>It has been found that blood flow to the breast *decreases* during a
>feed, suggesting that milk synthesis may slow down during the feed
>itself (opposite to what we used to think - when we thought milk was
>*only* made during the feed). So this can be used to suggest to mums
>trying to build supply that they should offer short, frequent feeds
>rather than sit there for hours with a baby attached.


I so agree that a baby who is permanently attached and never comes off the
breast spontaneously looking full and content is a sign of a real problem
with bf .

I too have seen mothers who have been told to feed 'on demand' whatever.
The baby is a few weeks old or more, and 'demanding' to be fed almost
literally all the time, and yet is still a miserable baby (often these
babies do come off the breast to wail and cry, at which point the mother
comforts and then tries to get them back on the breast again. Typically,
they take a while to get attached, and the long feeds are interspersed with
fighting at the breast).

This is absolutely *not* what happy bf is about, and here, at least, there
are real issues with health professionals who know that babies should be
fed according to their individual needs, and not some arbitrary routine -
and when mothers ask for help, they're just told to do more of the same.
<sigh>

But it's more than a question of the mother 'offering' the short frequent
feeds  *instead* of having the baby there for hours at a time. If bf is
effective, with the baby able to suck and swallow in a way which  gets him
a satisfying and soothing feed, and which of course also removes the milk
effectively, then these miserable marathons will cease.

They may well change into shorter, frequent feeds - but as a result of
correcting the position, responding to cues more effectively, or  whatever
needs to be done to make the feeding happier.

Changing the pattern of the feeds won't be enough, if the underlying
problems remain.  I am pretty sure most of us know that - but we have to be
clear in our language, IMHO, so we don't talk about 'offering'....and get
at the heart of the problem.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK

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