I have a pet peeve with the term ‘lazy’ used for babies who are having
issues sucking – they are NOT LAZY.  They are babies with challenges that
need further investigation.  Babies are NOT Lazy – if they are not waking
for feeds – they have a problem.  If they are not eating well or are taking
too long to get an appropriate amount of food and need supplementation –
they have a problem.  These problems need to be investigated ASAP.

 

In regards to the baby who had a t-t clipped and yet is still having issues,
I wouldn’t trust this little one to be on his own just yet.  I’d be looking
at other issues:  t-t wasn’t clipped enough and tongue is still having
issues; perhaps suck training is needed’ perhaps there is a structural issue
(tight muscles, etc) that needs investigation and treatment by Bowen
therapy, CST or something along those lines.  Keep investigating – try the
Breastflow bottle for supplements to keep sucking mechanics as similar as
possible to the breast (I have had great success with retraining and
stabilizing suck issues with many babies with this particular bottle); get a
2nd opinion from another LC if needed – a different set of eyes to take a
fresh look at the situation – I do this if needed and it can be very
helpful.  If mom is going to experiment with letting baby set his own
schedule then a scale would be needed (imo) to monitor intake and to ensure
that baby does not lose weight again.  I would also have mom pump to protect
milk supply at least until baby has made it clear he can sustain himself
well.  And gaining ½ - 1 ounce per day average is perfectly fine.  However,
if he has an issue that has not yet been detected, he may very well lose
weight (whether he wants to or not) if he cannot do what he needs to do.

 

When a parent tells me they have a lazy baby I gently counsel that their
baby hasn’t yet learned how to be lazy and that lazy implies that the baby
is doing something purposely which is not the case.  Babies are designed to
eat and to feed and when they can’t (or appear to not want to) then
something is wrong.  Perhaps someday we will stop labeling babies who have
issues as ‘Lazy feeders’ or ‘lazy’ in any way.

 

Just my thoughts on the subject…

Jaye

 

 

Jaye Simpson, IBCLC, CIIM

Breastfeeding Network

Sacramento, CA

www.breastfeedingnetwork.net

 


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