Then there’s the issue that sicker babies often have to be formula fed...
Why do you believe this? My son is currently in the NICU (born at 25 weeks), and they push breast-feeding extremely hard, even going as far as to make it sound like negligence if you don’t attempt to breastfeed (due to higher incidences of NEC in premies, among other reasons). Babies whose mothers can’t breastfeed are supplied with donor milk, not formula. When my first son was born (who wasn’t a premie or otherwise sick), the nurses and doctors talked as if it were just a matter of personal preference.
My experience could be unrepresentative though, so I’d love to see some kind of justification for the above-quoted claim.
Sick babies are often too weak to suck much—and this is true even if the baby isn’t sick enough to require a nicu stay. If a baby has to be in the hospital—it can be difficult logistically to breastfeed them, and of course if women aren’t dedicated to it, they won’t maintain milk. My son was required to stay in the nicu for 4 days (for ridiculous reasons—he was fine). I was only allowed to stay in the hospital 2 nights, and I was exhausted and needed to sleep. I ended up allowing them to feed him formula since my milk was slow to come in—no one strongly encouraged me to stay there and breastfeed in the night. I got a 5 minute tutorial on how to use a pump, which was briefly suggested. It’s great that some hospitals are encouraging breastfeeding and providing donor milk to premature babies. I don’t know how universal this is. I know other women who have complained of similar problems I faced.
Why do you believe this? My son is currently in the NICU (born at 25 weeks), and they push breast-feeding extremely hard, even going as far as to make it sound like negligence if you don’t attempt to breastfeed (due to higher incidences of NEC in premies, among other reasons). Babies whose mothers can’t breastfeed are supplied with donor milk, not formula. When my first son was born (who wasn’t a premie or otherwise sick), the nurses and doctors talked as if it were just a matter of personal preference.
My experience could be unrepresentative though, so I’d love to see some kind of justification for the above-quoted claim.
Sick babies are often too weak to suck much—and this is true even if the baby isn’t sick enough to require a nicu stay. If a baby has to be in the hospital—it can be difficult logistically to breastfeed them, and of course if women aren’t dedicated to it, they won’t maintain milk. My son was required to stay in the nicu for 4 days (for ridiculous reasons—he was fine). I was only allowed to stay in the hospital 2 nights, and I was exhausted and needed to sleep.
I ended up allowing them to feed him formula since my milk was slow to come in—no one strongly encouraged me to stay there and breastfeed in the night. I got a 5 minute tutorial on how to use a pump, which was briefly suggested. It’s great that some hospitals are encouraging breastfeeding and providing donor milk to premature babies. I don’t know how universal this is. I know other women who have complained of similar problems I faced.