A dedicated dad was ecstatic to have the opportunity to bond with his newborn daughter by stepping forward to “breastfeed” her when her mother couldn’t. April Neubauer had pre-eclampsia and high blood pressure while pregnant, and when she had a seizure while in labor, she had to have an emergency c-section. When little 7 lb, 15 oz Rosalie was born on June 26, April had another seizure and required further treatment, leading to the baby’s dad Maxamillian stepping up to take her place to feed the baby.
Dad steps up to ‘breastfeed’ newborn while mom was sick https://t.co/btMBw8YP5L pic.twitter.com/H28v0aNIV7
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) July 3, 2018
- Skin-to-skin contact between parent and baby is important. Both April and Maxamillian knew this and weren’t willing to compromise on that, so it was no surprise when Maxamillian came forward while April was treated. “A nurse came out with our beautiful baby girl. We went to the nursery, I sat down and took off my shirt for some skin-to-skin time,” he told the BBC.
- Little Rosalie needed to eat and they came up with an ingenious solution. While Maxamillian doesn’t produce milk, that didn’t mean he couldn’t replicate the experience of breastfeeding for his daughter’s sake. “The nurse said we needed to get her a little formula and do some finger feeding, just something to get her started,” he recalled. “Then the nurse asked if maybe I would like to throw a nipple on and do some real breastfeeding. Me being a big joker with the ability to try just about anything once, I said sure, why not.”
- The set-up was simple but effective. The nurse put a plastic nipple shield to Maxamillian’s chest with a tube that was connected to a formula-filled tube. “I’ve never breastfed or even thought in a thousand years I would. I was the first to breast feed the baby!” he said.
- It was a great way to connect with his daughter. As Maxamillian said, being able to have that close contact with Rosalie right after she was born was an incredible experience he wouldn’t change for the world. “I felt a connection the minute I saw my little girl. I got to hold her and help her get use to breastfeeding I hope,” he said.
- He would do it all over again if he needed to. Maxamillian thinks he just did what any dad would do in helping to provide for his daughter and make her feel safe and secure. “I really did it just to be a good dad and be a hero for the nursing staff because they are superheroes. You couldn’t ask for anyone better,” he explained. “Don’t forget those moms, though. I did it for them too.”
