Englishmum

Here is a sad story from the inquest in Worcestershire of a new mum - from Upton-upon-Severn, who plunged to her death from the apartment block where she lived in New York City:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...reastfeed.html

She clearly had post-natal (aka post-partum) depression, but how sad for this young family.

mayhemuk

Tragic!
We have endured a couple of breast nazis since Jack was born.
The tone and implication was quite negative if you're not getting it right and latching on perfectly.
Give them a break. He's less than a week old and she's just done hours of labour and an emergency C section.
So far the missus has been dynamite in my opinion. The nipper is feeding like a pirahna and she's getting little sleep.

Ash UK/US

I hope that was not the case with this woman. I had big problems with my first daughter, they were quite negative about the breastfeeding thing they make you feel like crap if you can't feed properly. Second time around (even though I did BF) I told the hospital staff I was formula feeding just so they would leave me alone.

MsElui

i BF all three of mine (still feeding this last one). Its one of the most rewarding things ive ever done but also one of the hardest - and most stressful. with baby number 2 i was in absolute agony for the first 2 weeks before it clicked - literally sobbing every feed. I think you have to be absolutley determined and bloody minded to keep it up exclusivley for any long duration as it effectively ties you to the baby all day long.

Englishmum

My best friend has just given birth a few days ago to a baby boy in Sydney.

The baby weighed a whopping 10lb 11oz (My other friend says he weighed more than the weight of her newborn twins combined).

It was a natural birth, she didn't even need stitches and even the nurses were surprised. (The weirdo boyfriend was there for the birth, but has already flown back to the US as he wanted to get back to work, even though he could have extended his paternity leave)

She's breastfeeding, (normally is an A cup!) but with such a large baby - who already seems constantly hungry - I wouldn't be surprised if she will soon have to 'top him up' with formula.

bevinva

You think breastfeeding is easy until you try and do it. My first would fall asleep after a minute and nothing would wake him up, then in less than an hour he would wake up again. Tragic to think that having these kinds of problems could cause a woman to take her life, but those first few months can be a little foggy sometimes.

Englishtart

That is so sad, poor woman! I remember after my first Son was born, he had croup and screamed for his first 3 months, we lived in a third floor apartment and I remember a fleeting thought at one point, that if I just chucked him out the window, I could get some sleep!

Never actually thought about jumping out myself though!

naomi

That is such a tragic story. Sounds like she definitely had post-partum depression, how awful. Those first few months can be so hard, and sometimes it is difficult to take a step back and realize that this time shall pass (and it does).
Naomi.

Rete

It is a tragic story and I'm so sorry that she apparently did not family visiting and/or friends that could have told her that what she was experiencing is normal.

Both my daughters had first time issues when breastfeeding their newborns. Thankfully they were able to get help from a lactation nurse to assist and all was finally well.

made of kent

that is terrible, was lucky I learnt from my friends that first time feed is difficult, all my friend who managed it and even those who didn't seemed to take to it better the second time, I think you relax next time round...you have to, so when I was expecting my twins I thought I am giving this ago but not beating myself up if it fails, anyway born a month early by C-S, didn't see them for 24 hour as my spinal had gone wrong and I was out of it as in my brain! not systemically so milk safe, still not right! haha! but did manage to express about 20mls every few hours! and they where in NICU, got one twin after 3 days but still tiny and couldn't latch on, got second twin 2 out after 2 weeks, continued to try then express, express, express! and supplimented with cut feeding, fortunatly so tiny, didn't take long after 4 weeks I woke up one morning and thought this is rediculious, it not working they still can't latch and I was expressing 20-30mls at most! I was getting upset and angry with myself and then remembered my promise to myself before they where born, not to make myself unhappy (I think better a happy mummy than unhappy breast feeding one) so I stopped, it was a thursday and on the monday I told my Health visitor (how by the way was excellent) and she said "oh how did you ween them off?" "errrrr what!".... well wheren' t you in pain if you just stopped feeding""..."er No!" "in that case you are right to stop you arn't producing enough milk!" and then she said da,da,dar "well you beat our book on you, the best was Lisa she gave you 2 1/2 weeks of trying!" WHAT! any way I felt better she went on to explain breast feeding has many factors which can affect success or not, C-S, multiples, support, premes, weight of babies, mothers health...mine was not good during and right after pregnancy...I had a crash team to me on day +5!!!
there where loads of them and I filled every catagory!, "why didn't you tell me?" and when she said it was because they wanted to support me and I had done the most important milk which would help them, and then I realised why they had't been breast feed Nazis, just every supportive and encouraging of my effort, not criticising my top up feeds ect, they knew how hard it is.
after that day, I found tiny babies a joy, and the added benefit to stopping feeding was that at 2 months boys had a blood test, at five months old, dr "so how did A's iron go?"...iron what iron? turns out be was very deficient at 2 months, so with the bottle at least a little replaced, and after the mad panic by the hospital iron started oh, my what a diferent baby after 24 hours on iron, poor thing.
I suppose what I am trying to say is that breast is best, but if you really really are struggling give it up, but don't give up too soon, I gave it a month, and was unhappy, and as I said all my friends who tryed the first time, weather success or not found it easily the second time, I think it the culture shock of wow this takes alot of time the first time and when the next baby it is more convient to cart about a breast feed baby a deal with older children, not that I would know! twins!...I watch TLC because I can't believe people would risk that again!