>Ellen,
You have raised an excellent point in your post on 'one breast or both
breasts" which reminds me of another set of "rules" about how to
breastfeed, that of positioning. Many of these "rules" are among the
reasons that many women throw in the towel about breastfeeding.
I remember, many years ago, being in a lactation education course and
observing our skilled clinician facilitator do a pediatric exam of a first
baby about 8 days old. The baby had a satisfactory weight gain, the mother
didn't have sore nipples or back pain and the baby was fine, except that it
wasn't "positioned" well.
Our staff, who had been observing the visit couldn't wait to ask our
teacher about the position. The response was: "if it ain't broke, don't
fix it!!"
Many of these skills are ours to use when there is a problem and that helps
us to help mothers. Our skill comes in being able to assess and evaluate
when a special technique will be helpful to a mother, not set up a
"rule". Fortunately, most mothers who are successful at breastfeeding
learn to ignore our rules along with those of the rest of society and to
read their babies. However, as Ellen clearly indicates, in the first
phases of the breastfeeding relationship, mothers and babies don't know
each other very well and the pattern isn't known, so moms need to be
flexible and follow their babies' lead.
Our role is to help and assist when something isn't going right, sometimes
to validate what their observations are showing them, but not to set new
"rules" about what should or shouldn't happen.
In the 28 years or so that I have been involved in this field I guess the
most helpful "rule" or principle that I have found is about intake and
output. However, aside from that, its really about what is happening in a
particular relationship at a particular time, supporting the mother in her
own growth and having a number of techniques for when there are problems.
Judy
Judy Canahuati
520 Commerce Drive
Decatur, GA 30030
404-373-7396
email:mailto:[log in to unmask]
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