Breastfeeding Mom Lost Her Son
Breastfeeding Mom Who Lost Her Son to Starvation Defends Bottlefeeding.
Jillian and Landon soon after he was born. Courtesy of Jillian Johnson
Jillian Johnson in a blog post publicly opens up for the first time about the death of her son, Landon whose death occurred, as a result, accidental starvation at 19 days old. “If I had given him just one bottle, he would still be alive,” Johnson writes. Sharing a story that she hopes will prevent another family from suffering her fate”.
Johnson says she felt pressured by her baby-friendly hospital to exclusively breastfeed her son Landon. As a result, he did not get enough colostrum (a mother’s early milk) in the first days of life and suffered a cardiac arrest from dehydration just 12 hours after being discharged from the hospital.
By day 2 of life Landon nursed for nearly 14 hours; Johnson writes that she was reassured he was just cluster feeding. She tells People that “pressure” is too light a word for the breastfeeding counsel she was given. “You felt brainwashed … like you were a horrible person” if you turned to the bottle. So much so that in the hospital where Landon was born, a doctor would need to write a prescription in order to obtain formula.
Landon when he was firstborn.
Nearly as constant as the nursing was the crying. “I had no idea that he was inconsolable because he was starving — literally,” she writes. Half a day later, they were discharged, with Landon having lost 9.7% of his birth weight.
They spent fewer than 12 hours at home as a family: Landon went into cardiac arrest caused by dehydration and was taken off life support 15 days later.
Final Advice:
Jillian holding baby Landon, with her husband Jarrod at the hospital. Photo: The Doctors
“There’s nothing wrong with giving your child a bottle,” she counsels new moms. “In the end, what would you rather have – a child that passed away because you did your best to breastfeed him? Or would you like to raise your child, because you had no fear and gave the child a bottle? There is nothing wrong with supplementing. It comes down to making sure that your baby is getting everything that they need, even if it’s the first few days of life. I know women who have had to give them a bottle for the first few days and they didn’t have to give them a bottle after that.” It’s advice she herself has taken, having “combo-fed” — breast- and bottle-fed daughters Stella, nearly 4, and Aliona, 18 months.
Also Read: Emotional Letter – Mom of Triplets Pens To Infertility
