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Breastfeeding/infant feeding with syringe and simultaneus nursing

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Expert: - 9/13/2005


Question
I love your book and have successfully breastfed previous children.. this one is a challenge.
She lost weight as usual after birth and then did not regain.  the lactation consultant is having me insert a tube attached to a syringe while she is feeding. the problem is the tube is very small and in order for her to get milk, i have to pump it.  Should i get a larger caliber tube?  The lactation consultant is out of town until tuesday 9/20. She is now not really nursing just swallowing and I am not having a let down while using it.  Also, she has had some nipple confusion because I started supplementing with bottles at the lactation consultants request because of the poor weight gain and she has been a relatively poor nurser since. I stopped that as soon as I realized  it would impeded normal breastfeeding. She was born 9/02 and is healthy.  I had an induced though normal vaginal delivery and have seven other children (not all breastfed).  Please help the thought of giving up breastfeeding is nearly unbearable.  thank you and i love your book.  Amy Wall

Answer
Dear Amy,

First, congratulations for giving your daughter the best start in life by breastfeeding. Then, thank you for your kind words about my book. I'm glad it has been helpful.

I can't quite picture the way you are using the tube and syringe. But from what you say, I can't see any harm in getting a somewhat larger tube. I assume that you don't have the Medela SNS (Supplemental Nursing System), which also uses a tube attached to a bottle. To use this you would still have to pump breast milk or use formula. If your local La Leche League group has one for sale, I would recommend it. Or you can call Medela, Inc. (800-835-5968), which offers free consultation and may be able to help.

Another technique that sometimes helps is to tape a tube to your finger (or to someone else's finger)and let the baby suckle on the finger.

If you are able to get enough milk from the pump, I would recommend that you continue to pump.

Finally, maybe you can contact a different lactation consultant instead of waiting a week for your present one to return. To find one, you can call the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) at 703-560-7330.

Good luck and best regards,

Sally

Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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