Kathy Eng writes:

>I keep hearing the following and believe it is not  true. I have checked
>various lactation texts and found nothing about this but I wanted to ask you
>all. This is a pervasive idea where I work.
>
>Is it true or false that sore nipples are caused by the "negative pressure"
>caused by the baby's mouth being on the nipple too long? OR if the baby is
>at the breast but not actively sucking or swallowing (ie, not doing
>anything), does his mouth create "negative pressure" (which in turn is
>believed to cause sore nipples)?
>
>My main question is the idea of the negative pressure thing. I know what
>causes sore nipples and how a baby sucks!


Never heard of this - hope it  doesn't cross the Atlantic! It could well be
used as just another handy-dandy  reason to prevent mothers feeding their
babies ad lib.... mothers are  still sometimes told not to 'allow' their
babies to 'suck after they have finished' because this 'makes you sore',
but the stricture is not dressed up with this business of negative pressure
(whatever *that* is....).

I still occasionally hear mothers being told their sore nipples were
inevitable because they have red or fair hair....or freckles....because the
baby's small, or big, or early, or late...because their nipples are too
big, too small, too flat, too prominent...because they fed at night,
because they fed too often, because......

Because it's Thursday, because there's a R in the month, because most women
get sore, etc etc etc.

But so far, not because of negative pressure.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK

             ***********************************************
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