With all due respect, how can we even question that further milk removal by something other than the baby is necessary, via hand, pump or another baby?  Isn't that one of the basic tenets of lactation management?  If we are still stuck saying that the best pump is the baby, then our profession is in big trouble.  Has anyone ever seen a baby take a tenth of an ounce after nursing for 30 minutes?  Has anyone seen a persistently-feeding baby still below birth weight at 4 weeks?  
 
As far as letting down to a pump vs. the baby, it is entirely possible to cheat nature and then bring the two together again.  Medicine does this all the time with life-saving results.  Our breasts, unfortunately, just aren't all that "smart."  Yes, many women let down to a baby more (especially after lactation is well and fully established), and some women can't let down much to a pump.  But *most* women that we are working with are having problems and will be saved by stimulation with a pump (obviously I'm not referring to the marginal cases where just feeding more often or for longer does the trick) and supplementation with--egads!--an artificial nipple (or an SNS or a finger-feeder, etc.).  If climbing into bed with a water bottle and the baby solved the problem, we'd all be out of a job.  
 
I think I'll go back to lurking...
 
Heather Kelly, MA, IBCLC
NYC, NY  
________________________________________________________________________
Check out the new AOL.  Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more.

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

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