I, too, have found the nursing type hospital gowns not the best for
a mom and baby learning to nurse.  Once the 2 get to be "pros" at
it, anything with a means of giving access to the breast will do,
but when learning, having to cope with extra material in the way can
be frustrating.  The fewer "details" a mom has to cope with while
learning a new skill, the better.
Personally, I think the IV gowns still work the best.  They unsnap
along the shoulder and top on
of the arm.  Some moms unsnap the entire side.  Others will leave
the topmost snap in place and move the material over giving pretty
good access.  Some leave the bottom snap closed, but I haven't seen
that work too well excpet for experienced moms.  (Incidentally,
unrelated, but if the entire side is unsnapped, suggest mom snap it
back shut from the bottom up.  When she snaps if from the top down,
it frequently winds up being "off" by one snap.)  Even the lovely
nursing gowns that some moms get ahead of time can be awkward while
learning as the material keeps falling across baby's face.
Somewhat related: I learned a tip from watching a mom a while back
that I keep passing along.  (Who says an old dog (LC) can't learn
new tricks?)  If mom is wearing a top (usually t-shirt or sweater)
that is fairly loose and stretchy, escpeially at the neck, she
simply gathers the material from waist to chin and slips it over her
head and behind the neck.  This way her shoulders and back are still
covered (and warm) and she doesn't have to find a way to hold the
material out of the way to get baby attached and see what's
happening.  Do not use this with clothes that aren't loose enough or
she will get still in the neck.
Incidentally, a number of years ago (I think at a LLLI Conference)
there was a display of a gadget called "peek-a-boob".  It simply
consisted of a strip of material with Velcro on the ends.  Mom would
wrap that around gathered up clothing to keep it out of the way so
she could help baby get attached, could see baby while nursing, and
baby didn't have a bunch of clothing piled on its face.  I thought
it was a very clever idea that could really benefit some moms, but I
never saw anything about it again.  Does anyone know if this is
available and where?  I have described it to moms and some have made
up a similar gimmick themselves, but I don't want to infringe on
anyone's idea or patent.

Winnie

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