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During one of my shifts on postpartum I was helping a nurse look after a mom with her first baby. She really wanted to be able to breastfeed but she was having a lot of troubles getting her baby to latch on. It was a Saturday and there was no lactation consultant working who could come in to help her. Her baby was also small for gestational age, so she did have risk for hypoglycemia, making it really important for her baby to be feeding to ensure her blood sugars would not drop. After each attempt at breastfeeding and being unsuccessful, the mom would look very upset. The nurse tried to help her by showing her different breastfeeding positions and techniques and teaching her to express her milk and put it in the baby’s mouth. The
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Mothers who feel like they have successfully mastered the task of breastfeeding are associated with an increased duration of breastfeeding at six months (Kingston, Dennis, & Sword, 2007; McGarter-Spaulding & Gore, 2009; Wilheml, Rodehorst, Stepans, Hertzog, & Berens, 2008). However, Buxton et al. (1991) reported that mothers with low confidence related to their ability to breastfeed stop breastfeeding within the first week postpartum and were twice as likely to discontinue breastfeeding within 2 months compared to mothers who were more confident. One of the major decision factors causing mothers to discontinue breastfeeding is a deterioration and lack of breastfeeding confidence (Blyth, Creedy, Dennis, Moyle, Pratt, & Vries, 2002). I had empathized with the patient because she truly looked helpless and seemed to have a lack of confidence. For the short duration that her baby would latch on, the mother looked very happy with a radiant smile. You could tell she really wanted to breastfeed and tried really hard but she did not know the techniques to it and needed a lot of help and guidance but seemed quite shy to ask for help or to see if she was doing it …show more content…
After seeing this mother, doing the research and seeing how valuable breastfeeding teaching really is, I realized that my preconception related to breastfeeding was way off and my respect for mothers who try to breastfeed and continue to try throughout difficulties without giving up has increased substantially. It is so important to encourage a mother and help her out through the difficulties and challenges she faces through breastfeeding. It may help the mother to know that she is not alone and breastfeeding difficulties are quite common in the beginning but it gets easier with time. I feel that I have learned a lot about breastfeeding difficulties and techniques after being able to go in with a lactation consultant and doing this reflection. I have found that there are many valuable resources for the breastfeeding mother. At the time of this situation, I did not know there was a breastfeeding clinic and a number that you could call if you had any questions, which would really benefit my patient or any patient with breastfeeding questions. It is quite unfortunate that a lactation consultant was not working on Saturday because this mom could have really benefit from one. However, there is healthy and home, a community health division, with workers who are able to help with breastfeeding, including lactation consultants and are able to
In conclusion, postpartum depression is now widely recognized as distinct from short-term “baby blues” anxiety. Rather than hiding their symptoms from embarrassment and shame, women can now confidently seek treatment, especially important since postpartum depression have a negative effect on both mother and infant. For this reason, it is so important to identify risk factors, and provide prompt treatment to mothers suffering from postpartum depression. Treatment options that include therapy, and occasionally antidepressants or herbal supplements, are successful in treating this disorder. For mothers who want to approach treatment in a more natural way, breastfeeding combined with exercise has been proven to reduce the effects of postpartum depression.
Procreation is basic to life and reality. Originally, mothers never had a choice of whether to breastfeed their infants or not. Mothers breastfed their infants. This gave moms the ability to care for and sustain their infants whenever nursing was needed. Advantages of breastfeeding are for the children, mothers, and the economy. Cultures differ from place to place because we live in a very diverse world. Indeed, a few cons to breastfeeding are generally sincere beliefs. One con about nursing in broad daylight is nursing can cause other individuals in the surrounding area to feel uncomfortable. Some think a woman showing cleavage during a nursing session can conjure up the same thoughts as a woman in a seductive outfit, while several assorted
Some people don't particularly like seeing a woman breastfeed. It makes them feel "uncomfortable". Woman are asked to leave the room or to stop breastfeeding by those who feel uncomfortable. Breasts are viewed as sexual items rather than a natural way of providing nutrients and comfort for a child. Some people are against public breastfeeding because they don't want to explain what is going on to their child. Woman are often told that their child is to old to be breastfed. It is no ones business but the mothers how...
Breastfeeding is best for mom too. Increased levels of oxytocin stimulate postpartum uterine contractions, reducing blood loss and encouraging uterine contractions. From 3 months to 12 months postpartum, breastfeeding increases the rate of weight loss in most nursing mothers. Breastfeeding has even been found to lessen the severity of postpartum depression by keeping the hormonal levels more balanced. Breastfeeding also reduces the mother’s risk for breast cancer, cervical cancer, and osteoporosis, (Shinskie and Lauwers, 2002). It is important that the lactation consultant collaborate with the mother shortly after delivery to eliminate frustration and prevent the abandonment of br...
According to the American Dietetic Association, “exclusive breastfeeding provides optimal nutrition and health protection for the first 6 months of life and breastfeeding with complementary foods from 6 months until at least 12 months of age is the ideal feeding pattern for infants.”1 Breastfeeding has many benefits to mother and baby.1 Infant and children mobility and mortality are greatly improved due to the promotion of breastfeeding as an important health strategy.1 The promotion of breastfeeding as a health strategy also works to improve maternal mortalities and reduce overall healthcare costs.1 Breastfeeding for the duration of the first year significantly improves an infant’s overall health and chances of survival.1 Benefits of breastfeeding span from improving family dynamic and maternal health to reducing health care costs and decreasing the impact on the environment.1 Breast milk is unique in that is perfectly tailored to meet and infants need and provide optimal nutrition.1 As experts within the field of nutrition Registered Dietitians should promote and support breastfeeding for its benefits to both mother and baby.1
Concept analysis is the breakdown of a problem into pieces to figure out ways to form a conclusion on how to correct, or improve, the problem. This response reviews a concept analysis that looked at problems with successful breastfeeding. In the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing (JOGNN), Mulder (2006) identifies the four key elements of effective breastfeeding: “positioning, latch, sucking, and milk transfer” (p. 334) using the concept analysis by Walker and Avant. The method of analysis, steps of process, and results are applied to successful breastfeeding.
In recent years the government and health organisation are coming together to try promote breastfeeding after the significant decline seen in the last quarter of a century. Since March 2007 a mother is entitled to 26 weeks maternity leave. On return to work, if the mother continues to breast feed her infant, the law states that an employee who is breastfeeding is entitled to one hour each day off work, as a paid breast feeding break. This is a great scheme to promote breast feeding however, much more needs to be done, to once again make it a social norm to breast feed your baby.
Women do not breastfeed long enough. Although healthcare workers try to promote the breast method, many women do not continue with it. Breastfeeding does come with challenges; however, the phrase “breast is best” is the role of the nurse in conjunction with education. A mother a...
Caring for a newborn baby can be extremely difficult. This is especially true for first-time mothers. Many new moms also experience breastfeeding problems. Lactation consultation is designed to help mothers learn how to properly feed their baby. The experienced pediatricians at White Oak Pediatrics understand the importance of working with a lactation consultant. Their friendly staff has provided exceptional care for infants, children, and adolescents in Montgomery County, MD for over 40 years.
Breastfeeding is a nonsexual and nurturing bond between a mother and her child and not the business of anyone else. As a society, we must offer protection for these vulnerable and cherishing mothers and create a welcoming and comfortable climate for them to feel empowered. Let’s put an end to this mother of all battles. Thank
There are so many reasons to fear or be concerned about the tomorrows of our world, but if there were a solution to some of the health problems what would the choice be for most? Would it be to continue in the downward pattern of destruction or would it be something better to help all? In most cases many people state that training starts in the home and what, but a good way to start with none other than our children. So why not consider breast milk? Breastfeeding can start as soon as the child is born. With the protection of breast milk the overall focus on disease, illness and sickness would be half the battle. Breast milk provides many benefits and the dietary influence it has on disease is too great to be compared to.
Zanardo, V., Svegliado, G., Cavallin, F., Giustardi, A., Cosmi, E., Litta, P., & Trevisanuto, D. (2010). Elective cesarean delivery: Does it have a negative effect on breastfeeding? Birth, 37(4), 275-279. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.summit.csuci.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f4eb05fd-f93d-45bf-aa4d-ef5c14821ea7%40sessionmgr4004&vid=4&hid=4207
To complete my labor and delivery rotation for NUR-113, I was assigned to a client in the labor and delivery unit and followed her labor process throughout the duration of my shift, I observed the nurse’s role, doctor’s role, medications given, the patient, the patient’s family and evaluated myself. The client that the RN was assisting was a 21 year old, white unmarried female with O+ blood, at the end of my shift she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy after a few complications during the labor process. Gravida 1, Preterm births 0, Term births 0, Abortions 0, Living Children 1, after the birth ...
"Breast is best." A slogan widely known across the nation encouraging mothers to give their infants what the American Academy of Pediatrics acknowledges as a multifaceted health booster for mothers and infants alike. American Academy of Pediatrics recommends mothers exclusively breastfeed for the first six months of their infant 's life, yet many mothers are falling short of this recommendation. Survey research indicated 75.5% of children were ever breastfed. Of that 75.5% of children ever breastfed, only 12.4% were reported to be exclusively breastfeeding at six months.
This week’s clinical experience has been unlike any other. I went onto the unit knowing that I needed to be more independent and found myself to be both scared and intimidated. However, having the patients I did made my first mother baby clinical an exciting experience. I was able to create connections between what I saw on the unit and the theory we learned in lectures. In addition, I was able to see tricks other nurses on the unit have when providing care, and where others went wrong. Being aware of this enabled me to see the areas of mother baby nursing I understood and areas I need to further research to become a better nurse.