Chris states:

So, to get back to the question of smooshing: is it EVER acceptable to
smoosh
a baby onto the breast?

Well, my answer is....that depends on your definition of *smoosh.*  And
it
also depends on the circumstances.  If the blood sugar clock is ticking,
and
you know someone else is going to come at the mom and baby with a bottle
of
formula if he doesn't nurse, and you can see that he's almost there but
something just isn't pushing his buttons, then to give him a gentle
boost
onto the breast, with mom's permission, might be one of the LC's options
from
her Bag of Tricks.  It's a matter of skill and judgment to decide
whether
this intervention is more likely to contribute to long-term
breastfeeding
success than another intervention, which could be letting someone give
the
baby formula from a bottle and trying again later, or could be leaving
the
baby skin-to-skin with mom and coming back in half an hour.

My thoughts exactly.  In addition to those occasions when a "gentle
boost is needed" because giving a bottle is breathing down your neck so
to speak, there are times when in spite of our reassurances, mom is
ready to quit if she doesn't some kind of success right now.  It really
is in the definition. Some babies open wide very briefly and I teach
moms in that case, until baby becomes more of a pro at nursing, she may
need to move faster than baby.  In other words, she may have a split
second to get enough nipple/areolar tissue in baby's mouth before it
closes.  Bringing baby quickly to hte breast looks a lot like moving
baby forcefully to the breast.  I may even say to a mom "That looks like
we're pushing baby hard onto the breast, but it's the quickness that
we're going for."
To me, "smoosh" implies having your or mom's hand on baby's head.  I
never find this helpful.  The quick move I'm describing is always done
with one's hand at the baby's neck/upper back.  Frequently, when this is
necessary, it's mom's hand on baby and my hand over mom's.  This helps
me keep her fingers from creeping up on baby's head as well as showing
her the quick move.

Speaking of fingers, I swear some moms have a built-in spring especially
in their index finger.  I will describe how it's best to keep from
pushing on the head and how, even if she doesn't push some babies don't
seem to like anything on the backs of their heads.  Nevertheless, she
will place the hand effectively and immediately the index and sometimes
the middle finger "pops" up on the back of baby's head.  I mention it
again, sometimes even gently moving her fingers back to the neck, and a
couple seconds later, there they are pushing on the back of the head
again.

Winnie

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