In a message dated 7/15/02 5:48:37 AM, [log in to unmask] writes:

<< When her baby suddenly begins to lose weight and she has been told the
latch is fine, what will she perceive as the problem? And the solution? >>

I literally spend hours with my clients.  If we have a baby loosing weight,
we deal with it, if the baby is crying a lot, we deal with it.  As LC's we
are problem solvers.  We are all trying to do the same thing and get to the
same place.  I use breast compression lots and I use lots of other methods
too.  I am in private
practice so I have the luxury of time.  Yes, the milk composition is
important but I think we have a pretty nice window of opportunity to get
things ironed out.  I am not going to push a mom into overload for a problem
that will resolve itself by day 10 - 14.  If the baby is gaining, happy and
sleeping then I am happy and I'll keep a close eye with my mouth closed.
I expect a baby who has been exposed to a long (6 hours +) epidural and
pitocin to loose more weight post partum because I think these babies were
plumped up by the excess fluids in labor.  The moms certainly are!  I think
we get some false birth weights, what would they have weighed without the
extra fluid on board during labor?  I notice many of these babies, at 6
pounds, look plump.  Could it be extra fluid?  Could that baby have been a
5lb.10oz not so plump baby at the onset of labor?
If a change needs to take place, we change it but we need to see the whole
picture.  There is a fine line between enough information and stopping
breastfeeding.  A mom who has had a difficult birth, may already be feeling
pretty much like a failure, if she feels like everything she's doing to feed
her child is wrong too, I am not much help.  Patience and time go a long way.
Annie VerSteeg  IBCLC
Beach Area Breastfeeding
[log in to unmask]
breastfeeding... It's for life

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