In a message dated 6/18/2005 11:08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

How many  lactnetters feel comfortable getting mom's permission and using
hands-on to  teach mothers to express? I'd like to hear if anyone shares
my impressions  (or not). 

Dear Friends:
    Jean poses an excellent question.
    If the newborn isn't interested in feeding  after 20 minutes of 
skin-to-skin (which I have seen written s2s, and I like  because that is easier than 
all the letters plus hyphens), I teach hand  expression. I have an excellent 
breast model to demonstrate with; some moms  watch and then can copy easily and 
are amazed to get milk.
    Other moms will, with permission, let me start.  Sometimes I put my 
fingers directly on the breast for a couple of cycles, and  then she takes over. 
Sometimes I put my fingers over the mother's fingers and we  cycle together. It 
all depends on the moment, my feeling about the mother and  her interest.
   Not yet has a mother refused to see what milk is in  her breast.
    I use the plastic spoons that come with the food  trays to catch the 
drops of pregnancy milk (I hate using the word 'colostrum'  with new mothers, 
because it reinforces the popular notion that there  is no milk yet), and either 
the father or the mother or I give it to the  baby.
    There is always pressure on me as the hospital LC,  to "get this baby 
fed" immediately. Teaching hand milking is a way to meet the  this pressure. Then 
when the staff person comes in, I can say, "Oh the  baby got 5cc of 
colostrum" with a big smile and the staff person relaxes.
    If the baby won't nurse, then I do this. Either  way, the mother is 
involved, is doing, and is learning.
    warmly,

 
Nikki Lee RN, MS, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CCE
Maternal-Child Adjunct  Faculty Union Institute and University
Film Reviews Editor, Journal of Human  Lactation
www.breastfeedingalwaysbest.com

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

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html