A loving dad has supported his ailing wife by breastfeeding his infant daughter while his wife was undergoing postnatal treatment in the Intensive Care Unit.
Maxamillian Neubauer narrates that the doctor had warned that his then pregnant wife, April, risked suffering from eclampsia because of her blood pressure that was higher than normal.
On one of their hospital visits, April had undergone a non-stress test; “but, about five minutes after they set her up, they came back in to tell us that she was having contractions,” Maxamillian narrates.
As labour progressed, however, things took a turn for the worse and April suffered a seizure — one of the two seizures she suffered in the course of the delivery, Maxamillian says.
“The doctors and nurses rushed in to tell April’s mum and I that my wife had gone from pre-eclampsia and having high blood pressure to eclampsia, where there was a danger of her entering a coma, and that they needed to do an emergency C-section,” Maxamillian recalls.
On the operating table, April had another seizure.Experts say that a pregnant woman suffering from pre-eclampsia may die and also lose her baby.Maxamillian’s baby girl, Rosalia, survived the birth, however, leaving his wife, April, battling for life.
“I couldn’t contain my happiness and joy, but I was also terrified when I didn’t see my wife.The nurse assured me she was fine and would be going to the Intensive Care Unit to recover,” Maxamillian says.
He recalls that he and his wife had agreed that breastfeeding was the best option for their infant, and that the baby must enjoy “immediate skin-to-skin contact” once she’s delivered. That was not to be, however, as April was wheeled into the ICU for postnatal care.
“Since my wife was in ICU, and we didn’t know what was going to happen with her and when she would wake up, the nurse asked me how I preferred Rosalia to be fed because she needed to eat right then.Of course, I had to pick the most outlandish option for a guy to do — I decided to breastfeed my daughter,” Maxamillian says.
Continuing, he says, “After taking off my shirt, they placed a nipple shield on my chest with a syringe, from which my daughter suckled.Never in a million years did I think I would be in this position; so, it was a little awkward at first, but I was just so happy to be there for our daughter in a time of need and carry out my wife’s wishes for our birthing plan.
“I would do anything for my wife and daughter, no questions asked, and breastfeeding felt like the natural thing to do,” Maxamillian says.Hours later, April finally woke up and was stable enough to meet Rosalia.
“It was a very emotional time for us and our family. We let her soak in the moment of finally being a mother and then told her about me breastfeeding our baby.“She was a little sad that she didn’t get to be there for her child like any other mother would want to, but she was still very happy that in a scary situation like ours, I stepped in and did what needed to be done for our family,” Maxamillian says.
April is now recovered and has taken over the breastfeeding role.I would definitely do it again if needed.I hope that our story inspires others to step out of the box and do whatever it takes to take care of your family,” Maxamillian counsels.
Metro