Success story: early baby w/ jaundice& tongue tie.
Well it's taken me a while to get over everything that we've been through but I think I'm ready to post my whole story now. This is a story I would have LOVED to have read while I was going through all the hard times and if it can help one person I'll be happy.
I'll start from the beginning...
I was admitted to hospital with pre-eclampsia on the 18th August 04 when I was 34 weeks pregnant. I'd had raised blood pressure since a check up at 28 weeks, I had two huge balloons for feet and my rings were far too small for my sausage fingers!! I'd been to the foetal assessment unit a few times but when my bp was 147/113 they told me I wasn't going home. The hospital care left A LOT to be desired but that is another story of its own!! Anyway, after 5 nights in hospital they decided to induce me as things were worsening and it was time to get the baby out.
I had an excellent(although it certainly didn't seem so at the time) 4 hour labour and a normal delivery and so didn't have to face my fear of a c-section! Cameron was perfect when he was born with an apgar score of 9 & 10. He was a good weight for a 5week prem baby: 6lb5 (2862g) He didn't need any support and didn't have to go into special care...that is until day 5, which I'll explain later. At first he was sucking and I presumed everything was fine. However, when I woke up the next day, just a few hours after he was born, he had lost his ability to suck and wasn't latching on properly. He'd also lost the rooting reflex. I was devastated when they told me he also had a tongue tie, (which was making it harder for him to feed) and they decided to put a tube down into his tummy! My perfect little baby! I just couldn't believe it! (I really didn't think it could get worse!!)
The next day a midwife suggested I use a nipple shield to make it easier for his short tongue to get hold of the nipple. And it worked!! He actually fed from me! It was great! I thought we'd be home as soon as my blood pressure had regulated... how wrong could I have been?!
On day 5, after failing to check him for jaundice when it appeared(on day 3), the midwives discovered that the level of bilirubin was so high that he was above the level at which they give a blood exchange!!! Nothing could have prepared me for whan I was about to go through! The paediatrician told me his level of jaundice was a bit high (They later told me that the bilirubin was so high that they thought the machine was broken!) and that he'd need to go down to SCBU to have phototherapy but when we got down there my son was taken, stripped to his nappy, there were people all around him putting drips in his hands and preparing him for a blood transfusion. He was put in an incubator with four lights on him. Luckily he didn't need the blood exchange as the phototherapy lights just brought the level down enough. I was expressing every 3 hours as I wasn't allowed to feed him because he needed to be under the lights! Once they reduced the lights I was allowed to give him a feed. I'll never forget holding my baby and feeding him for the first time after all that-it was fantastic!
It was SO tiring expressing and going to and forth from the post natal ward where I was still being treated for thw high blood pressure. I don't know how I managed to stay sane. When I was transferred to transitional care with Cameron I received SO MUCH conflicting advice regarding breastfeeding. One woman told me not to express any more as he would need it! Like I'd have nothing left for him if I expressed! I was SO lucky that I had my mum; an experienced breastfeeder (and a rock throughout the whole time) to advise me. If she hadn't been there my supply would have dried up no doubt!
BUT IT DIDN'T!! We left hospital when he was 2 weeks old. He was still jaundiced and he remained so until 3 weeks ago when he was 10 weeks old!!! We managed to dispose of the nipple shield when he was about 5 weeks old and we had his tongue tie snipped the same week. Since then he hasn't looked back weightwise! He even put on 1 lb 1 oz in a week a while ago! My nipples finally stopped hurting a couple of weeks after the frenulotomy and now I'm actually ENJOYING breastfeeding! I never ever thought I'd be able to say that!
There were so many times when I just wanted to give up and use the dreaded bottles but I'm so glad I persevered! I used to think women who gave up breastfeeding just didn't want to do it! I EAT MY HAT and take it all back. So if I can do it ANYONE can!!
Hope this all makes sense and I hope that it can help someone at the end of their tether!!
Lots of love
Kara and Cameron 13+2 (8 corrected)
Note – at 14 weeks and 2 days - Cameron's 11lb 13oz now!
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has concluded that the division of tongue tie to help babies with this condition to breastfeed is safe enough and works well enough for use in the NHS.
Links
NICE guidance on division of ankyloglossia (tongue-tie) for breastfeeding
Baby Friendly Initiative information on helping a baby with a tongue tie