I WISH reading the baby was what moms and dads would do...but there's also
the lack of knowledge of what babies are SUPPOSED to do!  Most new parents
today don't know babies are supposed to be awake part of the day,
interacting and learning.  Many new parents WANT the baby to sleep, because
they don't know what "else" to do with them other than feeding!

I visited a mom and dad whose baby was not breastfeeding in the hospital and
had seen 2 LCs prior to me - they had heard a lot about the importance of
breastfeeding and were pumping and bottle feeding in the hopes of getting
baby to the breast (LONG 32 hour labor followed by cesarean and a very
mis-shaped head, I'm told - not so by the time I saw him...)

My point is, I didn't teach lactation on the first visit - he was now taking
in 5 - 6 ounces of breast milk by bottle - in 10 - 15 minutes thanks to the
fast flow nipple they had found - and sleeping 3 - 5 hours (we wake him up
if he sleeps that long).  Of course he's gained a LOT...

I had to go back to encouraging small, frequent meals that that took TIME, a
baby that would wake up often, etc.  

Problem is, baby is now used to Thanksgiving meal portions at every
meal...and even though mom is providing exclusively all the milk her baby
drinks, she doesn't do it as fast, so baby gets frustrated. 

I imagine that for the baby this is like when I go on a diet and try to go
to smaller portions - at first, I want my large portions until I get used to
the smaller plate...

So right now, it's a delicate balance of transferring to the breast (not
easy, baby appears to have a very short tongue, slightly high palate and one
of mom's nipples is inverted, though all the pumping has helped to bring it
out some) AND encouraging frequent cue feedings and small frequent meals.
Baby is 2 weeks old, so I'm expecting at least 2 weeks until we get to see
what is "normal" for this baby.

Jeanette Panchula, BSW, RN, PHN, IBCLC
Northern California

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