One of the main reasons for neonatologists in tertiary hospitals here pushing for breastfeeding and KMC is because the baby is colonized by the mother's bacteria. Infection rates decrease dramatically. The fact that babies obtain a few mililiters of colostrum at the same time is a real bonus! Jean Ridler RN RM IBCLC [log in to unmask] >>>>Whether or not babies truly get nourishment from the breast immediately at birth is not the point. It is best for the mother to have her infant(s) suckle immediately. It helps her uterus and may protect her life. *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html