I use a lot of analogy in my class I tell parents that in the first 2-3 day they will be drip feeding -- (just like a drip irrigation system) and that lots of time at the breast with a good latch means lots of colostrum in the baby by the end of the day (cumulatively). I want my parents to visualize all those drops of colostrum adding up to a well hydrated, well fed baby at the end of each day (if they can actually figure out when the end of each day is). I also liken colostrum to syrup or nectar -- a very concentrated energy source, so a little bit goes a long way. I tell my parents that in the hospital they don't have to cook or clean or do any work at all ( we bring them meals, empty the garbage, and change the linen on their beds) their only job is to learn how to breastfeed and do it as often as they can. If they use their time in the hospital well, then when they go home and all the other jobs start to crowd in, they will feel more confident about breastfeeding and breastfeeding will change from drip irrigation to something more like frequently watering the garden with a hose. I often have my class members tell me that the class helped them to get a more realistic idea of what the first few days would be like. Cathy Loughman RN IBCLC __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new resources site! http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/resources/ *********************************************** 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 mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html