Great for Jay, that every little thing :-) is going so well!

As for the 'full not engorged' reports, the reality is that women who are
'enabled' be it by inclination, default, encouragement, support etc to give
their babies unrestricted access to the breast have almost negligable
engorgement.  I was priviledged to be in private midwifery practice for
eight years,  our group had the care of 800 women and families over an eight
year period, (many repeats :-) with an almost 100% breastfeeding rate (a
sixteen year old woman with a history of sexual abuse thought the idea of
breastfeeding was 'gross' and wasn't convinced with either pregnancy or a
two year gap to 'do it'.) and I never saw the engorgement that had been so
familiar in a hospital setting.  A colleague who was stunned to discover
whilst working as an 'early discharge midwife'...someone who visited women
at home following discharge from hospital within a few hours of delivery,
did a piece of research investigating the incidence of engorgement amongst
matched groups for hospital care and domicilary care and surprise,surprise,
the hospital had the engorgement figures.

Engorgement is iatrogenic and those that remember the time limited
breastfeeding regimes of the hospital 'experts' in breastfeeding up until
the more enlightened eighties (and beyond!) will remember the unfortunate
women with their arms out at right angles, unable to put their arms to their
sides because of 'engorgement' and their painful, distended oedematous
breasts that were the legacy of ignorant and damaging policies.  That was in
the days when babies were kept in the nurseries and went out to their
mothers to feed. The babies were transported to their mothers in a trolley
that held eight babies in little slots with their names pinned to the front
of their swaddling.  I remember being told that the nursery looked after the
breasts and the post natal ward looked after 'down there' when, as a post
natal ward midwife, I attempted to talk to a woman who was 'trying' to
breastfeed her baby. No one it seemed, looked after the women's heads and
hearts.  The babies were stuffed full of formula when they went back to the
nursery...

I am delighted those days are gone and while it seems we still have a long
way to go, we have come a long, long way. :-) hence Jay's marvellous success
story!

Warm regards, Carolyn