To expand on my brief mention of "alternate massage":
"Alternate massage" was a term I originally found in an article by a
nursing nun, Sr M. Charitas Iffrig. (I think she was in the Philippines by
the time I caught up with her for permission to quote.) The original
article was published in 1969 and should still be accessable in libraries.
Keep in mind that it dates from the period when unrestricted, early
breastfeeding was almost unheard of. At the time, I saw the technique as
something enable motherss to salvage the situation in hospitals which were
adamant about restricting feeds. I never saw it as something for mothers to
do routinely, unless there was a good reason. Here's the reference:
Iffrig, Sister Mary Charitas. Early breast feeding with alternate massage.
Int J Nurs Stud 1969, vol. 4, pp. 193-200.
I referred to the article and quoted from it in the first edition of my
first book, Successful Breastfeeding:
Phillips V (Thorley V). Successful Breast-Feeding. Sydney: Winlar, 1974, pp.
70-71.
- and in subsequent editions, e.g.
Phillips V. Successful Breastfeeding. Melbourne: NMAA, 4th NMAA edn., 1987,
pp. 70-71.
I'll reproduce, below, what I wrote.
Cheers,
Virginia
in Brisbane, Queensland
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'In a controlled study of alternate massge undertaken at St. Mary's
Hospital, Missouri, the mothers were chosen so that both those in the
experimental group and the controls had normal nipples, had never previously
breast-fed successfully, and had healty full-term babies with birth weight
of not less than six pounds. It was found that the babies whose mothers
used alternate massage received an average of 4 1/2 ounces more milk on the
fourth day after birth, than did those in the control group, whose mothers
did not practise alternate massage. Sister Mary Charitas Iffrig says, in
her paper on this technique:
' " When the pattern of the baby's nursing changes from long. slow
mouth movements to sleeping for the most part or to rapid shallow mouth
movements, start alternating breast massage with the baby's nursing. Do not
remove the baby from the breast, simply slip your hand to the back and
middle portion of the breast near the armpit and gently massage the breast
several times. While the breast is being moved the baby usually stops
nursing, then responds by nursing with long, slow, strokes. He may take
only two or three strokes, however, because he can quickly pick up the milk
that the massage has caused to move from the alveoli to the milk reservoirs.
Then repeat the massage and permit the baby to nurse again. Often you will
find the breast softening beneath your fingers. Then move your fingers to a
new position and continue alternating breast massge with the baby's nursing
until the entire breast has been softened.
' " It is important not to use breast massage until the character of
the baby's nursing has changed from long, slow mouth movements to sleeping
for the most part or to rapid shallow nursing. If the massage is used
before this time, the milk flows too fast for the baby to manage." '
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