Dear Lactnetters:
Jan Barger wrote:
>I don't remember seeing this sort of
> fogginess. Moms seemed to be able to "take hold" very quickly. They
> remembered instructions, and seemed to be quite together. Of course,
there
> was no medication, no separation of mother and infant, and virtually one
on
> one nursing staff to family ratio, though it might be one on two during
the
> postpartum stay. And all our moms went home in less than 24 hours.
> So I still wonder if a lot of the inability to process information is at
> least in part due to the amount of medications most mothers get during
labor.
Yes, Jan. Without the stressful environment, the medicated deliveries,
and with more one-on-one, hands-on teaching (espec. at the first several
feeds), my guess is that "fogginess" isn't going to be the issue nor a
barrier to learning. (One-on-one bedside teaching takes staff time? Sure.
But doesn't it save staff time dealing with problems like babies not
latching, or readmissions.) Add some postnatal follow-up, by whatever
system is cost-effective in a given setting, using a combination of
professionals and well-trained volunteers, and Mums aren't out on a limb on
discharge.
I agree that future studies do need to look at more factors, such as
setting; any chemical or surgical interventions during labour and delivery
(and what) vs no interventions; pre-natal Bf learning; unconscious learning
from family exposure to positive breastfeeding images (e.g. seeing mother or
sister breastfeeding).
For those working in different settings, I am sure this ongoing
discussion has given an opportunity to reflect upon how to provide
information and support for their new Mums in a more effective way.
Cheers,
Virginia
Brisbane
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