St Teresa's, pethidine and breast feeding...

[project pea]

Hi all,

Our first baby is to be due for c-section in mid-September. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience there, are the nurses pro-breast feeding? Also it's my first baby and I'm worried about the baby not latching on and then the nurses feeding her formula milk straight away.

Also does anyone know what brand of formula milk they use? I may get a few cans just in case baby doesn't latch on... Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Also my doctor says he usually gives pethidine during the c-section but I've heard this may make the baby drowsy immediately after birth and difficult to latch on... Any advice?

Many thanks!!

 

[evgreen]

It's best not to give formula in the early days if your goal is to breastfeed. If baby doesn't latch on well, it's best to consult a lactation consultant and express your milk to bottle feed. There are also nipple shields available for certain types of latching problems. You will find it is very difficult to establish your supply if you supplement with formula. Trust your body and takes things in stride if they don't go as planned.

 

[charade]

Current research seems to point to it being best not to give formula if you plan to breastfeed but the situation in Hong Kong is such that if you aren't fortunate enough to be able to deliver at a hospital that cooperates with you, this is something you have to deal with, particularly if you have a c-section. I know people, myself included, who had a c-sec and their babies were given formula and we managed to go on the breastfeed. Ok, in my case, I delivered in a public hospital and my baby was in the special care unit for a day before we was brought up to the nursery where I could breastfeed her...I think they cup-fed, and not bottlefed, formula. But I had been planning to deliver privately at Baptist and I got the sense that they would just bottlefeed. I have a friend in office who delivered twice by c-section at Baptist, her babies were both bottlefed formula initially but she breastfeed very successfully. The thing to do in these hospitals is, once you are able to get off the bed, go to the nursery as much as possible to breastfeed your baby.