<No wrestling anyone into submission...They can't nurse at first anyway, or
they'd have BEEN nursing.>

Barbara - You've just summed up my approach and philosophy very neatly! And
I think this principle of non-struggling is absolutely key for babies (and
especially moms!) who are having a rough time at first. I myself am one of
the most relexively contrary souls you would ever know, as is one of my twin
daughters, and I've learned this the hard way. (Mostly I've learned it from
babies and their mothers, in fact!)

The only thing I would add to your 3 "rules" is abundant support for mom
(and any other family members you can get your hands on). I have almost
limitless trust that, once you've ruled out and corrected the things that
are "wrong", babies WILL come to the breast, unless the mother has been so
distressed and jerked about that *she* withdraws from the process in some
way.

As my therapist used to say, "Trust the Process". Breastfeeding and all that
flows from it is an inherently trustworthy part of life. I TOTALLY trust
babies (even more than moms), because ultimately they are driven by
powerfully evolved survival needs. When it isn't working, something is
wrong, whether or not we know what it is. For me, that's the bottom line. I
think that we have a really awe-inspiring opportunity to help women learn
this as we work with them through barriers to this experience of nsg. the
way it's meant to be.

Cathy Bargar RN< IBCLC Ithaca NY

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