I reckon that rather than giving mothers rules about how to feed and what to 
do that encouraging them to watch their baby and listen to them and become 
the expert on their baby is the  way to go. Suckling to sleep is normal and 
a baby who is otherwise well and sucks to sleep obviously needed to sleep. 
Sucking for comfort and connecting is normal. The mother can feel very 
clever that she was able to do this. Promoting the idea that breastfeeding 
is just about the transmission of calories and that it should be done only 
at long intervals will result in mothers thinking that they do not have 
milk. Encouraging them to know that it is perfectly normal for their baby to 
want to breastfeed for things other than food and that feeding very 
frequently is also perfectly normal and does not mean that they do not have 
enough milk can only help allay their concerns. Mothers who have busy lives 
(and which ones don't!) need to be shown how breastfeeding can be integrated 
so that it is something that they can do as well as all the other stuff.
Karleen Gribble
Australia
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2008 2:49 AM
Subject: Re: LACTNET Digest - 19 Jun 2008 to 20 Jun 2008 - Special issue 
(#2008-687)


Moms, often in the beginning, can't tell the difference between hunger 
cries, tired cries and "I want to be held" cries. Often about half an hour 
after feeding, babies get tired and want to go to sleep. They cry and suck 
their fists as if hungry. Mom puts a "ravenous" baby to breast, a couple 
sucks later he's asleep and she's confused. When moms put babies to breast 
every time he cries he often, over time, gets over fed and gassy. Mom 
complains that he wants to nurse all the time and says she must not have 
enough milk, often supplements him "just in case" and she gets worn out.  If 
babies nurse on one side and half the other side and burp between and are 
stimulated to stay awake during feedings, and can make it to the next 
feeding, their moms can pretty much tell they are getting enough to eat. 
Especially if he is pooping and peeing enough. they can often slip into a 
three schedule which seems to work better for moms who want to nurse but 
have busy lives. 

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