Hello, Laura's questions struck a cord with me as I am seeing more and more reasons to "supplement", according to the nurses (TIC!) I plain and simple do not have the "D" word in my vocabulary when working with mothers as it is so negative and undermines confidence in new moms. I explain to moms that babies will have dry mouths if they are left to cry in the nursery or for that matter in moms rooms if she is showering, holding off feeds, etc. for any length of time, and that what is important is what the inside of the babies mouths are like not the "lips". I also reiterate that you cannot overfeed a baby when you are busy trying to get you body up to full milk production so see if the very next feed gets the baby more settled and happy. The question if "urate crystals" are normal is an interesting one. I for one think that it is common, but do take it as a sign to evaluate milk transfer, fussiness, postmaturity, weight, etc. I do not panic when I see it, as I've seen this in babies at a little more than 24 hours of age, so I do not think it is always "dehydration". However if the baby is frantic, with dry mucous membranes and little audible swallowing, I might supp. with 1/2 ounce or so at the breast all the while encouraging mom to florce fluids in the early stages of lactation. LuAnn Smith RN, IBCLC York, PA *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html