Jeanne Fisher mentioned references which showed that in hospitals where
babies are not separated from mother and have unrestricted access to the
breast, babies may lose 4 - 5% of birthweight before regaining.  As someone
who does private consults in hospitals where there is routine rooming-in I
would like to comment that although this may indeed happen, so too may a
weight loss > 10% occur.  In other words, rooming-in (and I would imagine
home-birth) doesn't necessarily prevent *all* problems.  Even mothers with
unmedicated labours and normal vaginal deliveries may have babies who are
sleepy, or there may be latching difficulties or delayed lactogenesis II.  I
partly agree with Dr Jack that we shouldn't get too hung up on percentages
and numbers, but nevertheless a weight loss in excess of 7% is usually a
reflection (in my experience) that breastfeeding has not been going well in
the hospital, and may go even less well once mother and baby are discharged.
Ultimately I think the test of "successful breastfeeding" is whether the
baby thrives, and that is demonstrated in the numbers - urine/stool output
and weight gain/loss.  Just my .O2.

Pamela, Zimbabwe