Surprised
by a Preemie
By Sherri McInnis
Statesville, North Carolina, USA
From NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 13 No. 2, March-April 1996, p. 46
We provide articles
from our publications from previous years for reference for our Leaders and
members. Readers are cautioned to remember that research and medical information
change over time
I thought I had breastfeeding
all figured out until I found myself with a premature infant in the
NICU of a large medical center forty miles from my home. Jillian, our
third baby, was born twelve weeks prematurely and weighed only two pounds
and six ounces at birth. She spent the first seven weeks of her life
in the hospital. Fortunately, she was strong and healthy and adapted
more quickly than I imagined possible to life outside of my womb.
Shortly after the birth,
a friend commented that someone had said to her, "Too bad Sherri won't
be able to nurse the baby." My friend replied that of course I would
breastfeed. If anyone could do it, she knew I would! This vote of confidence
carried me through many dark hours, when I wasn't sure I knew what I
was doing. The one thing I did know was that breastfeeding had been
an integral part of my relationship with my other children, and I simply
could not imagine mothering any other way.
I enlisted the support of
my LLL friends and ordered all of the information that applied to premature
babies. Even before the baby was born I requested a visit from the NICU
lactation consultant so that she could help me devise a plan. I explained
to every nurse and doctor who would listen that my goal was long-term
breastfeeding, that I did not plan to pump my milk just for a little
while and mix it with formula. It was important to me that everyone
who had contact with my baby knew how serious I was and what breastfeeding
meant to us as a family.
There are other valuable
resources available to families of premature babies. I read Kangaroo
Care by Susan M. Ludington-Hoe and Susan Golant and began sharing skin
to skin contact with Jillian as soon as she was stable. I considered
this time as "breastfeeding orientation." Even before she could suckle,
Jillian found great comfort in the warmth and scent of my body, and
she was able to hear my familiar heartbeat. Many of the nurses in NICU
had heard about the benefits of "kangarooing," and they were always
helpful in providing a rocking chair, a privacy screen, warm blankets,
and words of encouragement.
As part of my experience,
I was introduced to some of the breastfeeding equipment which can benefit
mothers in special situations. The day of Jillian's birth I began using
a double electric breast pump every two hours. This regimen helped me
establish a good milk supply and provided lots of fresh milk for Jillian.
I later learned to use an SNS feeding system and rented a gram scale
for home use for about a month. Using all this equipment was sometimes
stressful, but it made the transition to full-time nursing possible
for us.
Aside from all the information
and devices I had at my disposal, I believe the thing that made the
difference between my giving up or following my dream to breastfeed
my new tiny baby was my attitude. I always thought of myself as a nursing
mother. I never gave up the vision of being able to fully nourish my
baby at the breast and enjoy all the closeness of a long-term nursing
relationship.
It was not always easy.
The hospital's policy was that the baby must be able to take all feedings
by nipple before being allowed to come home. Because of the distance
and other children at home to care for, it was impossible for me to
be with Jillian for more than one or two feedings each day. Jillian
was four weeks old when the nurse called, so excited to report that
Jillian had taken her first bottle-feeding. I cried. This was not how
I wanted it to be. I worried she would never learn to breastfeed. But
I continued to do the thing a nursing mother does best--I put my baby
to the breast every chance I had.
My relationship with the
breast pump went on for four months. At times I despised that machine.
But thinking like a nursing mother, it never occurred to me to miss
a "feeding."
Perhaps my greatest and
most joyful challenge began with Jillian's homecoming. When we brought
her home she was still five weeks from her due date and weighed only
three pounds thirteen ounces. It was a matter of life and death that
she take in a certain amount of milk every twenty-four hours. Now I
had the awesome responsibility of not only producing the milk, but making
sure she drank it. I made temporary peace with the idea of giving bottles
and using the SNS, faithfully recording the amount Jillian took at each
feeding. And because I still held fast to my dream of being able to
breastfeed without all the cumbersome equipment, I continued to think
like a nursing mother, and I put my baby to the breast often.
As Jillian grew, I found
time between feeding and pumping to offer her my breast for comfort.
These were sweet moments that inspired me to keep going.
There came a point, around
the time of Jillian's due date, when the pumping/feeding regimen began
to totally exhaust me. She didn't always fall asleep after a feeding,
so by the time I had a chance to pump, she was ready to nurse again.
I realized that it wasn't making sense to offer her my breasts right
after pumping if I wanted her to learn how to get full by nursing. So
with the help of a lactation consultant I was able to make the transition
to complete nursing almost overnight.
By using a gram scale, I
could measure the amount of milk that Jillian took in at the breast.
Often she showed an immature pattern of taking only about 20 ccs, then
resting for a short period and waking hungry again. Because I was feeling
more and more like a nursing mother, I embraced every opportunity to
feed my baby. For us, the frequency of her nursing was a victory, not
a hardship. By keeping Jillian in bed with me at night, I could offer
her lots of time to nurse while at last getting some much needed rest
for myself.
Jillian is now nine months
old, very plump and healthy, and completely breastfed. From this perspective,
the trials we endured seem minimal. When she takes a break from nursing
to look up at me and smile, I have no doubt that the struggle we had
to face to become a happy nursing couple was worth it all.
Saturday, February 11, 2006 4:40 PM
by jlm.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:30:27 UTC 2007.
