> My only issue with not telling moms to wake their sleeping babies to feed is
> the reality that in the US they are most likely sleeping in a separate
> room...on the opposite side of the house! and a monitor is needed to listen
> for "cues". So, it is a real possibility that the baby wakes, cues to eat,
> finds no one, is an "easy baby" who just doses back off with a missed
> feeding. I wonder how many babies are trying to cue but just not loud enough
> for a monitor to wake up a mom.
I agree with this one. I know one mom who knew that cue feeding was
very important, but she had had a very long hard labour (30 hours or so)
and was dog tired, and didn't really quite know what to look for. The
baby was in a sidecar crib next to her, and the fact that she didn't
really cue feed him more than about once after birth for the first 24
hours of his life probably was a great hinderance to her bf and how
things went (she had had a reduction, so was looking at the possibility
of supplementing...but if she'd cue-fed often to begin with, perhaps
she'd have not had to supp. right away to keep him from getting any more
dehydrated).
I for one, let my daughter nurse on cue, and let her sleep at night
because I was tired enough that I didn't wake if she didn't wake me (so
it's entirely possible that a few cues were missed then, if it was just
snuffling around at her fists!), but during the day I woke her after 3
hours if she hadn't nursed during that time. I found that she went to
sleep very easily and for a long time if I dressed her, so I kept her
undressed (covered her with a light flannel recieving blanket if I had
to leave her alone, but otherwise she was in my arms, usually
skin-to-skin). Usually then she never slept 3 hours straight. I think
this too can be a big factor...when you're really quite warm, you feel
sleepier generally... She nursed enough that she never lost any
birthweight anyhow (though I also had no IV or anything at her birth,
and a relatively short labour).
Fio
ressource person with Allaitement Québec
Mama to Sandrine, 2yo! and #2, 11/2002
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