Subject: | |
From: | |
Reply To: | |
Date: | Sun, 18 Feb 2007 17:06:44 EST |
Content-Type: | text/plain |
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
I've worked in a small hospital birthing center for going on 11 years. I've
been teaching parents how to calm babies for quite a while. And the nurses
at our hospital all swaddle babies fairly firmly.
But I've noticed that often in the first few days parents often ignore a
baby who is swaddled and either in one of those plastic cribs, or in someone's
arms. The baby comes up into light sleep with small motions of the face and
extremities. The baby often sinks back down into a deeper sleep. And the
parents pretty much ignore this change in state. If the baby has not been to
the breast in two or more hours I point it out to the parents this change as a
time that they can unwrap the baby and help the baby to a more alert state
so that the baby can feed.
I can't tell you how many parents seem content to let that baby continue to
sleep and not eat. I have noticed over the years that if you try to wake the
baby from a deep sleep, even using the doll's eyes technique I learned in
the 80's (baby supine on your lap/thighs brought up to sitting position, down
to supine, up again until the eyes stay open and the baby is alert) babies who
are awoken from deep sleep might get all the way to mouth-open-on-the-breast
and then just fall back to sleep. Often 15 - 20 minutes later the baby has
awoken and then will nurse fine.
So I've made a point of teaching the parents to look for a light sleep stage
and then to unwrap and wake the baby by laying him supine on a flat surface
(like the bed) talking to him, touching her, or changing the diaper. So I
guess I have issues with the suggestion to wake the baby every two hours as a
way to counsel that the baby be fed so that the baby sleeps more during the
night time hours. Those every two hours might not coincide with the baby's
light sleep stages and cause the parents to become concerned and demoralized.
Parents can get desperate trying to wake a baby from deep sleep to get them on
the breast especially when they've been told by a physician or nurse that
the baby needs to feed more often. I'd seen that in my earlier years when I
didn't know what I know now.
I've read that often newborns might sleep one 4 -5 hour stretch in a 24 hour
period. So if a baby has done this -- and it's often from 7 or 8 Am to 11
AM or 12 PM -- I strongly suggest that they watch the baby carefully the rest
of the day for that active sleep stage and help them wake. In these early
days swaddling can appear to work against breastfeeding adequately especially
if no one tells the parents what to watch for and how to help a baby awaken
and actively feed. Even after working hard to waken a baby some babies drift
of quickly. As I know it's been suggested on Lactnet rubbing the baby's palm
or foot seems to keep that jaw moving rhythmically. When a baby is kept
skin-to-skin its been shown that they seek the breast more often, not less.
I think after the initial days after the milk is abundant and the baby
thriving it might be fine to swaddle the baby who appears to have a very active
sleep stage where his own movements awaken him.
Mardrey Swenson
***********************************************
To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]
The LACTNET email list is powered by LISTSERV (R).
There is only one LISTSERV. To learn more, visit:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
|
|
|