Hi Lactnet-- it's late, and I haven't even written you a note-- today for me
started with me barely getting out of bed in time to hear Paula Meier on bf
multiples-- those so smooth pneumograms bf and such disorganized pneumograms
w bottle, interesting to think about nurses trying to get those little ones
to close their mouths down around a rubber nipple; I can just picture the way
the nurses kind of pinch that jaw shut, as the premie is trying to take a
nice big mouthful, and that big mouth and jaw excursion  is considered, for
bottle feeding, "dysfunctional".  Reminder-- in postioning premies they need
mom's help w head control so cross cradle and football are better, with head
in mom's hand for control, not in the crook of her elbow.  Wonderful data
demonstrating how much more physiologic (duh) bf is over bottle--

Between sessions I made it down to the exhibits briefly and got a demo of the
"W----R----" pump, the one that generates prolactin levels in the same range
as suckling does-- I talked with the woman who invented it-- a working mom
who was unhappy w her pumps, did her homework, got echos of infant suckling,
etc, to help her design it; as she was telling me all this, me watching
video, etc., Miriam Labbock walked by, author of the prolactin article in
Peds (sorry I'm not looking up the reference right now), and cautioned her
not to use the word "equivalent" ("similar" is okay) re prolactin levels, and
then, as ML walked away, a LLL leader showed up to give feedback re her trial
last night of this pump-- she and several other leaders all tried it last
night at a two hour WR pump party; she had comments, criticisms, and
suggestions.  Anyway, I would love to hear, by email again, any of your
comments re experience any of you have with this pump-- I was quite
impressed, but wonder about the experience of real moms really using this
pump and not just a few leaders trying it without benefit of anyone there
with them last night at 1 am.

Next session was Jan Riordan and Susan Huml on sore nipples; bottom line from
JR is that research to date is not too good and conflicting-- warm water
seems to be as good as anything-- go with do no harm and within that what mom
culturally expects to work; from SH-- work in wound healing literature
supports moist (not wet) wound healing rather than dry, i.e. covering to hold
in skin's own moisture, allows reepithelialization to occur more easily and
quickly because it is not blocked by dry scabbed area-- if it weren't so late
I'd explain this better, anyway, bottom line is while there are multiple
products out there that provide this kind of occlusion for traditional wound
healing, shape of nipple, dealing with both mom and baby, topical and oral,
etc, solution is that hospital grade (no name brands here) lanolin can
provide this kind of occlusion; should be used after every nursing, small but
not scant amount. Dramatic anecdotal testimony from audience supports this
conclusion-- report from one mom with pain for three months disappeared in 2
hrs and wound healed in 24, and woman from Iceland who says that in her
country "where everyone is fair haired and fair skinned and sore nipples and
cracked niipples were very very common" in past  2- 3 yrs, since introduction
of use of this product theyno longer see sore nipples much at all.

Afternoon session was Lennart Righard on Bf which turned out to be repeat of
part of what I had seen in phys seminar-- of course worth seeing again--

Evening was a social International thing where every country and state LLL
had a little booth with various goodies for sale or giveway-- fun. Then
schmoozed and socialized, and here I am again, late to bed.

Goodnight,

Tina