>I made a statement about pumping after birth a few days ago. Since then, I >have noticed a large number of responses. I think my original message about >pumping in the first hour after birth was COMPLETELY misunderstood and I >would like to clarify this. > >A IBCLC colleague of mine came back from a conference once having learned >about the colostrum bolus that is present in that first hour. After that time, >we initiated pumping for ANY mom whose baby would do absolutly nothing in >the way of nursing, latching or anything in that first hour or two. Thanks for clearing this up, Betsy....seems I did understand correctly first time! I understand the desire to support breastfeeding, but bringing in a new intervention at this precious 'getting to know you' stage of the breastfeeding relationship is something that surely needs careful thought. Someone comes back from a conference with a message about a bolus of colostrum - this may be useful knowledge which helps us understand more about the importance of early bf. But I am puzzled about how this can justify a change in the management of early bf. Giving a pump to a mother is an intervention. We have - haven't we? - learnt enough about the downsides to any intervention to be very wary of them. You change something - and something else may change as a result that you never even thought about. Maybe this intervention with the pump makes more mothers *less* confident in their breastfeeding. Maybe it means less breastfeeding, long term, than more. I don't know. It's something that would need to be followed up and evaluated. Maybe in certain settings it really does make a positive difference - does this balance out any negative effects? I don't have to outline how to evaluate something, I am sure, but I'd put in a plea for evaluating how the mothers feel about it. Is it empowering to them? Or do they feel more worried? > I am not sure why this generated so much >conversation about how baby should really be at breast, etc,. I was speaking >only about the extenuating circumstances that sometime occur. That is all. It created conversation because it is an intervention - and intervening, while sometimes essential, is a big deal. I can envisage Rachel Myr's dystopian scenario of the bolus being measured and assessed - this is exactly what happens when we start to do this sort of messing about. We have to recognise the risks of it. Babies and mothers, and yes, the non-latchers and the non-lickers, the 'clueless' babies as you put it, need to be together, in close physical contact ad lib.....it could well be that when this happens, the non-latchers and the non-lickers reduce in number and by not intervening, we support the gentle start to their relationship with their mother. Heather Welford Neil NCT bfc, tutor, UK *********************************************** 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 email list is powered by LISTSERV (R). There is only one LISTSERV. To learn more, visit: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html