On the subject of attachment and loss, and the reactions of infants  
and young children to separation from their mothers, I'd like to  
recommend the groundbreaking work of James (1911-1988)and Joyce  
(1919-  ) Robertson, social worker/psychoanalysts who worked with  
Anna Freud in the Hampstead Nurseries with wartime children in London  
in the 1940's.

They initially made a film called "A two year Old Goes to  
Hospital," (1952) which showed the stages of grief that a child went  
through when separated from her mother for a brief hospitalization.   
This was followed by another film, "A Two Year Old Goes to Hospital  
With Mother," which documented the difference when a parent stayed  
with the child during a hospitalization.  These films led to the  
changes in hospital visitation policies around the world.  The  
Robertsons went on to document the effects of separation in other  
situations (such as when a mother had to be hospitalized), noting  
differences between preverbal children and those who could speak, and  
situations when the child was placed in day care with multiple  
caregivers, vs in a loving home (their own) with a stable caregiver  
and lots of attention to supporting the child's grieving.  These  
children ranged in age from 17 months to 2 years 5 months old.  The  
films are very painful to watch, but have lots of dramatic images.

You can learn more about these films at http://www.robertsonfilms.info/

Their work is described in their 1989 book called "Separation and the  
Very Young."  There are pictures in that, too.  On the above web  
site, under "Background to Brief Separation," you can read the  
history of research in this area, including mention of John Bowlby,  
Anna Freud, and others.

More background material is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ 
James_Robertson_(psychoanalyst)

I used to show these films to my student nurses in Pediatric Nursing,  
back in the 1970's.  They are unforgettable images of protest -  
dispair - denial following separation of young children from their  
mothers.

This was before the interest in breastfeeding, and doesn't deal with  
that.  But there is still lots to learn from the Roberstsons' work.

Anne Altshuler, RN, MS, IBCLC, LLL
[log in to unmask]

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome