When I began as? LLLLeader 18 years ago, I primarily had calls for mastitis, sore nipples and milk supply issues. I cannot remember a "baby can't latch" call, except due to engorgement. I took a lot of calls in those days and I also did home visits. 

When I began working in hospital 16 years ago, coordinating a peer counseling program, I was in the unique position to observe the situation of thousands of mothers over a 3 year period.? At the time, it was still uncommon for babies to be induced and the hospital still promoted the idea of "natural birth". Today, they actively promote the use of epidurals and inductions are all the rage. But, what I noticed at the time was that we would see a very significant spike in babies who could not latch at certain times of the year. The hospital ran a residency program and we would see non-latching babies just before graduation. What I noticed from the records was a spike in the use of forceps, induction and vacuum at that time. A couple of nurses commented that doctors liked to practice before graduation. My personal view is that we get what we pay attention to and when we pay attention to dis-ease or dys-function, we find the need for interventions. It did create its own little unscientific study--brutalized babies didn't feed. That was when I started referring babies for CST/chiro.

I do think there are other issues as well. I don't think we can minimize
the impact on our bodies and our babies of poor nutrition and
environmental toxins (I would include ultrasound here--including dopplers). I also think it is true that women no longer believe breastfeeding works. They certainly don't believe their bodies can give birth and both rely on the same innate wisdom. Where the mind goes, the body follows. As Michel Odent has pointed out--when we believe we can no longer give birth, we can no longer give birth. He has commented that we may well be losing the ability as a species to birth our young--how could feeding be any different?

One of my peer counselors once said "assisted birth will require assisted breastfeeding". I think that many of our interventions have evolved in response to the dysfunctions we have seen. But, I do not think we can just expect babies to get it right and self-attach when they have mothers and grandmothers who were artificially-fed, when fear is the guiding principle in gestation and birth, when babies are exposed to toxic environments (including the malnourished mother) and toxic ideas and when brutal medical interventions become the salvation of every "incompetent" mother and baby. I think we need to heal our wisdom, our hearts and our bodies. Then competency can be the norm and babies can self-attach and direct their own potential for well-being.


Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA
Intuitive Parenting Network LLC

 


 




I asked how we oldsters learned to breastfeed because I figured I'd get =
the answers I did.  I just didn't expect 18 pages of them!

But here's the gist of what we said, with my own thoughts:

1)  A generation ago, our babies just did it.  Not one of these stories =
is about a baby who failed to take the breast, or about a mother who had =
to learn special skills in order for her baby to succeed, or about a =
mother who knew much of anything at all!  If anyone remembers hearing =
more than one or two stories of non-latching babies from that era, =
please speak up; *I* haven't heard them. (I've now met one person who =
has heard them; have others of you?)  Sore nipples yes, low supply yes, =
poor management over and over.  But from all the gray-hair stories I've =
heard over the years, I've heard an **extremely** small handful of "my =
baby never latched" stories... until later in the 1980s. =20

My thoughts:  Something has changed.  The only two things I can think of =
are the way mothers are taught and the ubiquitousness and type of birth =
drugs.  Most of us oldsters had way more separation than mothers today =
have, yet breastfeeding worked for us, and worked immediately.  Maybe we =
need to stop making separations such a focus of attention, bad as they =
are, and look more urgently at the births and the help.=20

2)  A generation ago, the help we got from professionals was almost =
uniformly detrimental.

My thoughts: Are we certain we're not doing the same thing - squeezing =
mothers and babies into rules and protocols that have nothing to do with =
what really works?  We know now that we taught positioning totally =
terribly in our early days.  We'd probably have been way better off not =
teaching at all.  Are we sure that that isn't still true?  There's at =
least one study that indicates that we may be more hindrance than help =
(Henderson A, Stamp G, Pincombe J.  Postpartum Positioning and =
Attachment Education for Increasing Breastfeeding: A Randomized Trial.  =
Birth 2001; 28(4): 236-242).=20

3)  A generation ago, LLL meetings - or at least the Womanly Art of =
Breastfeeding - was a common factor in a whole lot of successes, at =
least in the US. =20

My thoughts: If you haven't made a donation to LLL in a while, it sure =
would be welcomed!  So would your presence at meetings, and your earnest =
urging that patients and clients attend.  If we all disappeared and only =
LLL remained, most new mothers would be probably be fine.  If LLL =
disappears and only we remain, I'm not so sure.

4)  A generation ago, Karen Pryor's book was the other near-essential. =20

My thoughts: It couldn't have been for the positioning information:  =
"Probably the nurse will help you get comfotable and get the first =
feeding started.  If not, you can manage by yourself.  You can nurse =
sitting up or lying down.  If you are sitting, don't lean back.  Lean =
forward a little, and rest the baby partly on your lap, like the mothers =
in the first four plates.  That way the nipple is easier for him to =
grasp, and your arm won't get tired from holding him.  You can use your =
free hand to guide the nipple into his mouth."  No, I think what we got =
from her book was almost entirely attitude and desire.  Same with LLL's =
Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. =20

5)  As far as I've seen and heard, a generation ago breastfeeding tended =
to work.  Some people quit because of truly terrible nipples, many had =
unnecessary pain that eventually resolved.  But according to the stories =
I heard back then, it wasn't nipple pain or "failed latch" that ended =
most breastfeeding (the two things we've focused on for over 20 years), =
it was management.

My thoughts: One of our local Leader Applicants said recently, "My =
generation doesn't think breastfeeding works."  Have we spent so much =
time focused on "the latch" that we've screwed up mothers' perception of =
this very robust behavior?  Have we forgotten how competent babies are, =
if we give them not one isolated cue ("tickle the lips" or "nose to =
nipple") but a whole casual bundle of them as the mother who leans =
comfortably back and just holds her baby seems to do?  The word =
"position" became a verb - something the mother did *to* the baby - in =
the early 1980s, and from then on it seems it was all about the =
properly-instructed mother manipulating the baby.

Tina Smillie and now Suzanne Colson (www.biologicalnurturing.com) are =
handing control back to the mothers and babies, and even medicated =
babies seem to be doing pretty well as a result.  I'm feeling =
embarrassed by my well-meant but incredibly intrusive efforts of the =
past 25 years!

Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC, LLLL  Ithaca, NY  USA






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