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Date: | Thu, 10 Sep 1998 10:50:28 +0200 |
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Barbara, your message about how a baby who begins to prefer a bottle can be
exhibiting a basic survival mechanism rather than acting "confused" really
struck a chord. In the hospitals where I visit to assist the mothers whose
babies are exhibiting latching difficulties there is 24 hour rooming in from
birth, and there are no bottles, dummies or formula. Nothing has been
introduced into these babies' mouths yet they frequently act "confused".
Most often the baby is able to latch once we have created optimum conditions
for him in the way he is held, the way the breast is presented to him and
once his mother is given a few basics about how to work along with his
reflexes. Yet occasionally these interventions do not work and the baby
continues to be unable to latch and breastfeed. I have often wondered what
would happen to them if they were to have been born outside this very
supportive environment where someone can show the mother how to protect her
milk supply and how to feed the baby by some other means while we wait for
him to mature and while he gradually learns this basic survival skill of
breastfeeding. Once the baby is discharged from hospital the mother will
often opt to bottle-feed EBM and it is interesting to note that some of
these babies are extremely difficult to bottle-feed too.
Resolution may be slow and painstaking, but I agree with you Barbara that
"nipple-confusion" is only a symptom in many babies, a behaviour
manifestation of another difficulty.
Pamela Morrison IBCLC, Zimbabwe
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