Re: Myles textbook for m/ws

[Guest guest]

We have a brilliant BFC who was on the local Breastfeeding Working Group

when they did a survey/audit of practices of all mothers having babies

over a specified period - she managed to have a question included about

whether the midwife gave hands-on or hands-off support with

breastfeeding after birth.

I've just dug out the figures -

Of 95 mothers who planned to fully breastfeed:

61 had 'hands on' help and 23 (37.7%) were fully breastfeeding at 6

weeks

28 had 'hands off' help and 20 (71.4%) were fully breastfeeding at 6

weeks

(Hands on, defined as midwife put baby on the breast for you

Hands off, defined as midwife told you how to put the baby on the

breast, or, midwife watched what you did and advised)

This may not prove anything, although the figures seemed consistent

regardless of type of delivery, pain relief, etc. (The survey was

actually planned as a comparison with the previous survey, and this was

really almost an incidental finding - the conclusion is that 'there

needs to be further investigation of this issue and other variables that

affect the breastfeeding process' ... in other words, please don't quote

this!)

Coincidentally, there was some research in the latest Current Awareness

Bulletin from the NCT library:

6039 The implementation of the HOT program at the Royal Women's

Hospital. Dianne Fletcher; . Breastfeeding Review, Vol 8,

No 1, March 2000 pp19-23

As the primary teachers of new mothers - female relatives, have not

breastfed or continued to breastfeed; midwives have assumed a vital role

in the initiation of breastfeeding. In the past, midwife " hands-on " care

often resulted in mothers leaving hospital with an inability to attach

and position the baby for themselves. The increasingly short post-natal

stay made this Australian hospital develop a " hands-off " policy, thereby

empowering the mothers. This has resulted in a reduction of neonatal

jaundice due to poor milk intake. and has the added bonus of increasing

midwife confidence when dealing with breastfeeding problems. CC

Interesting stuff, eh?

Warwickshire Central

(If anyone wants to comment on the issues, it might be better copied to

the main list?)

>

> I am horrified. I have been using Myles Textbook for M/wives (13th Ed,

> 1999) - standard text for ANT training - and in it there are not One but

> THREE line drawings of a midwife 'helping' (sic) a baby to breastfeed - one

> hand squishing a mothers breast, the other hand on the babys head - as if

> she was doing a rubik`s cube.

> Is this still standard practice? Someone (on one of the groups) mentioned

> that NCT BFCs 'do it hands off' ....by far preferable IMHO. I suffered the

> Textbook approach - very demeaning, esp as I had my DB and SIL visiting at

> the time - I just had to look away. afterwards I felt I had to ring for m/w

> to get me latched on every time...

> Barbara

> Mrs Angry

[Guest guest]

I was another victim of this approach! I had both the m/w and the GP ramming

DD's head into my breasts, squeezing milk out all over her face - no wonder she

stopped latching on properly and made me cry in pain for weeks after.

I even had the m/w insist that she should pump my breasts for me, to give the

milk in a bottle as obviously DD wasn't getting enough and also gave me nipple

shields to help learn to suckle. After that she recommended I topped up with a

bottle!

And this was with DH, my mother, my father, BIL and I can't remember who else

" watching " !!

Next time I'm just going to be on my own....

Why do they do this?

Subject: Myles textbook for m/ws

I am horrified. I have been using Myles Textbook for M/wives (13th Ed,

1999) - standard text for ANT training - and in it there are not One but

THREE line drawings of a midwife 'helping' (sic) a baby to breastfeed - one

hand squishing a mothers breast, the other hand on the babys head - as if

she was doing a rubik`s cube.

Is this still standard practice? Someone (on one of the groups) mentioned

that NCT BFCs 'do it hands off' ....by far preferable IMHO. I suffered the

Textbook approach - very demeaning, esp as I had my DB and SIL visiting at

the time - I just had to look away. afterwards I felt I had to ring for m/w

to get me latched on every time...

Barbara

Mrs Angry

Subject: Re: Myles textbook for m/ws

Oh do you mean head-ramming - yes still very common practise these days, as

this is how midwives are taught. some mothers go home having never latched

the

baby themselves. Is it any wonder...

Sue

Subject: RE: Myles textbook for m/ws

Its awful, isn't it? I felt like a piece of meat, or like a human bottle,

to be grabbed and shoved into the baby's mouth. With my DD's though, I was

allowed to get on with it myself, thank goodness, though I would dearly have

loved to have known all the info that has been evident over the past two

days. I thought pain was something I had to suffer until I either gave up

(no way!) or toughened up. Too late for me but I shall have this knowledge

stored away if grandchildren appear on the scene.

Lesley