"If it sounds like a rule, it's probably wrong."  I broke two rules
yesterday.  "Be sure the baby opens wide before you let her onto the
breast.  Never let the baby slurp onto the breast like a strand of
spaghetti.

Baby refused to latch with standard techniques.  Let baby just lie next
to mom with mouth slightly beneath mom's nipple and breast supported
with rolled cloth diaper on side closest to bed and below the breast.
Let baby find the breast and get on by herself.  After while she sucked
on the nipple, gradually sucked in a little more (heard and ignored a
little clicking) and within less than a minute she was on the breast
well-latched and sucking in a nutritive pattern.  Nursed for a long
time.  Mom said it didn't hurt.

Mom and I joked about this being a child who would be characterized by,
"I'll do it myself!"  Mom knew before I left that this was to be a
temporary measure and tomorrow when she could sit up and baby had had
some practice she should try again to get baby's mouth wide open before
latch.

I've also seen Hispanic moms (whom I suspect have seen a lot of
breastfeeding and are confident they can latch baby to breast) who
prefer to latch their babies independently at the beginning.  Sometimes,
I can't get the baby on, leave mom to try, and baby is happily nursing
when I return.  These babies are often not well-latched, but it is
usually easy to get them on correctly after they and their mothers have
practiced a little.

I believe 2 of Linda Smith's rules are:  "The mother is right;  it's her
baby."  I'll buy those.

Bonnie Jones, RN, ICCE, IBCLC
from the sunny S.W. USA