Nikki,
It's interesting that you comment on the "baby's point of view".   
When I visit a mom in her hospital room I often
say I'm here to speak for the baby.  I help them to understand the  
transition the baby goes through.  I explain to
them the baby has 4 constants in her womb.  It's dark, it's warm,  
it's constantly being fed and it can hear her
heart beat.  Then the baby is born and it's bright, it's cool, it  
can't hear her heartbeat and it's food source is gone.
I tell them they can help make the baby's transition easier: dim the  
lights, put the baby S2S (warmth and heartbeat) and
feed the baby at breast.  I love that you ask the mother if she is  
sore and if the baby is that breastfeeding reduces the baby's pain.   
I'm adding that part in!

Ilene Fabisch, IBCLC, RLC
Listmom wicbfnet, MLCANET and MMBNE
Brockton, MA


Date:    Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:02:39 EST
From:    Nikki Lee <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: transition to breast and baby's point of view


Some women (not all, unfortunately) have responded well to some
consideration of the baby's point of view. There are 2 elements of  
the baby's  point of
view.

In utero, the baby is fed 1440 minutes a day. Once the baby is born,
research identifies that babies breastfeed about 2-3 hours (140-180   
minutes) out of
24. That is quite a difference to the baby.......from continual   
feeds to
intermittent feeds.

Another point that has been well received is for women to understand  
that
babies nurse for many, many reasons: food, drink, love, medicine,  
pain relief,
pleasure, comfort, and custom. The breast is everything to a newborn:  
security
  and life.

Sometimes asking a mother if she is sore anywhere after labor yields a
hearty "YES!"......then new mothers can readily imagine that their  
baby might be
sore too, especially if birth technology or circumcision has hurt  
the  baby.
Sometimes, when a new mother realizes that holding her baby s2s  and
breastfeeding reduces pain for the baby, she becomes more interested  
and  likely to do it.







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