Hi Kathy!  I'm sure there will be a ton of posts on this, but I'm caught up
so here goes...  Usually you see the baby move from a sleep state into quiet
alert; they will root, open mouth, suck whatever goes in the mouth.  I very
much like to point this out to parents so they can "read" their babies -
many have no clue what a baby "says".  I also point out that when the "tank
is empty", the hands are tight-fisted & near the mouth.  When the "tank is
full" the arms relax & the hands open like flower blooming. (Think I got
that neat ditty here!)

I also point out that crying is the last resort signal & results in a baby
that finally gets into moms arms, says AHHHHHHHHH..., then goes to sleep
often with little or no suckling.  My case for rooming in!  As a newborn
nursery nurse (in my former life) I sadly relied on crying as the "go out to
mom" signal for those non-rooming in babies.  So many feeding opportunities
were missed.  How else can a VERY busy nurse with 20 or so babies see all
those quiet signals.  But that's another thread...& a case against the
central nursery!

Debbie Shinskie RN CES IBCLC in Millersburg, PA, USA
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"The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea."
                                                -Isak Dinesen