Rachel writes:

>  Frequent stools are not in themselves
>proof that breastfeeding is going well, and lack of stools is not
>proof that it isn't, but the correlation is strong enough that babies
>who aren't having at least one juicy, fullish diaper every day by day
>four or five, deserve some attention to find out whether this
>'symptom' is due to a problem or if it's just a digestive
>idiosyncracy.


Totally agree - mostly, too, it *does* reveal a problem, but just 
occasionally, it's that idiosyncratic thing, as you say :)

>
>About the WHO curves and the first two weeks - my understanding is
>that this period is fraught with uncertainty stemming from the myriad
>of variables impinging on babies right after birth and that is why
>they don't give a standard curve to follow.


Yes, my unerstanding too. I gather the researchers decided to avoid 
giving any 'back to birthweight' norm for this reason.

>  Most of us who work with
>babies in the first week have a very similar perception about which
>babies you can just relax and not worry about, and which ones we
>should keep in our sights a bit longer, and my hunch - and I use that
>word very purposefully -  is that the true physiologic norm is to be
>gaining, not losing, by day 5.


What research there is -  done on babies born and cared for 
postnatally in Western settings - shows that. The nadir of weight is 
about day 3-4. After that, the well-feeding baby has 'turned a 
corner'....but is not usually at birthweight.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, tutor, UK


-- 
http://www.heatherwelford.co.uk

http://heatherwelford.posterous.com

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