Got a call yesterday from one of the most dedicated moms I've worked with.  She
had a baby in NICU and (I told you about her but summarizing) baby was given
bottles, then refused to breastfeed began at breast with nipple shield and
finally at six weeks was breastfeeding completely on both breasts (for some
reason it took longer to get him to breastfeed without nipple shield on R side
even though both looked the same to me - he had torticollis which (I think)
caused it to be painful to be held in the "madonna" position on R side, so we
used the clutch hold at first until his neck was less rigid.

This mom went for a PT evaluation for her baby - now 4 months old and still
exclusively breastfed.  He has not taken a bottle well, so mom is staying home
after suffering through some very bad Mondays when she tried to go to work only
to be called by the sitter that he wouldn't take a bottle.   The PT was very
critical of her management saying the baby MUST learn how to bottle feed, and
if necessary she must stop breastfeeding in order to get him to learn to take a
bottle.  Mom was very upset and confused "I'm hearing from you that
breastfeeding is best but they tell me I'm hurting my baby by continuing to
breastfeed."

I reviewed all the work she had done with her baby during those first six weeks
and asked her if she didn't think that breastfeeding, with all the small motor
control movements her son now knew how to do: the tongue, cheeks, lips, etc. was
not in itself the best Physical Therapy she could have done for him.  We
reviewed the movements a bottle takes - open mouth, suck and swallow, and raise
tongue so the milk stops from flowing and compared them with breastfeeding.  She
seemed to feel better, but I still need to find a PT who is willing to accept
the situation as is, and work with him - without removing the breastfeeding.

Question:  Is there PT literature that I could send with this mom to help
reinforce her?

I'm running way behind in Lactnet reading (now to November 6), so please e-mail
me personally as well as to the list.

Thanks

Jeanette Panchula, BA-SW, LLLL, IBCLC, RN
In Sunny (85) Puerto Rico - going to the beach Sunday - sorry, Ohio!
[log in to unmask]