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Forwarded message:
Subj:    self-attachment
Date:    96-01-02 19:34:03 EST
From:    Teresa699
To:      [log in to unmask]

I started the year off right - last night I provided labour support for a
friend giving birth to her second child. After her first traumatic birth
(lots of interventions and medication) she had a six-hour labour and a
beautiful, natural birth. She and her husband were both thrilled and the baby
is absolutely gorgeous (a girl, 8lb. 3oz.).

But the nurse wanted to get the baby on the breast and was (I thought) pretty
rough and aggressive. I finally persuaded her to let the baby wait awhile,
and we waited until she began rooting around. This reminded me of a movie I
saw at a conference somewhere about "self-attachment" - where the baby is
just allowed to lie on mother's abdomen until he or she crawls or wiggles up
to the breast, locates the nipple, and latches on. Seeing the movie was
incredible, but I've sure never seen babies "permitted" to self-attach in any
birth I've attended.

Does anyone have any experience with this "self-attachment?" Could it help to
prevent sore nipple, latching problems, etc.?

Teresa Pitman
Oakville, ON. Canada
(LLL Leader, writer, mother of four)