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Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:45:20 -0400 |
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Dear all:
I do not ever talk about cognitive deficit with mothers. I talk about right brain
enhancement. That is, mothers intuitive right brain function increases after delivery.
Since most of what infants need is careful observation and empathetic response --- the
shift in brain function is appropriate and we should acknowledge and develop plans for
mothers accordingly. I've seen how mother's observational skills or just plain intuitive
guesswork actually works quite well at times to develop creative adaptations. I spend
more and more time watching and trying to understand what mothers and babies are
actually doing before I ever touch or advise. From this, I have learned to very rarely use
a U or C-hold on the breast. Many mothers adopt a natural hand position for their
breasts of fingers underneath out of the way and a finger or a thumb tip directly opposite
the nose tilting the nipple to the roof of the baby's mouth, while some mothers use one or
three fingers in the same fashion. They often have a much more comfortable shoulder
and elbow position when they use this approach than when they contort their hands into
some sort of a "proper" breast hold. So, I now suggest these breast holds more
frequently when I see a mother contorted into some breast hold that created the shoulder
hunch and "chicken wing" elbow.
This is also what I observed with sitting on mats at support group. Mothers would
complain how much more painful it was to feed at home. On the floor they would slump
back a bit and lean against pillows without analyzing about the "proper" positions. The
subtle adjustments that they made on the floor when they didn't have the "proper" chair
made a huge difference for some of them.
Yes, I always do provide written care plans for mothers so that they can read --- but the
sensation of a good attachment is probably far more important --- as is the opportunity
for mothers to have additional verbal reassurance and physical guidance for attachment
when needed. But most of what happens in the Manhattan culture I deal with is too much
trying to "analyze" the "proper" way to do things and then mothers feeling frustrated
because they can't "analyze" they way they used to, instead of letting go and observing
the relationship with their babies unfold and how their babies respond to their actions.
Best, Susan Burger
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