I have been reading my Lactnets "hit and miss" as I've had time lately (which
is not much!) but I read Margie's post about breastfeeding being a learned
not an instinctive behavior and I wanted to comment.  I agree totally that
breastfeeding is learned but I wanted to comment on a very interesting
experience I had.  Margie stated that we do nothing instinctively, and,
though I won't comment on that statement at large, I had the occasion to
observe something rather unusual that I think MUST be chalked up to instinct.
 A few years ago, while working as a labor and delivery nurse, I came in one
Saturday morning and was assigned a patient.  Before I could get report on
her, her Dr. went into the room and I was told to go in as well.  I did and
found a woman whom I surmised to be profoundly retarded just from
observation.  It crossed my mind, "what *#)#)$(*&*!_ got this poor girl
pregnant?!".  After coming out of the room to get report, I learned that she
had been brought in to the E.R. the day before when her husband found her
non-responsive and lethargic.  Long-story-a-little-shorter, she had a brain
tumor.  She had then gone into spontaneous labor (her body trying to get the
baby out!).  About 2 hrs after I got her, she started pushing spontaneously.
She did not say 2 words to me the whole time.  She couldn't.  She was not
aware.  But her body told her what to do when the time was right and she did
it.  The baby was fine.  Mom died 3 months later.  I'd call that instinctive.
 It was rather awesome, actually, watching nature do her thing in a whole
different context than what we're used to.  Very very sad, also.  This couple
also had a 2 year old.

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