Breastfeeding can be daunting, but help is available for moms
NORTH ADAMS — Sandra McDowell of North Adams believes mothers breastfeeding an infant should ask for help even before they need it.
“I can’t say enough about how important it is to get the help you need,” she said. “I learned how different theory is to practice. Both you (mother) and baby must learn.”
McDowell said that without the help of Berkshire Nursing Families her breastfeeding experience would have been absolutely chaotic.
Rosalie Girard, founder and executive director of Berkshire Nursing Families, said the group offers breastfeeding classes, support groups, home visits, a breastfeeding hot line, and a breast pump rental station.
Girard said every family is given at least one consultation at the hospital and the group will do follow-ups at anytime.
“Everything is free except we charge for the pump rental if a family can afford it,” said Girard. “Money is not a barrier and that is a premise we live by. We have a strong commitment not to change.”
Although McDowell wanted to breastfeed her son, Liam, and had educated herself on the subject, she experienced difficulties she did not expect, including engorgement and excruciating nipple pain.
“When I got home (after the birth) my baby wanted to nurse a lot,” said McDowell. “I didn’t understand how emergent feeding a baby becomes. Your have an impending emergency every hour. I was exhausted and in so much pain I couldn’t feed my baby. I was just sobbing.”
McDowell said Girard came to her house at least 15 times and taught her remedies to relieve the engorgement as well as different “latching” techniques and positions to nurse her baby.
“She was wonderful,” said McDowell. “She was so reassuring. She knows every detail to make you and the baby learn better.”
McDowell said it was extremely rare to have the kind of pain she had.
“I didn’t want the pain to win,” she said. “I didn’t want to give up just because it hurt. I related it to labor. You know it’s going to hurt, but you don’t want to give up. I wanted to be able to say ‘I did what I felt was best and nursed my child.’”
McDowell said she exhausted all avenues of treatment for the pain, but nothing helped.
She said it took up to three months before breastfeeding was not as painful, and up to five months before the pain was completely gone.
“I can’t say enough about how important it is to get the help you need,” said McDowell. “I can’t imagine not having some kind of support.”
Girard said that the group is part of services offered at North Adams Regional Hospital. She said the group receives donations and grants from churches, banks, United Way, fund-raisers, Family Net and community businesses, as well as private donations.
Prior to 1998, the group was known as Berkshire Nursing Mothers and was only able to provide a monthly support group, according to Girard. She said then a grant was received from the Reach Foundation. At that point Girard said they formed a board, become a nonprofit organization, and changed their name.
“I had always had a problem with the name,” said Girard. “Our society is always whining because dads aren’t picking up the slack. But all around you only hear about ‘mom and baby.’ I felt strongly this wasn’t about moms and babies. It was about families. Dads are critical. We need as a culture to acknowledge the importance of dads.”
The importance of dad played a role in McDowell’s breastfeeding success.
“There was never a time when my husband wanted me to give up,” said McDowell. “He was my hero. He fed me and took care of everything for the household. I probably would have stopped if he said to, but he pushed me to try.”
Girard said a study last year revealed that 64 percent of mothers initially start breastfeeding in Berkshire County, which is slightly below the national average of 70 percent.
She said a quality assurance study by the hospital before 1998 revealed that only 38 percent of mothers who were patients at the hospital breastfed up to at least three months. After the group began offering their services, a pilot study showed 68 to 71 percent of mothers breastfed up to at least three months.
“It made a difference when women got support,” said Girard.
Girard said she calls the maternity floor at the hospital every morning to ask if there are any breastfeeding moms.
“Lactation (breastfeeding) is very crisis for help,” she said. “You can’t wait three or five days. There are things like weight gain, jaundice, and other serious reasons not to mess with a newborn.”
Now 10 months old, McDowell’s son is still breastfed, and mom reports he is “flourishing, beautiful, and happy.”
“I’m so happy to give back in any way the indispensable help I received from Berkshire Nursing Families,” said McDowell. “I would not have done what I did without them.”
Girard said families interested in breastfeeding help may contact the breastfeeding support hotline at 413-743-5338.