re:
Barbara Wilson-Clay <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: alternate feeding

>the mother's ACCURATE perception that her child is feeding
>dysfucntionally prompts her choice to offer supplements.  What we >want
to do as a profession, is get these moms access to early i>ntervention
to figure out what the problem is and see if it can be >remediated
before she panics and abandons bfg
and re:
Kathy Boggs <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Kate's dehydrated baby/k boggs response
>When a baby is weak from dehydration, though, and mother is >exhausted
and overwrought we need to get the baby fed and we >need to have a plan
that works for the family.

Right on! The best way to help a mother learn to listen to her baby is
to listen to her! So often I've heard mothers say they had a feeling
something was wrong and it turns out the pregnancy turns out to be high
risk, the baby ends up being diagnosed with an illness, etc. And in
these cases, in which a mother is feeling that something is wrong, she
needs to do something that will make her feel that things are right --
not what we think she needs to do, but what she needs. Part of helping
her to do this means letting her have a glimpse of the big picture.
There's nothing wrong with validating her perception that she is having
problems bfg and that she is facing short-term challenges that make life
more complicated (even more complicated than any newborn does, of
course), telling her that she won't have to pump and supplement forever,
acknowledging that it is easier to work out a routine if we are all
flexible (instead of pumping every three hours, would every two hours
during the day and less often at night help? would it really hinder her
supply? how about a long leisurely nap with the baby instead of one of
the pumping sessions?)

             ***********************************************
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