"There was one nurse on the SCBU ..."

What I liked

There was one nurse on the SCBU who was actively encouraging breastfeeding.

What could be improved

I was with my daughter when she had her first baby in the hospital and I believe that the process of giving birth (which should be the most natural process in our lives) has deteriorated over the years. The interventions are commonplace and the clock is watched constantly. Mothers are tied by the monitors, drips, epidural etc to the bed when the best way to handle contractions is to be moving around. Please encourage natural childbirth….

My grandson was born in the usual unnatural position using forceps and was not given to his mother for skin to skin contact or breastfeeding after the birth (though the box on her notes was ticked to indicate that he was). The UNICEF Guidance on the…prevention… of Hypoglycaemia of the Newborn (p6 No9) advices the recognition of “the important role of early skin-to-skin contact in maintaining the temperature – and therefore the stability of blood glucose levels - in the neonate, and in promoting an early breastfeed. Please follow the UNICEF advice and don’t tick boxes falsely.

My grandson’s temperature and blood sugar level dropped and he was taken to the SCBU to be given infant formula through a tube down his nose into his stomach, put on antibiotics (in case he had an infection) and also put on a sugar solution drip round the clock. My daughter received mixed advice regarding feeding and this, plus the indignity of breastfeeding and then seeing him being ‘topped up’ with clearly labelled baby formula (please don’t advertise) made giving him her ‘live’ food which contains living cells, hormones, active enzymes, antibodies etc. really stressful. Please be positive about breast feeding.

When my daughter and the baby went home, her son wanted to be constantly full of food and she believed she could not satisfy him. Breastfeeding failed after a few weeks and my grandson will consequently not be getting the best start in life. I blame the lack of consideration of what is best/most natural for mother and baby at Hinchingbrooke

Anything else?

Please encourage all staff in the maternity unit and SCBU to watch the new DVD ‘from bump to breastfeeding: following real mothers' stories to find out how’. This may encourage a more positive approach to breastfeeding.