Looks like there was a failure in the system and a hole in someone’s knowledge. That baby should never have been discharged without confirmation that the mothers milk had come in, that there was enough milk AND the baby was putting on weight. If the baby was not producing wet nappies in hospital why on earth did they let him go home?!!

For people out there who still advocate breast is best, I hope they read this article and know that their stupid action has consequences.

I had a large 9lb 3oz baby son for my first baby. I had plenty of milk, I had to hold a glass under the other breast while he was feeding on the other side. I would fill the glass, and assumed that he got the same. He was not gaining weight and he was crying a lot. The health centre sister did test weighs and although he was getting enough in fluid, because he was not gaining weight, so I was sent to a paediatrician who immediately said put him on the bottle, your milk has no substance to it. He immediately gained his birth weight and thrived and slept and was happy. Never think that breast is best, because it isn’t always so. I fed my third baby, a son who weighed 9lb 4oz until he was 5 months old, with four other children in the family and had no issues!!!

It’s a sad story for a unexperienced first time mum.

I could not imagine the pain this woman had gone through. My Mum had a story like this with me but had gone to hospital earlier and they advised a bottle.

Thank you for sharing this story. So important.

This is heartbreaking! This poor mum and bub were failed by the system.

What a shitty thing to have happen to this family. I stopped breast feeding after 3 months as I didnt think bub was getting enough. She was always screaming and pulling off during feeds. We made the right decision to move to formula, she was always full then.

I think the whole “breast is best” movement has a lot to answer for. At a stressful time for new parents who are like deers in headlights, there are far too many stories like this as everyone is trying to do the’best’ thing for their child. Add this woman says, feed is best

On my goodness, this is literally heart breaking! Going through the private health system we were so blessed with the care and support we received . I’ve been able to breast feed but not without trials and many moments of wanting to give up.
Such a terrible tragedy that could have been prevented. We need to do better. We need to trust mums and we need to actively acknowledge newborns and their behaviours not dismiss things so easily.
I’m so sorry this family had to experience this.

Wow. That’s so sad. I remember when I first started breastfeeding, I was so stress about if my baby was getting enough. My Bub was dehydrated the first couple of days but the hospital didn’t care, they were very dismissive. I ended up feeding he with a syringe until we were able to get his latch right as I had flat nipples (not that I was told that, had to work it out myself) and he kept getting his tongue in the way. A dummy fixed that. We are now 5 months on and going well. After all the experience with the doctors and nurses. I don’t bother asking for help. I just work it on my own now.

This is just heartbreaking. It’s so hard having your first child as it is and we rely so much on the professionals around us. I can’t fathom how this baby was let out of hospital in the first place.
I hope this family can have a happy and loving future.

this is so sad….it is difficult having a newborn.

It’s actually really easy to tell if a baby is eating enough…what goes in must come out, no? Hospitals here make sure both mom and baby are passing enough waste to prove their bodies are capable of sustaining life and there aren’t any digestive issues they can’t see. I’ve had 3 babies and I’ve been in the hospital numerous times for various surgeries and every time, I was not allowed to leave without informing them and even showing them in the toilet (they make you put a little pot in there) that I’ve gone #2. And my babies were all monitored for appropriate numbers of dirty diapers. I was given a piece of paper to keep track of feedings and diapers, and I even had to keep their diapers to show the nurse.
I feel like this woman has a good lawsuit on her hands against this hospital for not doing that. But also, I feel like her warning for mothers against breast is best is pointless.

This poor mother. I think midwives & nurses should stop jamming their opinions so heavily down new mums throats. “Breast is best” crap is what killed this baby. This mother thought she was doing the best thing for her baby.

My heart breaks for this family.. what a terrible experience and failure on the part of medical experts.

oh my God. I don’t know how I would reconcile with myself after something like this. I’m so glad this mumma is speaking out, sometimes we place too much trust in our doctors and nurses and put our concerns away, if in doubt you need to still push for answers. I’m so glad she’s brought this up.

This is truly tragic. What a horrific thing this mum was to live with

Extremely sad story. That I do think can happen to anyone as there is no help and women are pressured to breastfeed. I had a similar experience with my baby. I was also heavily medicated to the point those first few weeks were a blur I later realised 1 of the many medications i was given was the cause plus sleep deprivation was a extremely dangerous thing. My bub lost alot of weight at the start and was vomiting all of the small amount of breastmilk she was getting my husband stepped in from day 1 with formula as she was born at 36 weeks so we were mixed feeding. I think that saved her life as i told numerous midwives my baby was spewing every feed i was giving her to be told that couldn’t be the case, i knew that was the case and got constantly dismissed baby continued losing weight. Was crying all night i thought i was cluster feeding too was exhuasted and confused but thought this must be normal as we got told about cluster feeding. We got home and my husband gave her formula top ups around the clock. I was still fixated on breast feeding because of all the pressure and thought i was doing the best thing. To the point of expressing every feed bub then spewed the lot everytime. Fed is best.

My heart breaks for you and your family.. What an awful thing. Very brave for sharing your story, I hope it brings awareness to others.