I would usually try to encourage a "reluctant" baby to take the breast if he/she was not showing signs themself... often these "epiduralised" babies need a little coaxing and kick starting and them they are fine. I would ensure really comfortable positioning for both and help Mum express a little colostrum onto the babies lips. Often that's enough to get rooting going. Otherwise, if a baby hasn't fed by say 2-3 hours i would unwrap, coax again with gentle stretching exercise and eye contact with mum, then maybe drip a little colostrum into it's mouth. Often in fact I find the problem is not the first feed with the medicated babies; in fact that feed is almost always great - it's the subsequent ones, when the baby just sleeps on. But even then a tast of colostrum is often all it takes. I am quite proactive at getting the baby to the breast frequently' with a 48hr stay as we have it is good to get the couple used to the baby being at the breast and practising often before discharge. Fiona Hermann, RM, IBCLC Hamilton New Zealand *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html