I wonder if he's changed his position on this:
> Ferber recommends using his method if your baby is 6 months or older.
> Like most sleep experts, he says that by the time most normal,
> full-term infants are 3 months old, they no longer need a nighttime
> feeding. And at 6 months, none do. If you're still nursing or giving a
> bottle at bedtime at this age, the feedings themselves may be behind
> your baby's wakings. She has become used to them, and her tummy tells
> her she needs them. Ferber says no: She wants, but doesn't need, to be
> fed. He adds that if you find late-night nursing satisfying and it
> doesn't keep your baby from sleeping through the night, go ahead and
> do it.
This is from http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babysleep/7755.html.
Granted, it may be a misinterpretation and I don't have the Ferber book
handy to supply the accurate quote.
However, it is directly related to breastfeeding, and I think others on
this list may agree with me that night-feedings are a need, rather than
a want, for such young infants. If Dr. Ferber starts from this premise,
I don't think his approach to meeting children's sleeptime needs can be
considered evidence-based, let alone consistent with many of the
mothering practices that lead to and from breastfeeding.
I admit that I am often a bit wary of someone who claims that his / her
words were misinterpreted after such a long period of successful sales.
I assume that at least some people who have hesitations about the method
have read the book, and that they can understand it. Perhaps a
Lactnetter can confirm whether Dr. Ferber presents evidence for his
belief that breastfeeding at night is not necessary for a 6-month old
baby's physical and emotional needs. If not, he's the one who has
misinterpreted (or ignored) the scientific evidence on the potential
damage to a baby who is not fed at night. For that matter, most of us do
know how to interpret the evidence on what happens to a baby left to cry
for 45 minutes (however progressive the waiting period was), even to the
point of having a temper tantrum and throwing up (he recommends cleaning
up the vomit matter-of-factly), and to a mother's self-confidence, her
ability to read and understand cues effectively, and her relationship
with her family when she is advised to ignore her instincts. His advice?
Counselling will help a mother cope with her instincts that crying is bad.
Jo-Anne
***********************************************
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
|