My addition:

Mum and babe are participating in the affective attunement of the dance of
attachment, developing empathy and building the blocks of a strong
relationship.

Incidently this is why the teaching's of Barry Ezzo get me so upset. When
the mum deliberately ignores the cries of her child she is not doing the
things listed above and the child is experiencing some of the neglect that
children growing in institutions experience. Read anything of John Bowlby's
or search the web for attachment disorder and you can see how awful that
can be. Why would anyone do it deliberately!

Karleen Gribble
Australia
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> Thanks for your kind words, Cathy.  Bf sure is more than just feeding.
Just
> for fun, I've been making a list of what else breastfeeding is besides
> feeding.  Like, what ARE mother and baby doing when they bf?
>
> They are taking care of each other: mother soothing baby by providing
> something to suck on, baby relieving pressure in mom's breasts.
>
> They are communicating, even a message as simple as "I'm OK, you're OK."
Or
> "I'm glad you're here."  Or "Here I am."
>
> Sometimes they are playing and grooming each other.  Mom strokes and pats
> baby.  Baby sticks fingers up mom's nose, plays with nearby objects.
>
> They are testing and setting limits:  Mom says, "Don't do that! [stick
your
> fingers up my nose]"
>
> They are teaching and learning: vocal and verbal communication, as in
> lullabies, babies' nursing groans and moans, language, baby listening in
on
> mom's conversations with other people and on the telephone.
>
> They are doing work: mom is producing a foodstuff, baby is assisting (if
he
> didn't nurse the milk out, she'd have to express it).
>
> They are doing something pleasurable--at least for most dyads much of the
> time.
>
> They are sharing pathogens and friendly germs and antibodies: baby sends
a
> message to mom's lymphoid tissue, "I met this bug today in day care." and
mom
> sends back the equipment to deal with the bug he met yesterday.
Meanwhile,
> mom also sends a defense kit for the bug she met today at work, "Watch
out
> for this suspicious character, sweetie..."
>
> They are doing family planning: the baby is sending a message to mom's
> ovaries, "We don't need another baby yet!  I'm still the baby!"  Mom is
> conserving iron and rebuilding her body stores of nutrients for the next
> pregnancy.
>
> They are exchanging body heat---mom's chest and breasts rise in skin
> temperature, and so baby can conserve calories for growth instead of
spending
> them keeping warm.
>
> They are resting---baby can tune out stimuli from the environment, and so
can
> mom under oxytocin's influence.  Also, they are usually sitting or lying
> down, and that is conducive to resting.
>
> They are getting mellow and sleepy and satiated together under the
influence
> of CCK, which both of them produce while suckling....
>
> Can we go on?  What ideas can LactNetters add to this list?

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