Samantha Tieng

October 4, 2017
NSG 355L
Specialty Reflection
Today I followed the lactation consultant, which was a very interesting and rewarding
experience. Although I got to see many patients with many different problems dealing with
breastfeeding, one particular patient stuck out to me. The patient was a gravida one, para one
patient whos husband was in the military and the baby was in vitro. When helping this new
mother breastfeed, I noticed that her breasts were asymmetrical. While in the room with the
lactation consultant, she did not mention anything in front of the patient about her breasts
being asymmetrical. I thought that this was considerate of the lactation consultant since
women are usually more self-conscious about their body. I also noticed that the mother was
hesitant when asked to uncover both breasts and while she was breastfeeding she would try to
cover the non-nursing breast with her arm or slyly move the gown up. Besides nonverbal
behaviors, the patient was very compliant when the LC asked her to move a different position,
correct the holding of the baby or tips on how to get a better latch. The patient was willing to
learn, try new things, and asked questions for a better understanding of breastfeeding.
My reaction to the situation was just mute and observant. I asked questions after
leaving the room because I did not want to upset the patient or interrupt the LCs teaching. My
feelings during this experience was sort of uncomfortable because of the nonverbal cues that
the mother gave off. I did not stare at her breast because I felt like she felt uncomfortable
about herself and I did not want to make her feel more uncomfortable. I think that it is
important to understand that not all women are the same when it comes to a comfort level.
Some women are open about their body and do not mind others to look, while some women
would much rather prefer the privacy. It is important to pay attention to the verbal cues also
because they tell a nurse what the patient wants.
There was no information offered during my applications class that would relate to this
experience and I felt very unprepared as I have little knowledge on in vitro pregnancies. An
article from the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Journal that I found, discusses in vitro
pregnancies and its effects on breastfeeding. The article states that there in evidence that even
though mothers who have in vitro pregnancies intend to breastfeed for at least 6 months, most
of them actually do not. This is because the lactation process that the body normally undergoes
during natural pregnancy, is delayed during in vitro pregnancy. This can give the mother anxiety
about the well-being of her baby and cause worries about whether the baby is receiving enough
nutrition. Therefore, most in vitro mothers start bottle feeding earlier which makes it more
difficult to breastfeed later (Australian Nursing Federation, 2013).
After leaving the room, the LC mentioned the asymmetric breast and some questions
that I should ask myself when I see that again such as Will this mother be able to make enough
milk for the baby? and Will the asymmetric breast be a problem down the road for the milk
supply of the baby?. Since the baby was in vitro, the LC mentioned that the hormonal changes
that normally occur in a natural pregnancy does not occur. Since in vitro is an option for a way
of pregnancy, I think it is important that I educate myself and the mother and/or father on the
complications or changes with the baby and mothers body when the situation arrives. In the
future, I believe that I will be more prepared in educating in vitro mothers on the changes
happening to their body and how to cope with them.
 Citations

Australian Nursing Federation (2013). IVF and breastfeeding. Australian Nursing &
Midwifery Journal, 21(5), 34.