So Angry!!!!

[happy-chick]

c

 

[sarafet]

i was the same. the day after i gave birth 5 mw's were off so they told me they didn't have the staff to sit and help me with latching on etc. i was bottlefeeding by the time we got home

 

[daftscotslass]

It's pretty awful, innit? When it comes to the crunch the midwives often just don't have the time to help you. Our one was all signed up to UNICEF's baby friendly initiative but all they did was push you to breastfeed with next to no help to start you off. The only person who ever helped me (I couldn't even sit up and was on the verge of passing out for most of that night) was a nursing auxilliary who had an interest in breastfeeding but she was only ever in one night. It's thanks to peer supporters etc like you Jo who give up their time for free that more people are being supported

 

[nori]

Thats such a shame.. I really cant complain about my hospital.. they were so good and the support i had afterwards at home was excellent too.. still ended up giving up but that wasnt due to them. If only they were all like mine.

Claire x

 

[peanut1982]

I found this support terrible too. At the Parentcraft classes which were held in the hospital by a midwife from the hospital they went on and on about breastfeeding and about the help and support the midwive's will give you, but in reality the midwive's on the ward don't have time and you're just left too it.
I was bottlefeeding by the time I left hospital too and even then they didn't give any feeding support, just plonked the bottles on my table and left me and hubby to read the label to fathom out what we were doing with them.

 

[MagicMarkers]

Aw my hospital was actually pretty good, on the first night they came round every hour or so seeing how u were getting on checkin ur latch making sure u felt comfortable the lady opposite had been in 3 days becus she didnt wana leave without knowing she had it down n the lady came round at least 4 times while i was in thaty night to reassure her that she was doing everything right, spose its just luck of the draw which hospital u get but it should be standardised definately

 

[MagicMarkers]

Oh and they were really supportive gave me a couple of booklets, and seemed really pleasantly suprised when they asked how i was gunna feed her n i said booby !

 

[1sttimemum]

Can i guess where that is?


i hope she can get some more support from the HV and home vsiting midwives

 

[crackers24]

I was in exactly the same boat. The MW even encouraged me to give Hafu bear a top up. She said if i didnt i wouldnt get any sleep.

In the end i took her advice and gave her a top up at around 4/5 am. From then on baby was on top ups for 2 weeks until i decided that enough was enough and we've been BFing exclusively since then without any help

Aw my hospital was actually pretty good, on the first night they came round every hour or so seeing how u were getting on checkin ur latch making sure u felt comfortable

I wish i had been admitted to a hospital like that.

 

[poppy160]

The only support I got regarding breastfeeding was in the delivery room from the student midwife.

Post-natal ward was complete tripe, they wouldn't discharge me until they'd seen me breastfeeding her..She was too jaundiced and tired to latch on very much, when I did get her to feed I'd call the midwife on my button thingy but they were so busy that by the time they got to me she'd finished

My OH and I worked it out by ourselves in the end.

 

[xmcnickyx]

It is really irritating that it's all breast, breast, breast before you have the baby and then afterward you just get bottles forced on you.

I had one really terrible midwife on shift over the 2 days I started having trouble feeding Molly cos of her jaundice. She shouted at me in front of the whole room, telling me she told me that Molly would get sick if I didn't feed her and I needed to feed her every three hours or she'd get worse. She hadn't tried to help me though, I was obviously struggling. When I said I'd express, she sort of laughed at me and said I'd have to express every 2-3 hours and it'd be hard work and that was about it. I had amazing support from one Care Assistant but if she wasn't there, I felt lost.

I keep remembering things about the days after having Molly that I'd forgotten and I'm so angry at the lack of care we received. All they seemed to care about was writing down how I was feeding Molly and 'calculating her feeds'

Sorry - bit of a rant but it irritates me so much!

 

[kalia]

I was told I had to sit up straight to feed her. I had severe PGP (what used to be called SPD) - so severe I still have to use crutches for stairs - so I could not cope with the pain of sitting up straight. I really think that if we hadn't had such a stupid midwife we would have managed the breastfeeding! As it was it was 5 weeks before I could contemplate sitting up straight and by then it was too late for us.

 

[Steelgoddess]

.

 

[charlotte_]

My hubbys cousin has just had a baby boy (on Tuesday) and is struggling breastfeeding yet is getting no support what so ever, they have given her formula to give him & said keep expressing & they will keep her in until Saturday... Thats it! Thats support?!?!

that's EXACTLY what they did for me, but they gave him the formula without my permission, and i had to ask to see a breastfeedng specialist midwife 4 times, before i saw one, but she was useless too, all she did was get me a pump. no-one showed me how to latch him on, it's ridiculous. now i have to use nipple shields indefinately because he won't take back to my boob. i sort of blame them.

 

[elliej]

i cant cant beleve how little support you get in the uk. breast feeding is recommended constantly by all the pros and yet they try to force formula on you? its disgusting really.
lol, i had so many people trying to fiddle with my boobs when i had my LO, it got quite irritating, but i did get taught everything i needed to know. it was easier for me as i found BFing really easy but if you are stuggling you need all the support you can get
have you got the letch league in the uk? its a breastfeeding support group, they are pretty good for advice.