Lisa Jones writes:

>"Switch nursing" or "super switch nursing" is described in both the "Womanly
>Art of Breastfeeding" (p. 325-6) and the "Breastfeeding Answer Book" (p. 94)
>as *one* method of increasing milk supply, especially with a baby who has a
>weak or lazy suck.

Yes, I know - and I have seen it help, and indeed it is worth trying with a
baby who loses interest, as long as other factors are looked for, of
course.

> If a breastfeeding mother is already "hung up" on
>getting her baby on a schedule, she may interpret "switch breasts when your
>baby slows down or stops nursing" as "switch every five minutes" OR she may
>be switching breasts when the baby slows down or stops nursing and it seems
>to her to be happening every five minutes ... when explaining the process to
>someone else she assigns the five minute figure because it sounds "about
>right".  Some moms will not always hear what is being said while other moms
>will have a hard time giving information third hand.

I think this may have been what has happened in this situation, Lisa - a
misunderstanding of the suggestion, and/or a misinterpretation when
reporting it to someone else. It is a good example, if this is what has
happened, of the need to be so careful when explaining things to mothers -
they do tend to hear what sounds right to them.

Not just mothers either - there is still a rash of health professionals
here who have interpreted 'finish the first breast first' as 'only ever
offer one breast per feed' and 'don't put a time limit on breastfeeds' as
'it doesn't matter if the baby is on the breast for hours without ever
being happy'......

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK

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