I have a question which is more of curiosity than anything else... prompted
by the conversation about amniotic fluid on the nipples making latch on
easier for babies.   In working with moms as a peer counselor I often
explain how convenient baby sleeping with mom can be, and how much more
sleep mom will get that way.  Most moms question how baby will be able to
get latched on in the dark and I suggest using a night light or dim lamp
while their babies are still young and they are still learning how to
encourage correct positioning.  I've found in personal xperience, after the
first month or so, I no longer need any light.  It seems that if I am
simply close by and my breast is bared, my babies can find and then latch
on on their own.  How close I need to be depends of course on how mobile
the baby is.  I know that the areola is thought to serve as a sort of
target for newborns, but how can babies latch on so precisely in complete
darkness.  I've quite often woken to find my baby has latched herself on,
without any assistance from me in regards to *aiming*?  It's very rare when
I feel a latch onto my arm or the wrong part of my breast, and I also don't
feel the baby rooting around, they always seem to be right on target
immediately.  How is they are able to do this?  Is there something obvious
I'm missing.  I went to the archive page to look for past information, but
couldn't for the life of me figure out what to search on.  :)
Melissa and the girls
Tori 1-16-94
Beth 1-30-96
Lili 7-10-97
http://home1.gte.net/melnphil
Breastfeeding Peer Counselor