I think that some sort of hands-on can be very helpful in a class. At the hospital where I teach a big prenatal class, they had these horrible, stiff, heavy dolls, with flexed, unbendable heads, which seemed especially clunky on top of a big pregnant stomach. As an alternative -- at the local GoodWill and Value Village thrift stores/second-hand stores and garage sales, one can get tons of practically new teddy bears -- I look for very soft, flexible, snuggly ones -- for $1-2 each. I ran them through the washer, and they make great aids. (I always joke "Your baby will be even cuter than this.") The bears are also nicely varied, colorful and multi-ethnic (and don't have that creepy, staring look that some dolls have --they're kind of friendly.) It seems like mothers like picking out a bear from this big pile. Like any tool, it's all in how the dolls/bears are used. I show Tina Smillie's video, to get across the idea of what an active partner the baby is -- that we're not trying to *make* the baby breastfeed -- just work with their instinct to survive.. When they're holding the dolls/bears, I point out that mothers are built lots of different ways, and it's useful to look at your body in relation to this other little person -- a mother with high-set little breasts has a different "fit" than someone with large low breasts -- and that books and videos tend to show pretty average (or to my way of thinking, large-breasted) people. I tell them to think about getting themselves comfortable, and how if they lean back a little, they can see how gravity helps make the baby feel more secure, and takes more of the baby's weight on their bodies, and less on their arms. So they're leaning back, with the dolls/bears between their breasts. Then I say, "And as the baby starts to twist and bob, you can kind of help them in the search -- ease the bottom one way, and help them line where they scoop up a good mouthful." I point out that babies might have more difficulty backing up, so they may need some help if they overshoot. If they get all fussy and upset, to bring them back up to soothe them and help them "re-boot" for another search. I point out how tempting it is to push on the back of the baby's head, but that if they push on the back of their own heads, they can see how that might hinge the chin down and bury the nose. How the breast is a circle, so the baby might end up coming at the breast from lots of different angles, as long as the body is reasonably straight, with the head tipped back enough that the chin has free movement -- how it's hard for any of us to drink with our chins down, or turned over our shoulder. How if a baby seems to be having some difficulties, one might try "sandwiching up" the breast a bit, or a the Rebecca Glover nipple-flip trick. Such points are more graphic and memorable if we're involving the learner's body. Having the class doing something active, looking at their own bodies, imagining the physical reality of fitting together with a baby, are valuable. I like to show a lot of visuals, but some people are hands-on learners as well. Good luck to all. Margaret Wills, IBCLC Maryland *********************************************** 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