>
>
>But I was gently frank with her about the red flags, and said frequent
>weight checks were very important, and that some mothers who seem to have
>less milk making tissue still get the hormonal rewards and give plenty of
>immunities, and compensate to gain volume by more frequent feedings,
>"third breast" feedings, and/or even whatever supplement is necessary to
>support weight gain, by supplementer or other means they choose.
>

>I'm sure further thoughtful observation will help me learn more from
>"clinical practice" as events unfold. It's breaking many of my "routine"
>suggestion patterns.
>
Sounds like this mom picked the right IBCLC to consult! I find it
helpful to remind mothers who are supplementing that the  many of the
real benefits of breastfeeding have nothing to do with the number of
calories they get from the breast; if they are getting the calories in
another form, being close to the mother's body, skin, and heartbeat is
providing something just as essential as nutrition, "food for the
heart". Also, relativizing the situation by saying that babies grow and
become better nursers, mouths grow, muscles gain tone and control (which
means learning how to relax), milk supplies can increase (they've heard
often that they can decrease, but may have missed the other side of
it!), and that nutrition needs change gradually, so that eventually they
might "catch up to" the ideal pattern (exclusive breastfeeding until 6
months or so, then continuing breastfeeding with healthy complementary
foods). I also told myself that I would make up in duration what I lost
in exclusivity -- this helped me not to see it as a one-time-only
opportunity that was missed. Encouraging her to set *her* own goals --
to offer the breast every couple of hours, rather than aim to *make* the
baby nurse every two hours -- can help her feel she is making progress,
as well.

Jo-Anne Elder-Gomes, IBCLC

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