I had a strange encounter today, and wonder if anyone else has heard of
this one:
        The pediatrician came in while I was working with a mom whose baby had not
latched well all night and said: "Your baby isn't latching on to your
breast because it isn't sticking out like a bottle or your finger.  To
teach him to latch on, you must exercise your nipples like any other
muscle."  He then told her to put VASELINE on her nipples several times
throughout the day, roll them, and "play with yourself"!! (!! mine!) He
said that soon her nipples would be "much larger and straighter" and that
this would solve the latch on problem. He insisted that the mom put the
baby to breast while he was there, then kept telling me how to line the
baby up differently as I attempted to help her.  Baby had already been
screaming for about 10 minutes by that time, and needless to say did not
latch.  MD finally told mom to stop and put her finger in baby's mouth so
he'd stop crying and she could hear the MD talk to her.
         Baby is 3 days old, birth wgt 9-0, today's wgt 8-0.  Mom's nipples flat
and soft, but milk beginning to come in.  My plan was to have mom pump (she
has the PNStyle) and cup feed with the M. cupfeeding device if baby won't
latch on after lots of skin to skin and access to the breast. I have
another wgt check scheduled for tomorrow; parents are recording feeds,
voids & stools.  Mom has shells to use if she feels they help.  (Peds did
ok my plan before he left.)
        Does anyone have an idea why babies so often nurse well for the first 2
days, then scream and refuse to nurse when the milk starts coming in?
(That's what is going on in this case.) All I can think of is that some
babies react to the changes in the feel of the nipple.  Any ideas?  Does
anyone have a better way of working with these families?  I have 2 similar
cases at once, and they take a lot of time and cause the parents stress by
having to come for daily wgt checks till the baby is gaining and nursing
well.
        Thanks for listening, and thanks in advance for any advice.  Anne in VA