Mum Shares Heartbreaking Moment She Had Accidentally ‘Starved’ Her Baby

A mother has shared the heartbreaking moment she realised she had accidentally ‘starved’ her baby.

Mandy gave birth to her baby boy, weighing six pounds and five ounces. During their hospital stay, her baby lost almost ten per cent of his birth weight. So, she was given a nipple shield to assist with her baby’s latching due to her flat nipples and she was allowed to go home with her baby.

She continued breastfeeding her baby who was becoming distressed both during and after feeds. The nipple shield would be full of milk after a feed, and she was often feeding for long periods of time.

Joining an online mother’s group, she was told that her baby was simply cluster feeding.

At one-week-old, the doctor was not concerned because the baby boy was still having wet and dirty nappies.

However, after one month, during his check up, Mandy’s baby had gained only half an ounce since birth and she was referred to a lactation consultant.

Mandy attended a class the hospital offered to see how much her baby is consuming. At the end of that class, Mandy’s baby was weighed before and after an hour-long breastfeed and it was discovered that he had only taken in 20mls.

She returned home with a new plan to pump breast milk and supplement with formula.

Suddenly, her baby gained almost two pounds within a week, so she continued with optimism.

However, a few weeks later, Mandy’s baby was becoming restless during feeds, and then inconsolable afterwards. It was suggested that the baby had reflux, so her baby was prescribed Zantac and Mandy began to eliminate dairy from her diet.

“After nearly a month of pumping every two hours, not eating, not sleeping, and trying to grieve the loss of my father, who had passed away two weeks before our son was born, I was an emotional mess,” she wrote in her blog post.

Until one day, as she was speaking to her mum, Mandy got somehow relieved. “He needs you to be healthy and sane far more than he needs breast milk,” Mandy’s mother told her over the phone.

Mandy then made an appointment to see their doctor about transitioning to formula. She was concerned that she would be discouraged, but was surprised to hear the doctor’s advice.

“You’ve tried harder than 99% of the moms I’ve worked with to make breastfeeding work, and it’s totally OK if you stop and exclusively formula feed,” the doctor said.

At that moment, Mandy burst into tears. After putting so much pressure on herself to breastfeed, these words eased her burden and gave her hope to move forward.

“I cried in her office because that was the validation and permission I was looking for. I tried so hard to breastfeed my baby, but it was certainly not what was best for either of us. By his two-month appointment, he had more than doubled his weight and at 6 months he is back to being a happy, observant, content baby and so far meeting his milestones right on schedule,” she wrote.

Mandy then shared her story to urge mothers in a similar position to consider their own mental health as important. Because at the end of the day, fed IS best.

Source: Kidspot.com.au