--PART.BOUNDARY.0.17542.mail06.mail.aol.com.822282834 Content-ID: <[log in to unmask]> Content-type: text/plain Date: Sun, 21 Jan 1996 From: Chris Mulford<[log in to unmask]> Subject: Sleep and breastfeeding (but hello first) First, an introduction. Hello to friends old and new. I am a breastfeeding fanatic who is lucky enough to be employed full-time as a hospital-based lactation consultant. My pathway to get to this place started with motherhood (when it was my baby who taught me how to breastfeed!), and progressed through LLL Leadership, nursing school, hospital employment as a maternity and nursery nurse, IBCLC certification, and submitting a proposal three times before my employer agreed to set up a Breastfeeding Center. I love my work, especially because it give me access to so many nursing mothers and babies---opportunities to learn more about bf---but I have to admit Lactnet is pretty fascinating as well! At this point in my life’s journey I have a husband, two kids 18 and 28, and live outside Philadelphia. As a thank- you to my first-born (without whom I never would have discovered the Wonderful World of Lactation), I invited her to come with me on a trip to Huairou, China, this year to be part of the breastfeeding lobby at the NGO Forum of the 4th UN World Conference on Women. Now a comment about the sleep instructions for parents quoted by Jay on 17 Jan 1996: I frequently hear doctors tell mothers not to let their newborn babies fall asleep at the breast, but instead to “put the baby down while it’s still awake.” To me this makes no sense. We know that babies naturally fall asleep while nursing because sucking makes them produce the sleep-inducing gut hormone CCK. It looks to me as if nursing is *designed* to put babies (and their mothers) to sleep, so parents might as well understand and take advantage of that result. Uvnas-Moberg has published wonderful work on CCK, including a study which found that CCK levels measured in the first four days increased with nursing, dropped about 10 minutes after the end of nursing, and rose again 30 and 60 minutes after the end of nursing. In other words, these new babies in her study had a little *window of opportunity* to wake up and go back for more nursing if they had fallen asleep before they were *done.* I don’t know about CCK in older babies. U-M says that newborns have a naturally high baseline level of CCK, 10x higher that that of nine-month old babies or adults. With both my kids I remember nursing being a reliable bedtime sleep-inducer well into the third year of life. I also remember the difficult transition which 3-year-old Zoe and I had to get through when nursing no longer sufficed to help her fall asleep at bedtime. (I recall that playing tapes of MisteRogers songs worked for awhile…) The mother as well as the nurseling produces CCK during suckling, which accounts in part for the mellow feeling many nursing mothers enjoy. When my second child was an active toddler (and Number One was in school) we would lie down together at naptime, he would nurse to sleep, and if I was tired enough, so would I. In fact I could judge how tired I was by whether or nursing put me to sleep. Lucky for us, my kids and I figured out how to use nursing as a sleep aid without ever knowing that CCK existed. But for discussions with people who want research-based recommendations, or for ammunition in discussions with HCPs who recommend restricting sleep-time nursing, you might find the following articles useful. Uvnas-Moberg K (1989). The gastrointestinal tract in growth and reproduction. Scientific American, 78-83. Uvnas-Moberg K, Marchini G, Winberg J (1993). Plasma cholecystokinin concentrations after breast feeding in healthy 4 day old infants. Arch Dis Child 68:46-8. Chris Mulford, RN, BSN, IBCLC, happy to be where I am. [log in to unmask] Page 2 --PART.BOUNDARY.0.17542.mail06.mail.aol.com.822282834 Content-ID: <[log in to unmask]> Content-type: text/plain; name="JAN21P~1.TXT" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Date: Sun, 21 Jan 1996 From: Chris Mulford<[log in to unmask]> Subject: Sleep and breastfeeding (but hello first) =0D First, an introduction. Hello to friends old and new. I am a breastfeed= ing fanatic who is lucky enough to be = employed full-time as a hospital-based lactation consultant. My pathway = to get to this place started with = motherhood (when it was my baby who taught me how to breastfeed!), and pr= ogressed through LLL Leadership, = nursing school, hospital employment as a maternity and nursery nurse, IBC= LC certification, and submitting a = proposal three times before my employer agreed to set up a Breastfeeding = Center. I love my work, especially = because it give me access to so many nursing mothers and babies---opportu= nities to learn more about bf---but I = have to admit Lactnet is pretty fascinating as well! =0D At this point in my life=92s journey I have a husband, two kids 18 and 28= , and live outside Philadelphia. As a thank- you to my first-born (without whom I never would have discovered the Wond= erful World of Lactation), I invited = her to come with me on a trip to Huairou, China, this year to be part of = the breastfeeding lobby at the NGO Forum = of the 4th UN World Conference on Women. =0D Now a comment about the sleep instructions for parents quoted by Jay on 1= 7 Jan 1996: =0D I frequently hear doctors tell mothers not to let their newborn babies fa= ll asleep at the breast, but instead to =93put = the baby down while it=92s still awake.=94 To me this makes no sense. W= e know that babies naturally fall asleep while = nursing because sucking makes them produce the sleep-inducing gut hormone= CCK. It looks to me as if nursing is = *designed* to put babies (and their mothers) to sleep, so parents might a= s well understand and take advantage of = that result. =0D Uvnas-Moberg has published wonderful work on CCK, including a study which= found that CCK levels measured in = the first four days increased with nursing, dropped about 10 minutes afte= r the end of nursing, and rose again 30 and = 60 minutes after the end of nursing. In other words, these new babies in= her study had a little *window of = opportunity* to wake up and go back for more nursing if they had fallen a= sleep before they were *done.* =0D I don=92t know about CCK in older babies. U-M says that newborns have a = naturally high baseline level of CCK, 10x = higher that that of nine-month old babies or adults. With both my kids I = remember nursing being a reliable bedtime = sleep-inducer well into the third year of life. I also remember the diff= icult transition which 3-year-old Zoe and I = had to get through when nursing no longer sufficed to help her fall aslee= p at bedtime. (I recall that playing tapes of = MisteRogers songs worked for awhile=85) =0D The mother as well as the nurseling produces CCK during suckling, which a= ccounts in part for the mellow feeling = many nursing mothers enjoy. When my second child was an active toddler (= and Number One was in school) we = would lie down together at naptime, he would nurse to sleep, and if I was= tired enough, so would I. In fact I could = judge how tired I was by whether or nursing put me to sleep. =0D Lucky for us, my kids and I figured out how to use nursing as a sleep aid= without ever knowing that CCK existed. = But for discussions with people who want research-based recommendations, = or for ammunition in discussions with = HCPs who recommend restricting sleep-time nursing, you might find the fol= lowing articles useful. =0D Uvnas-Moberg K (1989). The gastrointestinal tract in growth and reproduct= ion. Scientific American, 78-83. Uvnas-Moberg K, Marchini G, Winberg J (1993). Plasma cholecystokinin conc= entrations after breast feeding in = healthy 4 day old infants. Arch Dis Child 68:46-8. =0D Chris Mulford, RN, BSN, IBCLC, happy to be where I am. [log in to unmask] Page 2 =0D --PART.BOUNDARY.0.17542.mail06.mail.aol.com.822282834--