I have had much success with manually expressing colostrum into
babies'mouths if they are "sleepy feeders" in the first day. I tell moms
not to give them anything else to suck on...and to wait and see what
happens in the next 24 hours. If they are not actively latching during the
2nd DOL, I get more aggresive and start to supplement, pump etc.

Not amazingly, this "sleepiness" hardly ever persists. Most babies figure
it out just fine with a little patience. My question is: is there any
literature out there that supports this kind of practice? I am working with
other RNs and LCs who are more aggressive from the start...and I think it
is a waste of time. It also makes moms very anxious and concerned when the
nurse keeps coming in and trying to force the baby to latch during an
obvious "sleepy time."

What are the rest of you doing? Am I off base here? I am not talking about
babies who have medical indications...such as LBW or jitters, I am talking
about normal, healthy babies that don't want to feed the first day.

Much appreciate your input.

Susan Keith-Hergert RN, MS, CPN, IBCLC

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