Gonneke, I think any of us would agree that a baby should be close and fed on early cues. But I must say I have sometimes given this advice. And here is the rationale: We are working with a dyad. When breastfeeding has not been going well, moms sometimes actually DREAD the thought of putting the baby to breast again - just another set-up for failure (of themselves as mothers) and a screaming baby. So rather than "topping off" a baby who is feeding poorly (and concomitantly probably having the supply dwindle as the breast is not well-drained) it can make sense for a mom to offer the breast second - AS she is learning and getting ready to feel increasingly confident and able to latch the baby and start draining the breast well etc. Most often a mom where I would suggest this is just about ready to give up on breastfeeding. If the baby and mom spend this time skin to skin and just enjoying each other's company, often you can help to turn the situation around. Of course it would be best if Mom's Own was in the bottle. Better yet if the baby would just latch!! And this is just one of the suggestions in the bag of tricks - but sometimes it is definitely worth a try. I love Marge Yeager's "main course" although I usually say dessert because I'm culturally programmed to think it's the yummy treat!! Dawn Kersula ...enjoying a day of errands, cleaning, cooking and other "domestic tranquilities" before the joy of Thanksgiving Day with well-loved family and friends And I am thankful for all my Lactnet friends!! *********************************************** 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