It's hard to imagine that this person writing about delaying breastfeeding is
basing part of her argument on what appears to be her personal experience
with one infant son.

Testimonial-wise, each of my three children was born without any labor
medications nor IVs running.  No episiotomies, no force on their necks.  Two
were at home.  The first was ten days late, looked postdates,  and when held
to my chest after the placenta was out and I had sat in a chair, he opened
very wide and latched-on and suckled for hours.  Really - hours.  From two in
the afternoon til four in the morning.  Then he fell into a deep sleep and so
did I.  I felt very ecstatic and the feeling finally wore off when he let go
in that deep sleep.

The second was born breech (frank), four days early, and when I held her to
me, she licked, and nibbled but did not latch on.  The lights were dim and
she was welcomed quietly and joyfully.  After a while her father took her,
rocked her to sleep, & took her to bed with him where they slept for a few
hours.   I climbed into to bed wide awake and just watched them, feeling a
little useless but content.  Later on she latched, still with the gentle
licking approach.

The third came three days after his due date into a room lit by the sun.  He
latched and nursed within an hour after his birth.  But not for all that
long.  Then for the first few days the nipple kept ending up under his tongue
which was raised to the roof of his mouth  - until I figured out to wait for
his chin to drop way down before bringing him on.

Should I then conclude that when and how they latched related to how much
before or after their due dates they were born??!!

I feel that I honored each of these little ones.  Each a unique being.  Each
in his/her own time. And each nursed in a different pattern and style.

I, too, thought immediately of the video of the babies crawling to their moms
breast which I show to every group of parents in our childbirth series.   I
have never tired of watching these babies latch on all by themselves.  They
weren't waiting around for drops of honey or molasses.

Mardrey Swenson DC, IBCLC in New Hampshire

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