Personally I had a midwife tell me if I loved my babies I'd breastfeed them (I wasn't really sure what I would do - didn't think I'd really be able to do it well will two anyway...) - she also said that because they'd be poorly (I was in hospital waiting for delivery at this point) it would be like medicine to them - particularly as there was nothing else I could do for them. So, I dutifully obliged - or at least tried. I was loaned one of those massive milking machines - shown how to use it and told someone would change the milton each day (which the never did - I digress!) and was left too it - I went on the pump 8 times a day - day 5ish (I forget when exactly) they said they'd start on formula - but as it was tube fed it didn't matter - and when I got my milk started we'd swap over. After a week - still not so much as a drop - so they put me metacloprimide (sp?) - another week, no milk - so they put me on domperidone (sp?), another week on, two hospital transfers and news of open heart surgery - figured enough was enough! Still not so much as a drop of milk btw!

Now I still feel peev'd about this - if i'd just been left to make my own mind up - I'd have never had all this other stress and feelings of failing my children - and being a general failure of being a mother (couldn't carry them closer to term, couldn't feed them etc etc) - feelings that are still with me now. If a nicu mum wants to breastfeed - great - she should have all the support she wants. But why on earth pressure them - yes it's best for baby - but it's hardly life or death - and making mothers feel like it is - when they have real life or death starring them in the face is hardly going to help what is already a horrible situation.

Sorry - I tell you - give me a soapbox and I just have to step up on to it!