Not All Hospitals are Baby Friendly... My Experience as a Labor & Delivery Nurse
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- čas přidán 8. 02. 2024
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Never heard of this! I would say the hospital I delivered at was "mom-friendly" lol. Everyone was so so kind to me when I was having the most traumatic experience of my life. The staff was always concerned for me as well as baby and did everything they could to take care of both of us. And that even meant taking baby to the nursery for a few hours so I could sleep! They also gave baby a binky without even asking me lol which was fine with me. Next time I don't know that I would choose to do the same things but that is just based on my experience ❤❤
I have so much to say about this! I have delivered twice- first time at a Baby Friendly hospital, second time not. The first time I labored for 72 hours before they called it and gave me a c-section. Exhausted does not even begin to cover how I felt. It was an excruciating experience. I was never fond of the idea of breastfeeding but it was heavily pushed. I had not slept in over 48 hours by the time my baby was born, and as you know it is impossible to get sleep in a hospital, much less so one that does not have a nursery and does not provide any kind of direct support with babies. I had really bad baby blues after this experience. I dreaded feeding my baby because I truly hated breastfeeding. I feel I didn’t start to bond with my baby until she was 3 or so weeks old and I gave up breastfeeding.
My second baby was born 7 years later, just two months ago in a hospital without the Baby Friendly designation. He was a scheduled c-section. I exclusively formula fed him from the start, and the nurses were eager to help us with anything. No one even once questioned my decision to formula feed. They brought in premade formula and were wonderful about checking in for anything we needed. I actually never ended up needing or wanting to send my baby to the nursery, but it was there if we had needed it. I felt a bond with my baby within the first few hours, and when the baby blues hit me it wasn’t despair I felt, but rather deep emotional joy and an awareness that those days were so so precious. He is now 8 weeks old and I’ve loved every moment with him.
I seriously attribute my birth experience with both babies as the foundation for how I managed during the newborn phase. The cascading effects of a traumatic birth are not to be taken lightly. I would never choose to deliver at a Baby Friendly hospital for this reason again. It is far more beneficial, in my view, for moms to be supported first and foremost. When moms’ health and decisions are respected and looked after, they are leagues ahead in their ability to care for their babies. Respect mothers and trust they are making the best decision for their and their babies’ wellbeing! Discouraging formula feeding or pacifiers and not providing support for physically depleted mothers does not set them up for success.
I just delivered 7 weeks ago at a baby friendly hospital. My nurses were amazing, and I felt very informed with every decision made. However, in saying that, I did experience the negative side of their breastfeeding policies. My baby wasn't getting enough from me, and instead of giving my baby an ounce of formula to help the lactation consultant became very passive aggressive. She acted like I wasn't feeding correctly. She would 'correct' the latch, but when my baby continued to cry, she acted as if what was happening was normal. I felt very bullied, and I was in tears when the nurses would leave the room. I kept telling my husband I just wanted a bottle to give her. I was never aware that I could request formula for my baby. My discharge papers even stated that they would give up to an ounce for babies that were not receiving what they needed from Mom, but that was not my experience. As soon as we got home, my husband grabbed some formula. I fed her, and our girl was a different baby. I was so upset and discouraged that we kept formula feeding because I felt inadequate and unprepared.
Some moms plain do Not give enough Milk, No way around that and WE absolutely should Not stigmatise that!!
Yeah Brest Milk IS best Milk, but there IS nothing wrong with using formula of needed!!!
To be fair a lot of mums think they don’t have enough milk when they absolutely do. For your milk to come the baby has to feed a lot and it is completely normal to have phases where the baby is crying from hunger because they’re boosting your production. They want to feed non stop for a few hours to a few days (also happens later at around 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months,…) and it is positively exhausting while it is happening but then your body catches up and your milk supply changes and everything is back to normal.
I'm in the UK so it might be different, I don't know if it was baby friendly or not because I was breastfeeding anyway but I do remember pressing the buzzer that night (I delivered at 9pm) for "silly" reasons like "How do I get him out of his crib?" and "How do I burp him?" (I had no prior experience with other people's babies) and when I apologised the nurse told me to ring that buzzer as much as I need to because it's better to learn now than when I'm on my own at home. I don't think they are allowed to remove the baby if you need to sleep but they will stay with you to support you
Very true about the “not baby friendly” hospitals still being great. The baby friendly hospital in my area was out of network with my insurance, so i went to the “non baby friendly” one, but we still got the golden hour and everything i wanted. For moms who are nervous about wanting to use a binky, use formula, etc without judgement, i would have felt extremely comfortable at my hospital with that, they asked very unbiased and then supported my breastfeeding journey ❤
I gave birth at a baby-friendly certified hospital at the beginning of this year. So he roomed-in with me, all testing, vaccinations, etc. were done in the room so he was there constantly. I didn't ask for him to be taken out for a break, partly because I was fortunate enough to have support (partner and my mother), but I know the nursery option was available if needed. I was happy with the baby-friendly aspects of the hospital because going in, they put forth what I already wanted to do. I did have a follow-up with the lactation specialist I saw in the hospital 5 weeks post, and due to difficulties with painful latching, she recommended pumping and bottle-feeding and supplementing with formula if needed. I was not made to feel less-than for bringing up formula in context of returning to work.
Never heard of this. However. Thinking back when my SIL had her second, she had a difficult C- Section and was very uncomfortable, but the nurses made light of her, and the laction nurse was zero helpful. They never gave her a break to sleep.
I was wondering about this!! I delivered at St Josephs in phx and wondered why no one offered to take the baby for a few hours when the staff was so so sweet and my labor and delivery nurse and midwife were amazing! Makes so much sense because they practice and push for womens to have natural labor and delivery and encourage breastfeeding! Thanks for answering my question!
Thank you for explaining! My babies had ties which made my BF experience pretty difficult. For my second, I brought my expensive European formula with me and bottles in case I had to bottle feed as a backup. I had to sign a consent form and the nurses tried to make me feel bad about my decision. I knew it was the best option since my first dropped a ton of weight and was barely getting any milk. It makes more sense now watching your video so thanks!
Twice now I’ve given birth at a baby friendly hospital and both times the night nurse has offered to take the baby for a few hours the first night to allow me to get sleep. She brought them back when they were ready to feed but having a break knowing night two cluster feeding was coming our way was amazing. It was a nice balance between baby and mom friendly. With my second they also did the car seat test and a few other extra tests during that time so we could get discharged as early as possible.
I gave birth at a baby friendly hospital and hated it. I had a difficult birth and was in there for several days and would have loved to have someone take the baby to a nursery for just a couple of hours every so often so I could of rested, especially when they had me on a magnesium drip. I was back in the hospital with more complications a week later and left the baby at home with grandma even though they were strongly encouraging me to keep the baby with me 24/7.
I had a WONDERFUL experience delivering my second, except when I asked for some formula on the second night because even though I had enough colostrum my nipples were not used to being suckled and were super raw. I just wanted a few hours break. I reassured the nurses that I had an oversupply with my first and I planned on combo feeding anyway, yet I feel like all the medical personnel I talked to to get the formula were disappointed in me
When my daughter had my grandson i stayed with her in the hospital. They usually leave the baby in the room all the time. He didn't sleep at night. I walked rhe floor with him so did mom. After 2 nights with no sleep the nurse took him for 2 hrs to let us both sleep. I am really thankful for that nurse.
Something I found so hard when I had us that I said I was planning to breast feed and my son wasn't latching. He's screaming for milk and they refused to give us formula because he had the box marked off for breast feeding. My husband had to go home to get my pump so I could pump milk for him instead. And then the nurses got mad when he went to the gift shop and bought a pack of binky because he wanted something to suckle when he wasn't feeding. I understand they wanted me to get the hang of feeding him directly from my breast but it just never happened for us and I wound up exclusively pumping for 5 months which worked out perfectly.
I had a similar experience my 3rd child wanted to nurse constantly, as in 24/7. I was raw sore and bleeding by day 2, and I was an RN and had successfully nursed 2 other children previously for a year each, so it wasn't inexperience. My other 2 kids did not take a binky. I had my husband bring some up to the hospital and the nurses were not happy about it. Very concerned with nipple confusion. That child was not confused at all, he was just a very oral kid, everything went into his mouth. He nursed and grew wonderfully. He is now a 200# 30 y.o. underwater construction diver. LOL. Mom's don't let anyone, be it Drs or nurses make you feel bad. I just wanted to get out of the fn hospital so I could do what I felt was right with out a bunch of judgemental nurses charting on my methods.
@jenm6836 Yes, that is ridiculous, surely if the baby is getting enough milk and nursing fine, there is obviously no confusion at all.
I had an amazing experience at a baby friendly hospital versus the non baby friendly hospital. I chose to formula feed the second time around because of my mental health and had issues with breastfeeding with my first baby. The baby friendly hospital respected my decision and yes they did ask if I was aware of what I doing but not in a negative way. The staff was awesome. However the non baby friendly one wasn’t very helpful at all and wouldn’t give me formula and nurses were rude
Oh my goodness that would have been miserable for me and my kids. I found out with my oldest that I have mammary hypoplasia (my mammary glands are not developed correctly and mostly missing) I cannot produce nearly enough to feed a baby. My kids would be miserable, and so would I!
Did they check baby for tounge tie? That's what it sounds like.
Both times delivered at baby friendly. First time they did not care about baby friendly and were super happy I accepted formula for my daughter due to low blood sugar…second time was twins and a c section….lactation consultant comes in chirping about breast feeding in OR (I was about to cross rainbow bridge in OR) and something about nipple confusion and refusing to give nipples for bottles of formula.
I personally wouldn't want my baby leaving the room even with a nurse. I get it, but a nurse shouldn't get or look offended if a new mom needs a nurse to hold the baby for a couple minutes to do something. I would also tell the nurse wanting me to sign something that basically is saying you're incompetent to stuff it. 🤷♀️
As an attorney, my biggest question is what is the purpose of signing a “consent” form? Just to prove the information was given?
Additionally, it feels like this kind of hospital is shaming women would are choosing not to/are unable to breastfeed. Fed babies are best. No shaming allowed for such a personal choice.
She said the form is to acknowledge you were educated about what the best options are and thay you are choosing not to follow them. This is more so if something goes wrong you can't say it was the hospital's fault for not informing you
We didn't have a choice on where to deliver, only one hospital in our city has a maternity ward. When I had my children, the practice of midwifery or having a doula was not available. I didn't get much guidance from the nurses with my first- I had a c-section with both, my first went to the NICU, and I don't recover well from anesthesia. They left a pamphlet on my bedside table about the NICU, and they may have told me while I was throwing up, but I really don't remember. It was 13 hours after having my first that I was actually able to see her and hold her, other than briefly in the operation room. I knew better how to advocate for myself with #2, though she didn't go to the NICU. But no nipple confusion for my oldest- she was fed formula in the NICU, and given a soother, but she latched on immediately when I finally got time with her and breastfed without issues.
I understand nipple confusion and that’s it’s real, but tbh I don’t think it will make or break breastfeeding. My daughter is only breast fed and for the first 4-5 months of her life we utilized a pacifier with no issues of confusion!
I agree, I think if there was any confusion, it would be temporary on the babies part, with some gentle guidance from Mom babies are pretty quick to catch on.
I am asking myself, how that really happens. I had to additionally give formula to my baby in the first 5 weeks once in a while, because my body was catching up too slowly with increasing the supply. Was the same with my older kid. Of course I did that with a bottle. Alternative would have been a feeding supplementer. But I think a lot of moms do that at the beginning for various reasons, like kid wouldn't latch, or always fall asleep while breast feeding etc. So yeah I think with pacifiers it is the same story?! And I absolutely believe that too much exhaustion and sleep deprivation also restricts milk supply. At least that was my experience...So at some point I did almost everything just to get some sleep!?
I think it depends on the particular dyad. I was told a nipple shield could cause issues but I had the hungriest, most determined baby. I produced well and had good support at home, so I wasn't too concerned. By the time we tried a paci and a bottle she wasn't having either at all. I just had to make it work
We were worried about nipple confusion but ended up giving our first baby a pacifier her first night at home because she wouldn’t stop crying otherwise. When we took her to the pediatrician the next morning, he literally gave us a thumbs up and told us nipple confusion is a myth. The problems I had with breastfeeding her early on happened before we offered a pacifier and we quickly got through them even after offering her the pacifier. I sometimes think the pacifier may have even helped solve the issues, as if she needed practice sucking.
My daughter was recommended to use a binki at two days old to strengthen her sucking and latching muscles when I breastfed her. It worked and she breastfeeds great. I do not let her have the binki to hush her up, she only gets the binki after a feed to help her with her acid reflux. If she is sucking on the binki after the feed, she avoids choking on her puke. So no nipple confusion, just good results of myscle building and muscle memory
I’m not sure what my hospital was but I did at one point beg the nurse to take the baby away so I can get a good nap after not sleeping for over 30 hours and they happily obliged and let me get a good rest. Was much needed.
I had my first at a hospital that wasn’t baby-friendly and my second at a hospital that was. The experience at the baby-friendly hospital was 1000% better. They were clearly better trained, more supportive, and more compassionate. I wanted to breastfeed and thankfully didn’t have too difficult of a time. That being said I would hope all mothers were treated the same regardless of how they chose to feed their babies.
I delivered my babies at 2 different baby friendly hospitals in 2 different cities. We had no forms we had to sign for formula or for pacifiers. We also had the option if we needed to to have a nurse take our baby it just wasn't required. I kept my baby the whole time in our room and babg literally never left that room as they did all the newborn tests there also. The big thing that made those baby friendly was the options we had and that both had full lactation wings and milk banks attatched to the floor if we chose to use them. But from formula to pacifiers to needing a 2 hr nap if you didnt want skin to skin etc none of it was a big deal and you were just kindly educated on it as the options were given.
What do you call a hospital that doesn't help you with breastfeeding and also doesn't help with your baby 😬
Thanks for the update 😊🙏
Had an emergency c section with my second kid. It was traumatizing but even more so when the nurse we had was actually mean to me. My bf saw it too that was 24 years ago next month. I'll never forget. Not a good hospital to deliver at for sure.
When I was born my mom couldn't breast feed because her milk was contaminated. There are some others that have no choice but formula feed.
I honestly feel like “baby friendly” initiatives treat mothers like they are too dumb to grasp nuance with breastfeeding. With my first baby I was exhausted. He was a preemie and struggled to latch. In the name of “baby friendly” I was pushed to keep trying and pumping. Sleep? Ha! Who needs that? Just keep trying to breastfeed! I was so exhausted and I was told the nursery was for procedures only. It was awful. He wouldn’t suck so the lactation consultant had us practice feeding him pumped colostrum with a tiny cup. It felt like waterboarding a preemie. So much was wasted and spilled. At some point after we got home and after much stress with pumping and cup feeding, my husband got out a bottle of ready made formula. He put one of those disposable nipples on it, and for the first time since birth my son was full and content! I also noticed exhaustion and stress killed my milk supply. Sometimes a bottle of formula gave me the rest I needed to keep producing milk. The most baby friendly thing is to make sure mom is sleeping and eating enough she can actually produce the milk. I breastfed over a year and donated to the milk bank. A little formula wasn’t the end of the world! But the pressure I was feeling to breastfeed did NOT help. Sometimes I wanted to quit simply because I felt too pressured.
I toured another hospital with a fancy new maternity wing. The hospital had a public open house before that wing was put into use. I asked if they would have a nursery as an option. The nurse leading the tour said “Why would you want to be away from your baby?!” As if I had asked how to best neglect my child. I decided not to deliver at that hospital in the future. It was more of “baby friendly” feeling very mom-unfriendly.
With my 2nd child I brought ready to feed bottles and disposable nipples along in my hospital bag. I used both formula and breast milk in the hospital and also breastfed for over a year. I don’t think the hospital liked that I brought in formula, but I really did not care by that point. I wanted a fed, rested baby.
With baby 3 I produced well enough to not need formula. But I had some around just in case. I do also think by #3 I could breastfeed without even really thinking about it. The habit was so ingrained and I produced more milk more quickly. Baby #3 was born at a hospital that did not seem to have the “baby friendly” initiative. I found their laid-back (but very helpful when needed) approach to be just right.
There is just so much nuance to the right combination of minimizing mom’s stress, helping her heal, and giving the baby what he or she needs. I would like to see hospital initiatives that recognize there can be a spectrum of formula, pacifier, breastfeeding, etc. to maximize mom and baby’s comfort and rest. Everything has pros and cons, even breastfeeding! Being flexible by viewing these components both apart and in combination on a spectrum might help moms breastfeed more in the long run.
Also, formula companies give hospitals that are not designated baby friendly 1/2 off formula. That made me so mad. My first child baby friendly hospital: chest to chest right away; my second not baby: friendly didn’t have chest to chest right away. I wish I knew this before hand with my second child
My hospital was baby-friendly and offered support when I said I wanted to breastfeed. The lactation consultant answered my questions, taught hands-on, gave support phone numbers for when we got home.
I delivered at baby friendly hospital. I am fortunate that it was a wonderful experience and the hospital was great-but not because it was “baby friendly”. I also really dislike that name. Luckily I didn’t have difficulty breastfeeding till about month 3, weeks eventually switched to formula, but all the push around breastfeeding even afterwards was unhelpful towards my emotional health and the mom I wanted to be. We just ended up in a situation later where constant nursing and pumping wasn’t letting me connect with my baby the way I wanted and it would have been impossible to ever leave my baby with a sitter without formula. I question if the evidence is really as strong as they claim also. I think the term baby friendly is manipulative-but it sounds so important it’s going to get entrenched. It should be “breastfeeding priority” not “baby friendly.”
I had never heard of this before but it makes so much sense now.
I have two babies born in different states. My fist was born in Southern Georgia, 41w, induction, healthy (etc) she only left the room for an hour for screening the 4 days we were in the hospital. The nurses never asked to take her and they just kind of let us do our thing and only came by occasionally.
My son was completely different. He was diagnosed T21 after birth but he was born almost 39w at 5lb 13oz so I understand there was concern. However, he was otherwise healthy happy, a little trouble with latch, but those nurses were in our room about every 2 hour wanting to take him to the nursery. He wasn't crying I was in good health. Eventually I said yes just so they'd leave us alone for a little but the whole time I hated it. I'm not sure if it was the concern he might be t21 or what but it was all over just a weird experience. They also never offered me water or a drink the 2½ days we were there, just a lil paper cup to take my pills.
Definitely prefer the baby friendly hospital experience.
I delivered at 2 different hospitals in the same “network of care” I don’t know if they were baby friendly certified or whatever but one had a nursery that my oldest went to for maybe an hour and at the other a nurse took my youngest for maybe two hours while she charted. I was lucky and all my babies breastfed easily and with my oldest I asked for a pacifier. When hospital staff would see it they’d say, “oh you have a pacifier,” but that’s it. I know nipple confusion is a thing but all three of mine have easily gone from breast, to paci, to bottle without very little issues. I would have felt like a failure 3 hours into being a mom had I had to sign something like that. Parenting is hard enough 😢
I have 4 I delivered one at a different hospital and they never took the baby but with the other hospital I had my other 3 at were soooo helpful and even took baby overnight for me to get some sleep
Thanks for this explanation I never knew that I delivered at a baby friendly hospital. First babe I begged for some formula because she had latched and tried to nurse like every hour. I know what they say and I am educated in breast feeding. The nurse refused said I needed an order for formula. At shift change that am nurse came in wanted to know why baby and I were both in tears and neither one had slept all night. She went and brought me a whole case of the mini formulas maybe 6-8 in it. Baby drunk about and ounce and we got to sleep about four hours. They even pushed back my discharge to let us rest. First baby used a pacifier and drunk some formula but still went on to be breast fed for months. Second baby same hospital must have had added to or changed rules because they would not even weigh baby after birth said she would have to do all the documentation on why I refused the skin to skin for an hour. Like uhm really. One thing was baby was so far up on my chest he was under my neck. I felt like I was holding him for dear life while the nurses suction him and did all the things to him. I could hear his laryngomalacia as soon as he came out without know what it was. Just knowing he had like a wet breathing like sound. Asked nurse to suction multiple times lol cause I thought he had more fluid and mucus somewhere but that's besides the point. I was just very uncomfortable holding him under my neck because I thought he was going to fall and I couldn't even see his face. I felt like I was forced to do that. Taking him to the crib thing for a minute would not have caused any distress or damage to our bonding or breast feeding. I was prepared and brought my own formula for him. Still breast fed for months. He had a pacifier as well.
Under my chin like right on my neck I should say*
I gave birth in the birthing suite and the nurses there were amazing! I slept the first night in the birthing suite and my nurse told me “you have a good night sleep tonight, don’t worry about baby I will do all the feeds and make sure baby is ok, you just rest” I loved that especially because when I was in labour I got no sleep at all. For the second night I was transferred to postpartum ward and I was told the nurses there are supposed to help with breast feeding, bottle feeding, and general care of baby. That night me and my boyfriend dreaded it, we had no help at all, baby was restless and we complained to one of nurses as it was our first baby and we were struggling. The nurse then said to us “yeah this ward gets pretty hectic, the nurses have to help a lot of mums and they get so stressed and will not help other mums”. I am from Australia so that’s my experience
I wasn’t even aware there was hospitals that did things different I delivered all my four babies at the same hospital and each time the second I had them they were with me the entire time they didn’t offer help ❤
First baby needed surgery after it was baby friendly and they didnt want the baby having formula while i was out out under anesthesia. My husband bless him handed the baby to nurse left bought formula at cvs and fed him
I think sometimes common sense goes out the window. The mom is the patient as well…. Sometimes that can be forgotten. How is tending to a baby 24/7 and not being able to send it to the nursery for a bit friendly for the mom. Mom needs rest as well. I think sometimes it can go to extremes.
I had both my births at two different baby friendly hospital. With my first born, I was given the option of sending my baby to the nursery for a couple hours (between feedings) both nights and I utilized that option. What actually surprised me the most was going from the almost constant nurse support for me during labor to what felt like almost nothing after birth. I had bad PPA and ended up basically yelling at my daughter’s pediatrician in the morning “are you my nurse because I am not okay”.
My second was twins that went to the Nicu, and I remember they brought a pump to my room immediately, which I wanted, but no one told me how to use it, like how long, what settings. And my firstborn was ebf so I had no clue what I was doing.
My mom had 4 kids and my sister had 3. Both breastfed and used binkies and never had any issues with nipple confusion. I'm sure it can happen with some babies, but obviously not always since right there are 7 kids and not a single one had any issue with that. All were breastfed for at least a year. My sister even exclusively breastfed twins and had extra milk. She could have exclusively breastfed triplets 😂
I delivered all four of my babies at the same hospital. Somewhere over the six years, they got baby friendly certified. Definitely for the last two. Maybe for the second baby. Can’t remember. But I breastfed all the babies so never felt “less than” because of their policy. They offer formula to mamas who want it. You do have to ask for it though.
at my hospital, we never take baby from the room except to do labs on baby and im pretty sure there's no nursery just a nicu (im a tech and i get floated to the mother/baby unit occasionally so im not 100% sure if there is a nursery but i haven't seen one). however, breastfeeding and formula are both ok and they don't push for one over the other or do any type of shaming for formula feeding. if anything we're kind of pushing formula since we're told to make sure they have enough formula when we're passing out water and stocking the rooms with diapers, wipes, and pads. i always thought the reason we don't take baby from the room is bc of safety reasons nowadays (you kno the horror stories of babies getting switched at hospitals back in the day) AND bc it's the mother's baby so it's her responsibility to take care of her kid now that it's born like basically the mindset of you might as well get used to it now while you're in the hospital and there's still help around bc when you go home you're on your own. i understand it's a lot to go through giving birth and then immediately having to start taking care of another human being but that's just the way it works. you got a kid now and ideally (hopefully) you have a partner there helping too
I exclusively breastfed both my babies for 2.5 years. I was absolutely unable to sleep in the hospital and the first kid was with me in the room the whole time. I was so tired!!! The second time around I knew better, I sent him to the nursery and I got some sleep. It was so much more pleasant having had a few hours rest, and we still nurses for 2.5 years. I think moms should have the option to choose.
I gave birth at a regular Hospital, and my biggest complaint was that I felt like formula was actually really pushed on me. I really wanted to breastfeed and i had one nurse say "her bite isn't right she'll never latch" I had one breastfeeding consultant tell me to do things one way and when I followed that, a different one came in and told me I was doing it all wrong. In the end I never got the breastfeeding experience I wanted, the nurses really shattered my confidence. I pumped and supplemented for 6 months until I couldn't produce anymore.
Ugh. Formula is just as good as breast milk!!!
I wish I knew what a baby friendly hospital was before I gave birth this past year. The nurses and doctors at the hospital were amazing, but I had so many complications that I wish they made me feel okay giving formula and not breastfeeding (my milk was so late coming in because of everything I had going on). Plus I wish I went to a non baby friendly hospital so I could have recuperated a bit at night and had the nurses watch my daughter for a bit so I could have went home as planned (stayed at the hospital a week after giving birth because of complications). Thankfully I am seven months out, no complications, and my daughter is a happy, healthy formula fed baby. Feeling forced to breastfeed was terrible. I wanted to breastfeed, but with how things happened with the birth, I wish I felt like I could have done formula or felt like I had the option.
Idk if the hospital i was at was designated baby friendly or not but they wouldn't use my frozen breastmilk even though it was less than 6months old, gave formula without checking if our family had a history of food sensitivities and gave a paci without checking with me first. It almost felt like they didn't think they needed to check with me because baby was in the NICU (only for 5 days) due to malposition and I was in postpartum due to the emergency C-section. Though they were wonderful and kind it did kinda feel like i wasnt consuled because i was "out of sight, out of mind"....
I'm a first time mom, i didn't know about "baby-friendly hospitals" so i don't know...... But i did both formula and binky at the hospital ..... No one told me why that's bad????? Now i have to Google it 😩😩😩 although, i don't do binky anymore because he has 3 teeth now and i don't want it to mess with his teeth.. but i didn't know that it's bad even when they don't have teeth
I absolutely loved delivering at a baby-friendly hospital both times. It was also a Catholic hospital which is very important to me. I plan to go back again and again. The only thing I regretted was actually saying yes when the nurse offered to take my first baby out of the room because I was exhausted felt rude saying no 😂
I was very pro breastfeeding, so i was grateful for the access and support
Do you feel the same way when moms are asked to sign forms saying they’re putting their kids at risk when they forego the Heb B, Vitamin K shot, or metabolic testing?
That's quite a different situation, and you know it. Refusing vitamin K and the newborn screen, in particular, can have devastating consequences. Giving a binky or formula does not.
Why are they so aggressive about breast feeding? Like if a mom is neutral on her feelings on it or doesn’t want to breast feed is the benefit THAT great? It seems so minor. Like fed is best.
I love your necklace! Where is it from?
I delivered at a baby friendly hospital great experience! They asked if I ever wanted or needed rest they were there. Pumped with my first and a lactation specialist comes in and goes over everything with or if you have trouble they will help. Don't be shy your not there first patient or last 😂 my other daughter I formula feed from day one, same hospital 9 years later nobody gave me there two cents on what I was doing. The people who did put there opinions or asked or judged what I was doing was other mom's 🤔🤨 if your not having the baby back off🤨🤣
I plan on becoming a NICU nurse and have found these videos interesting!
I assume my hospital I delivered in was baby friendly. It took me having a mental breakdown and bursting into tears for them to even suggest the nursery for a few hours. Didn't even know it was an option. So after 72 hrs of being awake with no sleep, I said praise God, I needed sleep!
Had my last one at a "baby friendly" hospital. I was in tears and they still wouldn't take the baby. "Sorry, we don't really take babies to the nursery " as they back out of the room and close the door, leaving me all alone with a baby after a c-section. I could barely get out of bed! The lactation consultants were horrible as well. Baby friendly? Maybe. Mother friendly- absolutely not. I saw a picture of a 50s era hospital recently that had the baby's bassinet affixed to the wall like a drawer. Except it went through the wall, to nurses on the other side so Baby could easily be sent to the nursery at night, for testing etc. Without disturbing Mother's sleep. It's like they think we don't need to recover!
How can you tell if a hospital is baby friendly? I delivered my 4th at a hospital and am currently planning to have my 6th at the same hospital (other babies were home births) but with my 4th he went straight to the NICU because of meconium aspiration so I have no idea what it would have been like had he been fine. I don't even remember seeing a nursery there other than the NICU but I wasn't exactly wandering the halls either so idk.
They'll often say on their website. It's usually a point of pride.
I worked newborn nursery at a hospital that was becoming baby friendly. It did do a lot of good at this facility (some of their previous practices were...old-fashioned...to say the least), but it was frustrating to not be able to offer exhausted moms a break. Baby-friendly implementation became associated with an increase in baby drops from exhausted moms (I can't tell you how many times I pulled a baby from the bed with both mom and baby asleep-- in another hospital in the state at that time, a baby got trapped between the bed rail and the mattress and didn't make it).
If I had a choice, I probably wouldn't choose to give birth in a baby-friendly hospital. Some places are just far too militant about pacifiers and formula.
Yes, at our hospital - baby friendly - we have had an increase in mother’s dropping their babies or falling asleep with them and dropping them. One infant had a fractured skull.
The hospital I had my first, was supposedly baby friendly & strongly discouraged breastfeeding. Laughed at me for wanting to try.
I understand being "baby friendly" and I'm thankful when hospitals support breastfeeding versus pushing formula, AND I understand the policy of keeping baby with mom. I also understand the safety policy of not allowing baby to co-sleep with mom; however, I have also been in the position of the other thing that can happen which is an exhausted mom who hasn't slept in 48 hours and is trying to nurse a constantly suckling newborn whilst healing and utterly exhausted and entertain guests and be careful not to bare my entire breast in front of my FIL. (Anyone else experience how impossible it is to successfully latch a rooting, hangry newborn with one hand and holding a cover up with the other??) I was ignorantly asked why I was so tired... did the baby not sleep last night? No, he didn't... as soon as he hits that little bassinet, he screams. I finally disobeyed policy and slept with him on my chest; a nurse chided me and I explained, and she asked what # of baby this was for me. "#3"... she said, Ok.. and left the room. I really appreciated the nurse who offered to take my baby for an hour or two so I could sleep at night, but then I felt so guilty.
I think my hospital was baby friendly. They asked me if I wanted to keep the baby in the room. The only time she left was when they gave her a bath. And I was still nervous lol. Next time, I dont know if I'll let them take the baby
Fed is best, however mom chooses to do it.
Getting nervous about this. 😅
That is interesting. How do you find out if your hospital is "baby friendly"? I am 35 weeks pregnant and going to have my first ❤
usually hospitals like to brag about it so probably on their website somewhere where their accomplishments or mission statement is. If you go into it like your trying to prepare for an interview or see if u wana work at that hospital you will probably find it.
All that was said sounds more like baby UNFRIENDLY to me
I was at a Baby Friendly. You have to wake up the doctor at 2 am to ask for an order just so baby gets some formula cuz mom’s milk is not in.
I think that’s perfectly reasonable to sign a form that you understand the risks. I think it would make me feel good that I’m doing the right thing for my baby because I’ve weighed the pros and cons and although the risks are still there, there’s risks with everything and it shows I truly made an informed decision.
I am pretty sure the hospital I gave birth in twice was not baby friendly (just from what you’re explaining) and yet I still felt veryyyy pushed to breastfeed. My kids were over 9 pounds each and I had to have c sections which hindered the whole breastfeeding journey. And the lactation consultant, while helpful, was also a bit too pushy in my opinion, so I can’t even imagine how an extremely emotional and exhausted mom must feel signing a waiver that formula isn’t the best. As if we all don’t know that already 🙄. I am in no way against baby friendly hospitals but it should not come at the expense of becoming a “mother unfriendly hospital” in return.
My opinion is that the woman doesn’t matter at all. I felt like a literal cow in the hospital giving birth. And I work with cattle. We are treated like cows or worse as women.
“Baby Friendly” sounds harsh and judgemental. WOW! Never heard of this but this sounds very odd.
Ngl this sounds very right-wing. Y'know, obsessed with control and not so much with facts. Seems to follow the logic of "you're giving birth wrong if u use an epidural." Except this time there are receipts of "mishandling" of "the baby's needs." Yeah, I'm sure that baby drafted a 3 page contract in the time it took the birth-giver to produce milk. Because that's what the baby needed at that time - a contract, not sustenance.
It's "right wing" to try to tee
-up the mother/baby relationship for success? OK cool.
I definitely delivered in one of these baby friendly hospitals with both of my kids… baby never left my room at all and I 100% loved it and loved that they really pushed for breastfeeding, delayed cord clamping and immediate skin to skin 🤍🤍🤍