IN our hospital ( 9000 births per year/95 % epidural rate,/ 24% CS rate)
babies are left with mom for up to two hours if there is not a huge line
up in L+D.  They are  sometimes weighed and wrapped but not always, and
most go to breast well.  They are then taken to the procedure room where
all those procedures take place.  There, the survival instinct kicks in:
babies look around in shock, start rooting like crazy to relocate mom.
If they do not find mom, the next part of the survival instinct
starts...crying....still no mom, they go into that deep sleep which is
almost impossible to wake them from for several hours.  
When baby does wake up, he starts rooting like crazy.  If he is with his
mom ( we do encourage rooming in), she thinks he is hungry, puts him to
breast, and he feeds until he relaxes, so happy to be reunited with his
mom.  If she even tries in the next few hours to put him back into that
awful little plastic box on wheels, he screams and starts rooting
again..."Mom, I will do anything, just do not put me back in that box!!"
This is the scenario for the next few hour until the mom is sure that
the baby is starving, offers him the bottle, he takes a few sips and
says " Yech, if this is what you are offering me, I would rather go back
into survival mode for the next few hours", and he goes back into that
comatose sleep from which it is really difficult to wake him. 
And that is the way the artificial milk companies make their money
because many of these babies drink so much of that stuff that they are
no longer satisfied with colostrum, and I come in the morning and have
to do breastfeeding rehab.  
Anyone else seeing that movie?? I call it white nights....sigh.  
I have to start giving prenatal courses in infant behavior when
separated from mother.  
 
Esther Grunis, IBCLC
Lis Maternity Hospital
Tel Aviv, Israel
 

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