I was induced at 41 weeks because my blood pressure was too high (around 140/100 or something like that). I didn’t want to be induced. I wanted a completely natural childbirth and labor. But when I was a week over due and I was so impatient and had false labors several times in the last week and a half and the midwife said I needed to be induced, I agreed. Unlike apparently most induced labors, I had no pain medicine, no other interventions, and a relatively easy delivery. My baby had some health issues that he had to stay in the hospital longer for, but generally a healthy baby. His doctors really didn’t know what caused it, but said it probably was because of my blood pressure. His health issues made it very hard to breastfeed, and I ended up pumping breast milk for him because of him never really latching on properly. He is now on formula and healthy, but every time a make a bottle for him in public, I feel guilty and ashamed. Nearly all of the moms I know breastfeed only and some of them for longer than a year. I have one friend who weaned her 3 year old right about the time her second baby was born. I don’t know why I’m rambling about breastfeeding. It is like a stab in my heart, the fact that I didn’t persist like I should and I gave up. But my real question is why do I feel guilty about allowing myself to be induced…… I know my blood pressure was in a dangerous place and that I was late, but I still feel like nature failed me in that. I’m having a really bad self doubting episode right now and I’m venting it out on the internet because it’s 5am here and I have no other sounding board. Sorry…… Was induction my only choice at that stage? Or should I have insisted that my midwife allow me to have bed rest and wait and see? I’ve heard that pitocin is a nasty drug and it’s way over used. And that’s what was used on me. I have heard of a link between pitocin and autism and seen a link in my family. My brother was induced and is autistic, my nephew was induced and has slight autistic tendencies. One of the things I remember as a kid when my brother was diagnosed as autistic is that my mom blamed the pitocin on the autism. Is there a link? I’m not sure. My son is very active and social and doesn’t act anything like my brother did (according to my mom) when he was a baby, but there is still the doubt in my head.
I guess this self doubt is because I watched "The Business of Being Born" a few days ago about how dismal and intervention hungry the United States’ practices of childbirth are. It’s really scary and eye opening.
Well anyways I just wanted to say I did plan on breastfeeding, I got to do it for two days at the hospital and then my blood pressure stayed REALLY high and so did my pulse so they had to do cat scans and nuclear medicine to make sure I didn’t have a blood clot in my lungs, I don’t phew but they kept me on a blood pressure medication that isn’t the best for a baby to have. So I opted out and decided that I will give up breast feeding because there is no way I am going to have my poor son sucking down on some medicine that "may" have side effects on him as I was told. Ok now that I have probably bored you to tears here is my question, he is 2 weeks old today and has been eating 2 ounces of formula every 2 to 3 hours for me for the past 2 weeks. Now today it seems as if it just isn’t enough for him he grunts and fusses and whines and I am wondering if it is ok to give him a extra ounce. The pediatrician scared me at his first appointment saying that if I "HAVE" to feed him more to just do a extra half a ounce because he could get a upset stomach yada yada. But that was when he was 3 days old. So with that all being said what do you think a extra ounce is ok or no way? I go to see his doctor again next week but I just wanted opinions from the mommies out there that have gone through this. Also is there a feeding chart online I could glance at. I can’t find anything. Thanks lots ladies and gentlemen!
