My story: breastfeeding support at TMC after birth

jojoki

Well-Known Member
jojoki:

That's what I thought too. I spoke with my gynae about this and she said she'd heard some of her patients say the same thing but thought they were isolated cases. Well, Thomson Medical Center will definitely NOT be getting my money next time... :nah:
mummy... r u still breastfeeding anyway?
 

fioncess

Well-Known Member
i'm giving birth in july.. i'm also delivering in TMC but it really sound scary to bf. cos im a first time mtb so quite worried. if they dun teach mi how am i going to bf my baby???
 

blubberish

Member
dun dare to try liao... Everytime I try to latch her on, she struggles and cries a lot. Always feel very rejected whenever she does that. So, to save my own sanity and hers, i just express for her lor... Anyway, now sort of got rhythm liao so also lazy to change. :shyxxx:

Now that I know what to expect, I will try again with my next kid. My nipples have also been pulled out with all the constant pumping so next time should be better. :001_302:
 

blubberish

Member
fioncess:

I'd recommend that you write out your birth plan. It's what you want to do in the event of emergencies and what you want (in case you're too weak, painful, etc to make the decision). Give the birth plan to the staff when you are admitted into hospital.
Create your own birth plan | BabyCenter

You can also write this for your baby to be given to hospital staff:
Breastfeeding Letter to Take to the Hospital - Breastfeeding Online

Also, speak with your gynae about your desire to breastfeed. He/she should help you to speak out if you have any problems.

Your partner can be the best spokesperson for you. Make sure he knows what you want so that he can DEMAND from the staff on your behalf.

Get to know what you have to do during breastfeeding. Maybe can ask your gynae to check your nipples to see if they are ok (i.e. not flat or inverted). If you have problems like me (flat nipples), you can start to make them more conducive for baby.

You can read up more about breastfeeding here:
Setting Yourself Up For A Successful Breastfeeding Relationship
http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/learning/

Hope this is helpful! :001_302:
 

huiyin87

Member
hi. i juz delivered my baby at TMC on 02june09..
had a pleasant experience dere though bout breastfeeding..
i gave birth at 5am, i tink the nurses at the labour ward did ask me whether i want to breastfeed..i vaguely said i will try..
baby was pushed to me at 8am.. the nurse offered to help me breastfeed..
but i was too tired.. and the wound was hurting me alot that i had difficulty getting up to BF..
so the nurse suggested FM for now, then push baby to me for BF in the afternoon..
i agreed..
noon time, baby came and the nurse helped me BF patiently, knowing that i am a first time mum..
after latching on for 30 mins, i told nurse that nothing seems to be produced from my breast..
was then informed that BM will start at the 3rd day..
so i request FM as my baby was crying badly..
the nurse taught me how to bottle-feed my baby and also burping later on..
was quite pleased with the nurses there..

only thing was they did not come in frequently to change my padding..
i was on epi and my legs were numb..
i flooded the entire bed..
and the call button is faulty..
it was really bad..
but after one nurse passed by and i told her, they immediately assist to change it for me..
 

jojoki

Well-Known Member
fioncess:

I'd recommend that you write out your birth plan. It's what you want to do in the event of emergencies and what you want (in case you're too weak, painful, etc to make the decision). Give the birth plan to the staff when you are admitted into hospital.
Create your own birth plan | BabyCenter

You can also write this for your baby to be given to hospital staff:
Breastfeeding Letter to Take to the Hospital - Breastfeeding Online

Also, speak with your gynae about your desire to breastfeed. He/she should help you to speak out if you have any problems.

Your partner can be the best spokesperson for you. Make sure he knows what you want so that he can DEMAND from the staff on your behalf.

Get to know what you have to do during breastfeeding. Maybe can ask your gynae to check your nipples to see if they are ok (i.e. not flat or inverted). If you have problems like me (flat nipples), you can start to make them more conducive for baby.

You can read up more about breastfeeding here:
Setting Yourself Up For A Successful Breastfeeding Relationship
http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/learning/

Hope this is helpful! :001_302:

btw ur baby is beautiful... her eyes esp,,, so pretty. my gal looks 100% like BOY!!
 

blubberish

Member
hi. i just delivered my baby at Thomson Medical Center on 02june09..
had a pleasant experience dere though bout breastfeeding..
i gave birth at 5am, i tink the nurses at the labour ward did ask me whether i want to breastfeed..i vaguely said i will try..
baby was pushed to me at 8am.. the nurse offered to help me breastfeed..
but i was too tired.. and the wound was hurting me alot that i had difficulty getting up to BF..
so the nurse suggested FM for now, then push baby to me for BF in the afternoon..
i agreed..
noon time, baby came and the nurse helped me BF patiently, knowing that i am a first time mum..
after latching on for 30 mins, i told nurse that nothing seems to be produced from my breast..
was then informed that breast milk will start at the 3rd day..
so i request FM as my baby was crying badly..
the nurse taught me how to bottle-feed my baby and also burping later on..
was quite pleased with the nurses there..

only thing was they did not come in frequently to change my padding..
i was on epi and my legs were numb..
i flooded the entire bed..
and the call button is faulty..
it was really bad..
but after one nurse passed by and i told her, they immediately assist to change it for me..

Oh dear... Hope you are recovering...

Actually, babies can go without any milk for maximum 1 week. When starting breastfeeding, this period is actually a good time for mother and baby to learn how to adjust to one another. The liquid that comes out initially is colostrum and babies only need a teaspoon every time coz it's really very rich.

Well, for me, I really wanted to exclusively breastfeed. I know that when babies are introduced to the bottle first before breast, it might be more difficult for them to adjust coz the sucking is different. But i can understand that your wound was probably hurting you quite a bit.

But it's good that the nurse actually asked if you wanted to breastfeed. :001_302: At least there are some good staff there.
 

blubberish

Member
hi. i just delivered my baby at Thomson Medical Center on 02june09..
had a pleasant experience dere though bout breastfeeding..
i gave birth at 5am, i tink the nurses at the labour ward did ask me whether i want to breastfeed..i vaguely said i will try..
baby was pushed to me at 8am.. the nurse offered to help me breastfeed..
but i was too tired.. and the wound was hurting me alot that i had difficulty getting up to BF..
so the nurse suggested FM for now, then push baby to me for BF in the afternoon..
i agreed..
noon time, baby came and the nurse helped me BF patiently, knowing that i am a first time mum..
after latching on for 30 mins, i told nurse that nothing seems to be produced from my breast..
was then informed that breast milk will start at the 3rd day..
so i request FM as my baby was crying badly..
the nurse taught me how to bottle-feed my baby and also burping later on..
was quite pleased with the nurses there..

only thing was they did not come in frequently to change my padding..
i was on epi and my legs were numb..
i flooded the entire bed..
and the call button is faulty..
it was really bad..
but after one nurse passed by and i told her, they immediately assist to change it for me..
P/S: That's the day of my wedding anniversary! :Dancing_tongue:
 

huiyin87

Member
Oh dear... Hope you are recovering...

Actually, babies can go without any milk for maximum 1 week. When starting breastfeeding, this period is actually a good time for mother and baby to learn how to adjust to one another. The liquid that comes out initially is colostrum and babies only need a teaspoon every time coz it's really very rich.

Well, for me, I really wanted to exclusively breastfeed. I know that when babies are introduced to the bottle first before breast, it might be more difficult for them to adjust coz the sucking is different. But i can understand that your wound was probably hurting you quite a bit.

But it's good that the nurse actually asked if you wanted to breastfeed. :001_302: At least there are some good staff there.
oic, didnt know that baby can go wthout milk.. being a first time mum, i panicked the moment my baby was crying, so i request for FM...
ya, the wound was super painful, esp since the epi has worn off in the morning.. and the urine catherer was making me even more in pain..
my baby now do not want to suck on my breast, so i pump it out for him, guess its really true that they cant ajust after bottle feeding..
maybe it depends on which floor you staying?
i was staying at ward 3rd floor.. hehe
 

blubberish

Member
oic, didnt know that baby can go wthout milk.. being a first time mum, i panicked the moment my baby was crying, so i request for FM...
ya, the wound was super painful, esp since the epi has worn off in the morning.. and the urine catherer was making me even more in pain..
my baby now do not want to suck on my breast, so i pump it out for him, guess its really true that they cant ajust after bottle feeding..
maybe it depends on which floor you staying?
i was staying at ward 3rd floor.. hehe

Well, I have heard that babies can adjust after that but mothers must be a bit more hard hearted to give only breast and no bottle lor... Me, too heart pain for her and myself. But now I create more work for myself coz have to pump out regularly lor... My mum told me not to pump if I not free and I had to teach her that the more I pump, the more milk I have. Oh well... they really dunno about breastfeeding... :embarrassed:
 

fioncess

Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the advise.. looking at all the info now so tt i can bf successfully. when i give birth..
 

uddermummy

Well-Known Member
jojoki, the mt e package is actually comparable to thomson and mt a's.

the nurses at my ward sucked big time, they didn't teach me how to latch, just gave me the bb, and when they gave me antibiotics through the tube in my arm, the pain can kill loh!

and my gynae scolded me big time when i asked her about birth plans!!! I suspected that I was put through a c-section for convenience sake. :(

all in all, a v, v nasty experience!!!
 

SunShine07

Member
:O I'm really surprised by the negative comments and feedback of what you all have for Thomson Medical Center. My 2 deliveries there both I really give thumbs up. Nurses, midwife, everyone was basically very caring over there.

During my 2nd gal, I said I was struggling for my BFing right, but they are very encouraging towards me, keep telling me not to give up.

Even for my 3rd gal which I just delivered not long ago, now I still doing my confinement, the lactation staff, the nurses very pro-active in BFing, especially when at night i actually thought of sleeping, but they encouraged me to BF...

Even after my delivery, the nurse did not throw the baby onto me, she actually gently put the baby beside me.

Everything really totally different from what you all prescribe to be...
Yeah, me too. Share the same experience like you :)

Every 2-3 hours they will push the baby to me to breast feed, they make sure my son latch on too. I knew the baby is going to be very sleepy for 3 days cos i am on epidural which i go for c-section. But no matter how i still try hard to let him latch on which he did.

But the problem with me is i dun have milk at all. Only start the after i discharge.

I was also very anxious and to me it is a must thing to bf totally. But i can't request wong boi boi to be with me all the time leh, cos i also know she got to attend to other mummy loh....

Infact, the nurse was ok, they did tried to help me and bring the baby near to me to breastfeed. they are also very patient....
 

blubberish

Member
Yeah, me too. Share the same experience like you :)

Every 2-3 hours they will push the baby to me to breast feed, they make sure my son latch on too. I knew the baby is going to be very sleepy for 3 days cos i am on epidural which i go for c-section. But no matter how i still try hard to let him latch on which he did.

But the problem with me is i dont have milk at all. Only start the after i discharge.

I was also very anxious and to me it is a must thing to bf totally. But i can't request wong boi boi to be with me all the time , cos i also know she got to attend to other mummy loh....

Infact, the nurse was ok, they did tried to help me and bring the baby near to me to breastfeed. they are also very patient....
Actually i heard good comments abt TMC before i delivered there too. It wasn't until I was there that made me think otherwise, especially when it came to trying out breastfeeding. If not for the fact that the TMC management seems to be minimising my experience, I wouldn't post my experience here. :tsad:
 

apollo

Well-Known Member
hee.. electric pump better lahhh... told you earlier that my friend's wife use the manual one till hand got blisters. :)

You already decided on the Avent pump? Not looking at other brands?

Like what other mummies have said, if your nipples are painful/ bleeding, baby's latch is not correct. Your breasts shouldn't feel hard after pumping. If they're still hard after pumping for 30min, it means that there are some blocked ducts. Put a warm towel on your breasts before pumping, then massage your breasts in circular motion (work towards your nipple). As you pump, massage your breasts and massage and press on the hard parts. It'll be painful but you have to bear with it. After pumping, your breasts shld feel soft. Last time i dont know.. keep pumping but breasts still rock hard after pumping. I thought was ok coz i was pumping out 100+ml and didn't suspect anything. Ended up with super sore nipples coz according to the LC, coz of the blocked ducts the pump kept pulling harder to get the milk out.
my hubby bought a a medela mini electric cos can use with battery also.. wow electric n manual really got lotsa diffe lo!!! so regret tt i bought e manual one last time haha... wasted!!! lol..

my BB cant latch on cos i got inverted n short nipple so gonna pump out.. =(

nw better le at least aft pump out my breast wont feel so hard...
i'm so shagged and tired evryday just by pumping milk... :embarrassed:
 

blubberish

Member
my hubby bought a a medela mini electric cos can use with battery also.. wow electric and manual really got lotsa diffe !!! so regret that i bought e manual one last time haha... wasted!!! lol..

my baby cant latch on cos i got inverted and short nipple so gonna pump out.. =(

now better at least after pump out my breast wont feel so hard...
i'm so shagged and tired evryday just by pumping milk... :embarrassed:

I know what you mean... My life was like eat, sleep, take care of baby, pump milk (and repeat). But nowadays, it's getting better. Jiayou!! It willl get better. :Dancing_tongue:
 
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