We have lots of mothers being told by health professionals similar things. I
am about to go crazy from hearing from mothers that their babies were not
gaining well, so they should feed on one side only "to get the hind milk".
But that's because the health professional doesn't have the "feel" for
breastfeeding. They don't understand that if the baby is just nibbling and
not drinking, he could stay at the breast for 20 hours, and still not get
more hind milk. It's not how long, it's how well the baby is breastfeeding.
The big thing here now is wake the baby up every three hours to feed him.
Just had a mother phone me yesterday, saying it takes her 20 minutes or more
to wake the baby up, and even then he doesn't want to nurse. Two weeks old,
drinking like crazy, poops like a factory, pees like Niagara Falls, gaining
so much weight the pediatrician is "concerned", and people (public health
nurse) are telling her to wake the baby up every three hours. AARRGH!!!

But it will come, eventually, as breastfeeding becomes the norm again.
People, including health professionals, though we despair for their ever
learning (not all health professionals, don't jump on me), will eventually
understand (though if we keep on with the "numbers game", I will lose my
mind before it ever happens).

Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC

             ***********************************************
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