Rob,

I had a mom present with a similar problem a few weeks ago. Baby would fuss
at the breast after the first couple of letdowns and then go to other
breast and be happy....and repeat back to first breast. Mom wanted to know
how to establish a continuous flow rate.

Here is my take on this, for what it is worth. It isn't possible or even
desirable to make a breast act like a bottle! What is the big deal about a
little fussing at the breast? If baby is thriving and mom's production is
good, why can't she handle a little fussing?

I established that the mom I was dealing with had more serious issues than
her baby fussing at the breast. She had not been out of the house in days!
She had no extended family or friends in the area. She didn't want to
breastfeed in public so she isolated herself all the time. In short, she
had postpartum depression and needed help to recognize it and act to get it
treated. I referred her to a psychiatrist that specializes in this and also
to a local LLL group for some support.

Sometimes I think we are overly anxious to assign "problems" to
breastfeeding. A mom who cannot handle a little bit of fussing at the
breast is in trouble.....babies fuss.

Susan Keith-hergert RN, MS, CPN, IBCLC

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html