Oh, I'm so glad to know I'm not the only one who unconsciously grabs their
breast when teaching moms to BF!  The Lord gave us the best built in
teaching aids!

Seriously though, I try to be careful to not do this in BF or CB classes as
dads are usually there and it does make some of them pretty uncomfortable.
In those situations, I use the cloth breast and it gets the point across.
At the bedside, I've got the breast in my coat pocket, though I usually use
my own : )...  For example, very early this Saturday am, I was assisting a
new mom with BF right after birth.  I helped her with positioning and latch
on and was trying to explain how to support her breast but she wasn't
getting it.  So, I showed her with my built in teaching aid and she got it
right away.

I remember as a very new OB nurse that I just couldn't get how to properly
scrub the perineum prior to birth.  My preceptor showed me on herself (with
scrubs on) and I got it.  Afterwards, she said, "I bet I looked pretty
funny, didn't I?".  Sure we all may look a little strange but it gets the
concept across.  We all learn in different ways-I'm very visual and need to
DO things to learn and that is also reflected in my teaching style.  And if
I get a weird look from a mom, I try to make light of how strange I may
look and move on...

Maurenne Griese, RNC, BSN, CCE, CBE
Birth and Breastfeeding Resources
Manhattan, KS  USA
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