<Observing baby's feeding and helping parents learn to observe baby's
feeding too is not a breastfeeding issue, it is an issue for all baby's
learning to eat.>

Jennifer writes:
<do babies who grow rapidly due to oversuppy have a greater risk of
diabetes, especially since the milk they are growing on is higher
proportionally  in sugar content than the milk of other moms? Are these
babies actually fatter and not just bigger babies? This issue has
concerned me for a long time and I think oversupply is a much bigger
problem than we may be realizing. It also may lead to continued
overfeeding of these same babies throughout infancy of even childhood,
especially if the problem is unresolved.>

How much I now agree! Problem may be that not all maternity personnel
recognize flow rate issues with a bottle any more than all maternity
personnel understand basics of breastfeeding. I shudder to remember all
the babies who "chuggalugged" under my insistent "deep throat" type
feeding in the nurseries years ago, and some of my own children suffered
the same fate. After "failing" at breastfeeding, air swallowing, poor
dental arch and adult obesity, have been experienced with several of my
children, and for one, development of diabetes at age 50, perhaps
partially due to my ignorance at the time.

In WIC, I see so many parents (and support persons) whose understanding
of flow rate and connection to breathing (and sometimes overfeeding) is
lacking and who confuse their babies' reactions with "ravenous hunger",
"greediness", and sometimes proof that "he wasn't satisfied with
breastfeeding, so I must not have enough milk!"

I hope someone makes an evidence based parent/staff education video about
this someday, including both straight bottle feeding and overactive MER.
It will be important to the future of babies, especially in regard to
possible risk for future obesity and all its attendant risks, from
learning poor eating habits while simply trying to cope as an infant.

Jean
************
K. Jean Cotterman RNC, IBCLC
Dayton, Ohio USA (who just got home in time last week from a visit in now
snowy North Carolina)

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