Another paediatrician no doubt well-intentioned joked that babies had survived the Mexican earthquake for 10 days without fluid

Another paediatrician, no doubt well-intentioned, joked that babies had survived the Mexican earthquake for 10 days without fluid. Maya’s illness had quickly ended but my problems were just beginning: no one seemed to agree on what I should do next.Mothers are taught that breast-feeding is completely natural. It came as a shock to me: I had seen the baby suckling away and assumed all was well. Nor I had I been prepared to expect that kind of problem: my antenatal class had focused on difficulties such as sore nipples, while several mothers I spoke to had described the initial stages of breast-feeding as a case of “breaking through the pain barrier”.In fact a delay in milk “coming in” is not unheard of among women who have had Caesareans and is thought to be associated with the trauma of the operation.

I learnt that when staff sent me off to use the electric breast pump, so that I could get some sleep while they bottle-fed Maya: all I could produce was a few drops of colostrum, the fluid present before the milk “comes in” on the third or fourth day. Within hours her condition improved and after two days she was considered well enough to return to the ward. I had been going up to special care every three hours to breast-feed her, but she was also given formula milk to make sure she got plenty of fluid.It came as a surprise to learn that Maya had become dehydrated because I was not producing any milk – and very little of any other fluid. By that time her blood-sugar level was so low that it did not even register on the scale I had been told that dehydration could lead to brain damage. As I watched helplessly I could not believe that my previously healthy baby could end up in special care alongside seriously ill and premature infants.Maya was put on a glucose drip and given phototherapy. They point to precedents such as the pounds 1.6bn Nestle-Perrier merger in 1992. Cattles, the consumer finance group, has sold its remaining 23 per cent stake in Rosebys, the retailers of household textiles, for pounds 23.1m, equal to 275p a share.

In that case the two companies argued that they were competing not just in the mineral water market but in the broader arena of soft drinks. Derek Stevens, BA’s finance director, said that currency losses could run into three figures.Mr Ayling all but ruled out following the lead of American and Delta in the US and signing an exclusive supply deal with Boeing to purchase all its aircraft on a long term basis – the source of trade friction between Europe and the US.Investment column, page 22. The new directors running Interflora will tell the organisation’s 2,600 members today that they are staying in the job after receiving positive legal advice from a barrister. This followed a damning undercover television programme showing some of Huntingdon’s employees mistreating dogs.Sir Richard said: “There is no place for this behaviour in biomedical research.

Although Glaxo’s sales rose 10 per cent in the first 10 months of the year at constant exchange rates, they were unchanged when converted to sterling. Glaxo Wellcome said yesterday the strength of the pound could cut as much as 5 per cent off the pharmaceutical giant’s profits this year. Most, including Severn Trent, North West Water and Yorkshire Water, agreed to comply although Thames Water refused to accept the voluntary arrangement.Since privatisation the 10 water and sewerage groups have been allowed to raise bills to cover the massive investment backlog, but have frequently been attacked for failing to spend enough.Mr Byatt also said his next price review, brought forward from 2000 to 1999, could not be carried out in isolation from the windfall tax, which he said was one of several issues which needed consideration “They’ve said they want to consider profit sharing In the meantime Gordon Brown wants to have a windfall tax. I will publish a plan for deficit reduction over the medium term.”
Yesterday also brought a survey showing consumer confidence has surged to its highest level for nine years in a bout of post-election euphoria.

By far the biggest improvements occurred in Scotland and Wales, the two regions which voted all their Conservative MPs out of office.The monthly survey of consumer confidence carried out by GfK for the European Commission shows a big jump in optimism about the economy and household finances in the fortnight immediately after the general election. With hindsight, I can see that was a sign that something was wrong.
On the fourth day a routine test found that her blood-sugar level was very low and hours later laboratory results confirmed that she was severely dehydrated. Maya herself seemed to know that, wanting to feed constantly. On the third day however, we noticed that Maya looked yellow. The doctors said she was a little jaundiced, but as long as she got lots of fluid from me she would be all right. Weighing in at a healthy 7lbs 4oz, she passed all the initial checks and within an hour was latched on to my breast, feeding eagerly

Everything appeared to be going well I fed Maya every two hours as I recovered from surgery. A breech baby, she arrived by planned Caesarean 10 days early.