4 posts tagged “nursing”
http://www.d-mer.org/
have you or anyone you known ever experienced this while nursing? I had some issue with it (though clearly not as bad as some) but I never thought that it could be stemming from a biolgical issue. weird, but i never put it together. I just thought it was me as I get touched out very easily.
anyhow I just thought i would share it here incase it helps someone else out!
http://www.d-mer.org/
have you or anyone you known ever experienced this while nursing? I had some issue with it (though clearly not as bad as some) but I never thought that it could be stemming from a biolgical issue. weird, but i never put it together. I just thought it was me as I get touched out very easily.
here is a small blurb from theri website that better explains it:
how D-MER Presents:
What Mothers FeelA key piece of D-MER is that a mother with D-MER feels absolutely fine except just before her milk starts to flow. D-MER is a brief feeling, not more than 30 seconds to 2 minutes, only and always beginning before let-down. This is not postpartum depression and most of these mothers feel perfectly fine except for that pre-milk moment. A brief interval after the negative feelings appear, the milk begins to flow.
D-MER can easily go unrecognized since 1) some mothers have so many closely spaced letdowns per feeding that the feelings do not have a chance to dissipate before the next D-MER is upon her, making her feel that she experiences on long D-MER through most of, if not all of, the feeding 2) many mothers do not physically feel a letdown in their breasts and so does not connect the feeling as to being just prior to letdown and 3) given the fact that D-MER happens with spontaneous letdowns as well, a mother may not immediately connect the way she is feeling to being a breastfeeding phenomenon.
anyhow I just thought i would share it here incase it helps someone else out!
I have been on the phone with a mom in early labour (pre-labour) since Wed. Today she called me in the ealry hours and i met her at the hospital. When I got there she was 3-4. no even an hour and a half later she was complete and wanting to push. 7 mins later the baby boy came.
it was a beautiful time. the people really really connected with their newborn right off the bat. it doesn't happen like that for everyone. it's always different (thought joyful). but it was like this mom and baby had always known one another since the beginning of time. he nursed right away and needed no help from me (except to calm mom's nerves and cheer her on that she could infact breastfeed).
So many moms when asked "are you planning to breastfeed" say "I hope
so" or "I want to try". it's sad that it's like this. that we assume
there is some kind ao 50/50 chance of failure. if only they knew how
unlikely it is. that sure there are bumps in the road... but it's so
unlikley to competely "fail". there are only a handfull of us out
there who truly face the bigger problems and it shouldn't be something
we assume will be us. at anyrate some lie has been introduced to our
society that breastfeeding is a tricky cruel thing. that it's just a
possibility. something you hope to be lucky enough to be able to do.
not something you can count on.
when the mom put her baby to breast and he started chowing for a bit, I said "and now you know you *can* and *are* breastfeeding". I don't know if she knew why I said, but i was hoping it would stick with her. plant some kinda seed to grow up thru the many weeds of doubt that out society has planted in her mind. I'm hoping when a trial comes up she can look back and say "but wait, I did breastfeed! I AM a breastfeeding mom". and she will know it's a fight worth fighting in the long run.
I know some people struggle with the trials of breastfeeding. I did.
and sometimes it's a mom issue (PPD...) , sometimes a baby issue (like
a sick baby). sometimes we must get creative. sometimes we must do
things in an unorthodox way. but we are mothers. and we are powerful,
strong and smart. and it is very very sad that we don't believe this
wholeheartedly and support one another with all our hearts when one of
us truly is going thru a trial or tribulation. woman need to believe in
themselves and believe in one another. when you get lemons, you make
lemonaid. you find a way to make things work. and it's ok b/c we are
smart and cappable beings. we are mothers.
it just seems that every topic I have should somehow be related to being a doula, right? I'm a doula and I painted the kitchen...
I painted it the same color as the living room. ok well not so much *I* as Sean and I. we stayed up til about 3am paintng and then had a snack so I was awake until 4:30am and then the shower woke me up (well the person in the shower) at 7am and I tried to fall back to sleep but couldn't. so I'm tired. sooooo stupidly tired. but it's cool b/c it's Sean's day off so I'm taking a big nap.
tonight I'm going to sit in on a friend's breastfeeding class. she works for the hospital too and I since there is about 110 different breastfeeding teaching styles (yeah I know, pretty much works the same for baby no matter who teaches it, but they just use different styles of teaching) anyhow I realized that thru out the hospital many people teach in many different ways and this confuses new moms. They hear one things from the class, one thing from me, one things from the nurses... and by the end they don't know which way they are going. So I'm going to see how it is taught originally and try to keep in mind what they already have learned when I'm assisting them after they give birth. maybe use some of the same visuals and phrases so it hopefully will strike up some memories from their classes. The hospital I work for has wonderful breastfeedin and childbirth preperation classes. I know many hospitals have been accused of having childbirth classes which should be called "how to be a good patient" style classes LOL but ours isn't that way and I'm thankful!
I find many woman, even though they have taken the classes (which I know are good b/c I know the teachers!) are so overwhelmed by breastfeeding at first. esp if the baby doesn't latch within the first few moments. I see discouragement wash over their face. a look that says "I guess I am not good at this". and my heart aches for them. every woman feels some kinda of doubt about breastfeeding and I want to be as encouraging as i can in the short time I have with them. you're in such a vulnrable state right after birth and I want those memories to be wonderful and precious, not full of woe and worry. I think I say "it's ok! this is totally normal" about a dozen times with each mama. =) and truly it is normal. as I had a wonderful initial latch with both kids and still managed to doubt myself and think "I wonder if I'm doing this right?". just goes with motherhood I suposse.
how were *your* first few breastfeeding moments?
