I know this discussion is primarily about normal as it applies to hospital employees.  However, it's my recent realization that homebirthed babies provide a completely different picture of normal for those first 24-48 hours.  Even when dyads experience an unmedicated birth in the hospital, routine, light, shift changes etc. can still be very disruptive to breastfeeding.  My first was born in a hospital with a NICU stay and my 2nd was born at home 3 months ago.  I was amazed at what uninterrupted skin to skin could do.  And I do mean uninterrupted, not an hour or two, but days on end after the birth.  It resulted in a massive feed after the birth with a passed meconium while he was eating, and then baby conking out for many hours.  It took about 8-10 hours for him to get interested in eating again even though we were skin to skin that entire time.  He stayed perfectly pink and lovely and I let him feed as much as he wanted which of course increased on day 2.  I guess my point is, it's hard to assume that anything that happens post birth in a hospital is "normal".  When the birth has interventions, the breastfeeding requires interventions like waking, spoonfeeding etc.  A drugged/sensory overwhelmed baby can't be trusted to do what is normal.....
Respectfully,
Liz Howell, LLLL Queens, NY USA

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