Last evening I saw a very interesting show on one of the nature channels
(sure beat Chicago Hope). When I tuned in there was a gorilla giving birth in
a delivery room. I'm not sure whether the delivery was by C-Section but the
birth was difficult. The mother was given general anesthesia and the baby
required resuscitation for forty-five minutes. Next shot is of baby in an
isolette having its first feed of commercial infant formula. "Because of all
the anesthesia" mother was given she and baby were first introduced two days
later. Zoom in to mother's nipple...I knew what was coming next.  The mother
gorilla pushed the baby away despite numerous attempts by baby to attach. The
narrator explained that since she had no recollection of the birth she was
unable to bond and accept the baby as her own.
    To make a long story short, baby was raised with round the clock human
care for the first year of life with eventual acceptance into another group of
gorillas. The point of this story was meant to be what a wonderful job this
group did to raise the baby. The more important point is obvious to those who
assist women in birth and lactation. It's time for the pendulum to swing back
... to treat birth as the natural process that it is and avoid high tech
intervention unless absolutely necessary.  It does make a difference!

Nancy Imperiale, RNC, IBCLC
Dunedin, FL