Dear all: I do not ever talk about cognitive deficit with mothers. I talk about right brain enhancement. That is, mothers intuitive right brain function increases after delivery. Since most of what infants need is careful observation and empathetic response --- the shift in brain function is appropriate and we should acknowledge and develop plans for mothers accordingly. I've seen how mother's observational skills or just plain intuitive guesswork actually works quite well at times to develop creative adaptations. I spend more and more time watching and trying to understand what mothers and babies are actually doing before I ever touch or advise. From this, I have learned to very rarely use a U or C-hold on the breast. Many mothers adopt a natural hand position for their breasts of fingers underneath out of the way and a finger or a thumb tip directly opposite the nose tilting the nipple to the roof of the baby's mouth, while some mothers use one or three fingers in the same fashion. They often have a much more comfortable shoulder and elbow position when they use this approach than when they contort their hands into some sort of a "proper" breast hold. So, I now suggest these breast holds more frequently when I see a mother contorted into some breast hold that created the shoulder hunch and "chicken wing" elbow. This is also what I observed with sitting on mats at support group. Mothers would complain how much more painful it was to feed at home. On the floor they would slump back a bit and lean against pillows without analyzing about the "proper" positions. The subtle adjustments that they made on the floor when they didn't have the "proper" chair made a huge difference for some of them. Yes, I always do provide written care plans for mothers so that they can read --- but the sensation of a good attachment is probably far more important --- as is the opportunity for mothers to have additional verbal reassurance and physical guidance for attachment when needed. But most of what happens in the Manhattan culture I deal with is too much trying to "analyze" the "proper" way to do things and then mothers feeling frustrated because they can't "analyze" they way they used to, instead of letting go and observing the relationship with their babies unfold and how their babies respond to their actions. Best, Susan Burger *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome