Subject: | |
From: | |
Reply To: | |
Date: | Tue, 11 Apr 2000 08:27:19 -0700 |
Content-Type: | text/plain |
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
Kathy,
So many mothers present with sore nipples, saying that the baby "sucks too
hard." In my own clinical experience, I find that this is rarely exactly the
problem. However, I do sometimes see it. The pattern that has emerged for me
is that when I see a baby who truly is sucking very hard, he usually does
not have an effective stripping action with his tongue. The tongue may not
be cupped/troughed properly, or there may not be much peristaltic action.
Whatever the exact deficit and cause, some babies seem to try to compensate
by increasing their suction-- and will indeed "suck too hard." Sometimes
there may be degrees of "negative suck" occurring, which is generally
evidenced by dimpling.
One other comment. Have you ever noticed that moms who are pumping but
having little or no flow-- especially if full-- may experience soreness?
And I've seen times where a very hungry baby matched with a mom whose milk
is not in yet may experience the sensation of baby sucking too hard.
Usually, once the milk is in and if baby is properly attached, relief is
felt as the milk flows, because of the reduction in total [intraoral]
pressure at breast.
As to your colleague's beliefs that a baby just hanging out at breast will
cause sore nipples with "negative suck"--- only if/when they have slidden
down to the nipple in their half-asleep state and then begun to suck again,
without mom noticing the re-positioning and correcting it.
Lisa Marasco, BA, IBCLC
***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
|
|
|