Hi all

Kathleen Auerbach wrote:

>
>I think we need to be careful about how we approach the subject of REDUCED
>MILK PRODUCTION at a time when normally healthy thriving breastfeeding
>babies are simply shifting into a slightly lower gear of demand, thus
>cueing the body (so smart) to produce what is asked for and not much more.
>

Amen. I worry about calling attention to the POSSIBILITY of this happening
before it does, rather than teaching the moms all along how to deal with ups
and downs. Also, Jack Newman's description of the babies who pull of the
breast and then suck their hands as if still hungry might just be accounted
for (for at least some of those babies, anyway) by the developmental stage
that baby is going through.

In my experience (personal and professional), the 4 month old becomes aware
of the rest of the world and is unable to "walk and chew gum at the same
time." They latch on, someone walks in the room, a commercial blares on the
tv, the dog wags his tail, whatever, and they pull off to check out what is
going on. Mom finds it more and more difficult to nurse a baby like this and
often interprets it as a personal "I don't want this any more" and that can
ultimately lead to a drop in supply.

I tell these moms to try to nurse in as quiet an area as possible: dark, no
distractions, talk in quiet, soothing tones, and make up for lost time at night.

This approach assures the mom that her baby is progressing normally, that
this is a phase and that soon he will be able to watch and eat at the same
time, and that she can maintain her supply even when her baby doesn't seem
to want to hold up his end of the bargain.

Perhaps by being forewarned to expect this natural phase of development moms
could ward off a drop in supply that we need to give her drugs to build back up.

Wouldn't it be great if the stories we heard from the mom afterwards were:

"Gee, my baby went through this stage of being so distracted at the breast
he wasn't eating enough. Good thing I knew what to do!"

Rather than:

"Gee, when my baby was 4 months old my milk supply mysteriously decreased
and my baby was so hungry:  a) I supplemented, b) I had to have a drug to
build it back up, or c) I weaned!"

Somebody ought to do a study on this one!

Now, am I being too simplistic?

Melissa Vickers, IBCLC
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