E#1 was given lots of IV fluid during her recent labor and C-section delivery. My grandson Mav weighed in at 8 lbs at birth then dropped to nearly 7 lbs in the NICU where he spent two days for observation for infection. E#1 had to deal with all the excess fluids in her legs and ankles for two weeks after the birth. There were no shoes that she could wear other than flip flops and slippers and those were still uncomfortably tight over her insteps.
This study out today makes it sound as though the baby’s true weight was probably his weight at 24 hours after birth because he got over hydrated by the IV fluids too. "It appears neonates exposed to increased fluids before birth might be born overhydrated, requiring the baby to regulate his or her fluid levels during the first 24 hours after birth." Here is the article from ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110814223805.htm Also though he isn’t back to his birth weight yet my grandson is probably getting good nourishment from his mom. As a grandma I can vouch that he is producing lots of wet and poopy diapers a sign of good nutrition.
There is a real pressure put on the mom’s to feed more often (every one to two hours followed by pumping) to produce more breast milk during the time frame (several days post-op) when it is the hardest to do so. Getting the baby back to his birth weight is a mantra. Maybe with this study the “lactation Nazi’s” will back off a little.
They (the experts in lactation) also had the new family coming in twice a week after they were discharged for appointments for lactation consultation and would like them to return again each time to weigh the baby after 24 hours. Holy cow she just had surgery people, lay off. The young couple balked at returning just for a weigh-in. She also had an appointment to check on her healing incision that first week too. That’s a lot of comings and goings when you feel lousy.
In my day just making it to the standard two week appointment for the baby following a standard delivery was a monumental task for the new mom.
Then there is the young woman at our church who had her third baby in four years on a Thursday and was attending services on Sunday morning with the whole family. That’s nuts!!
Lou
Ya I'd say! I definitely wouldn't be going to church after three days. I still haven't been able to get myself together enough to go and it's been 3 weeks!!
ReplyDeleteI do like what you have to say about his birth weight though. It makes me feel better. So maybe he really is back to his weight and we have nothing to fret over. We need more lactation specialists to check this study out!