Among the most vulnerable moms are those who are most educated in exclusive breastfeeding. Because we are trained to fully believe in the guidelines recommended by health organizations and because mothers are not educated about the complications of underfeeding, we can miss serious signs of newborn starvation. Rachel is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. She would like to share her story so that other mothers and babies do not have to suffer.

As long as I can remember, I wanted to be a mom. Fresh out of nursing school, I started out as a neonatal nurse in the ICU. I watched the tiniest of babies get fed through tubes. We carefully monitored their weight every day, eventually most would go home, happy and healthy. A few years later, I became a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and saw babies in an outpatient setting as a primary care provider. I would monitor babies’ weights and help moms through their struggles with breastfeeding and feeding in general.

When it was finally my turn to become a new mom last October. I figured “I got this!” I took all the breastfeeding classes I could, received a ton of breastfeeding supplies and even bought a really expensive nursing chair. I was blessed with a very healthy pregnancy and “normal delivery,” my son even came on his due date of all days. When he came out, we did skin-to-skin for about 20 minutes before they took him and weighed him, 8 lbs 15 oz! They brought him back to me, but my son, Hunter, didn’t “latch on” right away as they told me he would in the classes.  He didn’t even “look for my breast.” By time we got into our recovery room, I ate (I went 24 hours without eating, I was starved after labor!), it was about 4 hours after delivery before Hunter finally latched on. The night nurse came into my room to help me breastfeed my son for the first time and I remember her pulling at my nipple “to get it to flowing.” The pain from the tugging and pulling was nothing like I have ever experienced before. It hurt and very badly too! All of this, only to get out a tiny drop of “liquid gold” as they so often call it. I remember him crying and getting frustrated because nothing was coming out. I could barely hold him because I still had an IV in my left wrist and it was painful to get him into the best position. “It’s ok,” the nurse said, “he can go a while without eating, his tummy is so small.”

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