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Date: | Fri, 27 May 2005 20:40:07 -0400 |
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The last Breastfeeding Abstracts had an abstract about lactational
amenorrhea in a traditional Toba village in Argentina.
Their babies breastfeed 3-5 times an hour round the clock, for about 2
minutes at a time, for 18 months.
This means they nurse *100 times a day*.
Note I say "the babies breastfeed" not "the mothers breastfeed". Though it
doesn't say so, I'm betting the babies are carried or worn all the time and
that nursing the baby at a particular moment is not a conscious decision
the mother has to make.
I told my last prenatal breastfeeding class this, to try and get them away
from the idea that nursing 10-12 times a day was carved in stone, or
excessive, or whatever. I said the baby is probably born expecting that
Toba pattern, and has to make a pretty big adjustment when s/he gets
American parents! I drew a 24 hour clock face with 5 precisely scheduled
half-hour feedings on it to depict the ca 1930-1960 European/American
middle-class feeding schedule. (For a great example, check out Enid
Bagnold's novel The Squire). Then I drew another circle with 5 brief
randomly spaced feedings on it and said that that was a single *hour* in
the breastfeeding life of these South American babies. It was fun.
Elise (one of two Elises!)
LLLL, IBCLC
New Hampshire, USA
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