, but they choose formula because it's convenient.

Breastfeeding is hard. As women, we associate breastfeeding with being natural...so is has to be easy, right?  The baby is going to pop out of your who-ha and come to the breast and it's going to be this magical moment.  Wrong!  Breastfeeding is hard.  It takes a lot of patience, practice, and perseverance to succeed.  But if you don't give up, breastfeeding will eventually become the easiest thing you ever did...way more convenient than bottle feeding your baby.

Being an Advocate for Your Health

     My husband takes two showers a day.  When he got sick with a stomach problem, he was admitted to the hospital and was there for a week.  On the third day, I noticed that he looked very uncomfortable. When I got close to him, I noticed that he smelled bad and his hair looked greasy.  I asked him why he hadn't taken a shower and he said "I didn't know if I could."  My husband is an intelligent, strong man and when he said this it really drove something home: when we get admitted to the hospital, we feel as if we have lost all control.

     So I want everyone to know, especially my pregnant mothers, that when you get admitted to the hospital, you have control over everything.  Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to say no.  So many times I see physicians tell patients that they need to have a cesarean section, and all the patient has to say is if my baby is okay, can you give me a little more time?  When you get admitted to the hospital, the nurse will put you in a bed.  You don't have to stay there. At our hospital, you can walk around while you're in labor or rock in a rocking chair.  Patient's do not realize that they really have control over everything.  When I had my baby, they told me that she had to go to the nursery for 4 hours to "transition."  I wish I would have known back then that I could have said 'no thanks.'  I'll never get that time back. I wish I would have insisted that everything be done in the room, in my view.  I just wish I would have known that was my right as a patient.

     If you are going to have your baby in a hospital, there are two things that are almost non-negotiable.  You will probably have to have an IV, or at least IV access, and your baby will probably have to be monitored externally.

     So remember:  Ask questions. Be informed. And remember that you have the right to refuse any procedure or treatment, or at least ask to be better educated on any procedure or treatment.  It's your body and it's your baby.  Don't forget :)

C-Section vs. Vaginal Delivery

I grew up surrounded by nurses, always knowing that people have to be advocates for their own health. 

The number of cesarean sections in the United States has skyrocketed.  As a patient, I think "why has the number of c-sections increased so much?"  I also wonder what the benefits are for the doctor. Are more women wanting c-sections?  Why do some people have to have c-sections?  These are questions I would ask as a patient. As a nurse, I know the answers.

If having a vaginal delivery is important to you, the first thing you should do is immediately tell your doctor this, as early into your pregnancy as possible.  On the same note, know that you want what's best for your baby, and if that means having a cesarean section, you should be open to that idea.  I always tell the girls in my prenatal classes...trust your nurse. Be honest with them, and tell them that you're nervous and scared and excited and tell them that you hope to have a vaginal delivery.

So what is appealing about elective cesarean sections to doctors?

• Convenience. They schedule your delivery at a time that's convenient for you and for them.
• The almighty dollar. Yes, physicians get reimbursed more money for cesarean sections than for vaginal deliveries.
• The possibility of less fetal complications (more on this later!)

So what are some concerns about elective cesarean sections to patients?

• Significantly increased risks to the mother.
• Increased blood loss
• Damage to the bowl or bladder
• Increased risk for infection.
• Significantly longer recover time.
• The possibility of different fetal complications (more on this later!)
• Likelihood that all future deliveries will be by cesarean section.
• Probable delayed bonding time with infant.

After having my big, fat baby I was ready to go home! I felt fantastic.

Working as a labor nurse, I have seen many complications from deliveries...and the majority of the serious complications I have seen have been from cesarean sections.

The most frequent complications of having a baby is hemorrhaging (bleeding too much) and from infection.  You are at a greater risk of both after having a cesarean section.  When you have a cesarean section, you lose around 500mls of blood (and it's probably a lot more than that).  When you have a vaginal delivery, you lose about half of that. Bleeding becomes an issue during delivery because many women are anemic.  Being anemic means a lot of things, but for now we'll just say that it means you're more likely to lose more blood.

When you have a c-section, it's a major surgery.  The physician can accidentally cut your bladder or intestines with the knife, something I have not seen often, but I have seen.   Most pregnant women are generally healthy, but when pregnant women have some sort of underlying disease, the complications of cesarean section can be so much more serious.  The women that I have heard of that have died after childbirth, died from complications of surgery...usually from infection or bleeding.

I will add more to this later!

Tired of Toting

I remember being pregnant. My daughter was 9 pounds and 7 ounces, and I remember feeling so big and heavy and tired at the end of my pregnancy. But I didn't know to complain, and I didn't even know it was an option to induce.  It surprises me now, as a nurse, how many people I see that want their baby to come before their due date. Their back hurts, they are uncomfortable, and they are tired.  Labor nurses call it "tired of toting."

I teach prenatal classes to young moms, and I try to remind them that this is the only time they have with this baby during this pregnancy, and you really need to take a step back and try to enjoy every moment.  Believe me, I know how tough it can be...I remember! But know that during a healthy, normal pregnancy, your body is the best place to let a baby grow.

Here is a great article from Healthy Moms & Baby about giving your baby the full forty:

http://www.health4mom.org/a/40_reasons_121611

Eight is too late...

I don't know why I wanted to start a blog. I guess I need an outlet, and since I type 80 words a minute, I thought a blog would be better than a journal. 

I don't know if anyone will ever read this, but in my mind I imagine myself reading my entries a year from now and I think I'd like to remember all the ups and downs of my life as a labor and delivery nurse.

I have been a labor nurse since I graduated nursing school.  My husband is a student, and I'm the only one that works (for now!)  We have a six year old daughter, who is the sweetest, most adaptable child ever.  I want another baby, but my husband doesn't...which sometimes makes being around women giving birth difficult...but I love my job so much I can't imagine doing anything else.

There are so many cool, crazy, weird, wrong, and wonderful things that go on in my world---my world on a labor and delivery unit.  I hope you think that my life as a labor nurse is as interesting and funny as I do!


Until my next delivery, remember....eight is usually too late! (at least for my multigravidas!)