Not the babyIt's a mother's nightmare come true. A 1-month-old baby boy recently died via suffocation while his mother was breastfeeding him. The 32-year-old new mom had reportedly gone out for a night of drinking, and when she returned to nurse her baby, she fell asleep while doing so. The next morning when she woke up, she saw that her baby's lips were blue (I really don't want to go into further detail of the state of the baby, as it's too disturbing), and she realized her brand new baby had passed away.
Yes, I know what you're thinking.
You shouldn't be going out for a night of drinking when you're breastfeeding, right? I agree. Nonetheless, this is extremely sad.
It's hard to think of anything more horrifying and disturbing -- waking up next to your child who passed away in the middle of the night. I certainly don't want to "lecture" a mom who's going through something awful, or act like I'm the world's greatest mother, but I will say, probably not the best idea to go out imbibing all night -- if this is true -- when you're breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding, as anyone who's tried knows, is hard. Really hard. It's so much more than, "Oh, I'm just going to pop this baby on my boob and feed it." Not only does it hurt (a lot) at first, you have to give up things. And "nights of drinking" are among those things. If you really, really can't do that -- honestly? Switch to formula. At that point, it's what's best. And, please, don't co-sleep if you're wasted.
My heart truly breaks for this poor woman. It's a tragedy in every sense. But the saddest part of all is that this could have been prevented. What a shame.
Did you worry about your baby suffocating when you first started nursing?
Image via sebribiero/Flickr
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Comments 50
Doesn't she know that when she drinks alcohol it gets into her breastmilk? I know this wasn't intentional.
This is so sad. I feel bad for the woman who made a series of very poor choices, and for the the sweet baby who died. This makes my heart hurt. :(
i'm sure it was a terrible accident, and i feel terribly for that mother. but if you're going to breastfeed, you have to know that things you ingest (including alcohol!) are passed on through your breastmilk. i've had to do a 'pump and dump' in the past because i had a glass or two of wine and didn't want baby getting it. it was totally preventable, and completely heartbreaking. my heart goes out to the family.
You switched to formula early, you really have no say in this matter. You write about how parents need breaks but if a woman is breastfeeding she doesn't? That makes you a hypocrite. Do you know if she was actually drunk? Was she just tired? A baby could suffocate being formula fed by a tired mother alcohol or not. Alcohol leaves the breast milk fairly quickly so a mom can still drink and nurse after a few hours, educate yourself instead of spewing things that are not true.
So So Sad.
I get that a mom, breast feeding or not, needs a break from time to time. But really? Why would you drink? I have breast fed all 3 (soon to be 4) of my kids, and never went out drinking with my friends when I was breastfeeding. Yes, it is a tragedy, but I have a hard time feeling sympathetic towards someone who is obviously old enough to know better. Rest in peace little one.
I was terrified of suffocating my baby while breastfeeding, I cannot count how many times I woke up with a twisted back because of the way I layed while breastfeeding in bed. Surely this Mom would have too, if she hadn't have gone out drinking and breastfed instead of giving the baby a bottle pumped BEFORE she had anything to drink. So sad.