Yvonne with her three children Thomas, Charlie and Sophie
Yvonne Bookey gave birth to her third baby, Charlie, at the Rotunda in May of this year during the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic. Yvonne and her husband Greg have two other children, Thomas, who is six years old and Sophie who is four. “I was definitely more anxious this time around. Not having the usual family support in the lead up to and after the birth made it a bit more difficult”, Yvonne recalls.
At the Rotunda Hospital, strict visiting restrictions were put in place in March to minimise and reduce the risk of spread of Covid-19 to staff and patients which impacted the time that partners and other visitors could spend in the Hospital. “Rotunda staff treated me so well. Everyone was so supportive and attentive, especially my amazing midwife, Sarah. All of the attention was on the new mums, with no husbands or partners getting in the way”, she remembers jokingly. “I think they should consider keeping some element of visitor restrictions. As a new mum in hospital you spend so much time coordinating visits and worrying about how you look and what baby is wearing. But when there are no visitors, all of the mothers just talked and fed and bonded with our babies.”
Yvonne with Charlie and Sophie during a garden visit from Yvonne’s dad.
It was after going home that Yvonne really noticed the big differences of having a baby during the pandemic, both the good and the bad. “I’m very close to my mum. When she first came to visit Charlie, we couldn’t even hug one another, so that was quite emotional.” However, the family recall the strong support from neighbours, friends and family, “When we came home from hospital all of our neighbours had written lovely messages with chalk across the road and on our windows. There were so many special moments – I will never forget the kindness.”
Greg and Yvonne’s neighbours welcomed them home with messages written in chalk on the road
Yvonne continues to look on the positive side of things 12 weeks after birth. Yvonne has breastfed all three of her children noting, “I’m very lucky because my milk supply has been strong and all of my children have been good feeders. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always easy. It was sore at the start, but that passes.” She has found that with Charlie, breastfeeding has been easier because during Covid-19 she has less to do and there aren’t as many social engagements as she would have had when feeding her other children. “I have nothing to do and nowhere to be, so I have more time and less interruptions.”
Yvonne did notice that when she needed to go out, it was a bit more challenging to breastfeed in public both because of the fear of picking up the virus and in terms of finding a space to feed. “The shopping centres removed all of the benches. There was nowhere to go, sit and feed for 10 minutes so the one time we did need go to a shopping centre, I ended up feeding Charlie in the car. It was ok but I have found that I mostly stay local now.”
Overall, Yvonne is enjoying her time with her family and feeding Charlie. “I’m enjoying this time around more than the others,” she notes. “I haven’t introduced the pump at all and I’m not intending to. I also think I won’t stop feeding as soon as I would have on my other kids. Of course, it won’t go on forever but I’m just enjoying it at the moment.”
Thomas, Charlie and Sophie
To finish, Yvonne gave her top tips for breastfeeding mums:
1. Don’t put off seeking professional advice. If you’re feeling unsure, the midwives and, if needed Lactation Consultants, are there to support and encourage your breastfeeding journey so use that to your advantage and talk to them, especially in the early days.
2. Don’t be afraid to show emotion. Breastfeeding can be an emotional journey so if you are feeling upset or overwhelmed, make sure you have someone you can talk to whether it is your partner, a friend or family member, or a professional.
3. Take a little bit of time for yourself each day. I recommend getting yourself up, showered and dressed. I know that during quarantine, I sometimes be tempted to stay in the PJs because I wouldn’t have loads of visitors but afterwards I would feel a bit slumpy and I didn’t feel good about myself.
4. Believe in yourself. There can be a lot of pressure wondering is baby getting enough and am I doing this right, etc. But don’t give up, have confidence and if you need to talk to someone, reach out.
Baby Charlie Bookey
Latest figures show an increase in breastfeeding initiation rates
To celebrate World Breastfeeding Week, August 1st – 7th, The Rotunda Hospital is celebrating a welcomed increase in breastfeeding initiation rates. Figures for 2017 reveal that the rate of new mothers breastfeeding following delivery at the hospital was the highest so far this century, with 73% initiating breastfeeding.
Commenting on this reassuring and positive step in the right direction, Master of The Rotunda Hospital, Professor Fergal Malone said: “The Rotunda Hospital recommends breastfeeding because it is the best start in life for babies and is encouraging new mothers who might be experiencing any difficulties at home to contact the hospital’s experienced lactation midwives. Some mothers find it difficult to establish a successful breastfeeding routine for a number of different reasons but with additional help, support and encouragement a number of these difficulties can be overcome.”
The Hospital is attributing this slow but steady increase in the number of mothers initiating breastfeeding to improved awareness and education and initial support from hospital staff.
However, despite this increase, the percentage of mothers breastfeeding declines steeply within the first few weeks of a baby’s life, before breastfeeding is fully established. Professor Malone believes that his own hospital and all the maternity hospitals in the country have a crucial role to play in those first few weeks by offering women excellent post-natal support and guidance. He said that, “Ireland has a long way to go in boosting the long term rate of breastfeeding and while this is the responsibility of the maternity hospitals, it is also the responsibility of society as a whole.”
Some of the main reasons given for not continuing to breastfeed following the first few days and weeks include insufficient milk supply; fatigue; difficulty with breastfeeding technique; nipple pain and poor latch; lack of freedom; return to work; not wanting to breastfeed and embarrassment as a result of negative societal attitudes towards breastfeeding.
These reasons outlined highlight the need in Maternity Hospitals for evidence based intervention regarding education, counselling and support programmes. These include antenatal, intrapartum and extended postnatal period in order to improve breastfeeding rates in Ireland. Unicef/WHO/BFI (Baby-friendly Initiative) structured programmes in hospitals, early mother and baby skin to skin contact, rooming in and avoidance of supplementation have been shown to be effective.
Also the roles for dads, partners, family members and society in general have in helping a new mother on her breastfeeding journey.
For example, Dads, partners, friends and family can help breastfeeding mums by:
- Giving encouragement and support;
- Preparing drinks, snacks and meals. When dad returns to work, he can help mum by leaving out breakfast, water and other essentials she might need;
- Assisting with bathing and nappy changing;
- Helping out with housework, laundry, grocery shopping and cooking;
- Minding and entertaining older children; and knowing where to get breastfeeding information and support.
Breastfeeding facts and stats:
- Children who do not breastfeed have a higher incidence and severity of many illnesses including respiratory tract and urinary tract infection, gastroenteritis, otitis media, diabetes, SIDS, and childhood cancers.
- Breastfeeding is a protective factor against obesity in children. The protective role of breastfeeding extends beyond childhood and prevents chronic diseases in adulthood including diabetes.
- It reduces risk of Type 1 and 2 diabetes.
- It reduces a mother’s risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and diabetes.
- It is vital in preventing Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm infants, which is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and neurodevelopmental impairment.
Rotunda Hospital patients are encouraged to attend free breastfeeding workshops on Tuesday and Thursday evenings during pregnancy from 28 weeks onwards, early booking is advisable as places are limited. All Rotunda midwives are trained for supporting new breastfeeding mothers in the early days. Lactation specialists are available by referral and for breastfeeding support following discharge.
References: Health Research Board (HRB) / Breastfeeding in healthy Ireland / *Victora et Al, 2016, The Lancet