>I recently saw a mother whose baby gained over 7 lb in 2 months
>because she was concerned that he only nursed 4 or 5 times a day, and
>only for a few minutes (no more than five).  I witnessed such a
>feeding and have to take her word for it.  This mother was driven to
>distraction because she couldn't get the baby to feed more often, and
>she was told he *had* to feed at least 8 times a day in the first few
>months.

I've been corresponding with someone who has been asking questions about
endocrine vs autocrine control and some things I've written regarding
their implications for scheduled feedings.  My point has been that we
need to follow baby's cues, and that falling below an avg. 6-7 feeds a
day in the first three months is associated with higher weaning rates.
This does not, of course, mean that no mother/baby dyad can succeed if
they fall below this average, but that too many babies have had their
feeds limited arbitrarily, to the detriment of mom's milk supply and the
overall breastfeeding experience.

My frustration with this inquirer is that he wants to pin me down to
numbers, or find some kind of a loophole, so that he can follow a program
and not have to worry about the outcome.  What Dr. Jack said above
reiterates the point that, while "rules" can act as red flags for
potentially problem situations, following baby's cues and balancing them
with a keen eye to baby's overall health and satisfaction is the *most*
important thing we can teach and parents can do.  Thanks for the
reminder, Jack.

Lisa Marasco, BA, IBCLC