Dear Friends:
Is it breastfeeding that makes positive parenting, or is it artificial
feeding that makes it difficult to parent?
I just finished a 3-day training course (NCAST) in using an infant feeding
scale with 76 items. The items are grouped into 6 categories, 4 for the
mother (sensitivity to cues, response to child's distress, social-emotional
growth fostering, cognitive growth fostering) and 2 for the baby (clarity of
cues and responsiveness to caregiver). While this Feeding Scale is a
different paradigm to that used by breastfeeding helpers, I learned a lot
that I can use. There were many films of feeding interactions of all
kinds: of breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, and feeding solids.
What struck me after watching so many babies being fed, was that there is a
disconnection between the mother and baby when the baby is being bottle-fed
or fed sitting in a high-chair. One can't easily stroke a baby when one is
holding a bottle. One can't easily stroke a baby in a high chair. While
positive parenting is possible with bottle-feeding and feeding in a high
chair, it takes more effort because mother and baby have some instrument or
tool (bottle or high chair) that has become part of their interaction and
poses a barrier. Whereas a breastfeeding mother naturally strokes and
caresses her baby without having to think about it. (I admit that there is
distant and cold breastfeeding, but when we are looking at populations,
there are significant differences in feeding methods that lead to
disconnection.)
Very interesting.
warmly,
Nikki Lee RN, BSN, MS, IBCLC, CCE, CIMI
craniosacral therapy practitioner
www.breastfeedingalwaysbest.com
www.myspace.com/adonicalee
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