I'll just recap briefly what is already in the archives.  Verbal
coaching often works well for moms whose babies are several days old.
It occasionally works well for mothers of newborns.  Yes, learning on
your own to breastfeed is empowering.  However, most mothers who deliver
in hospitals with many interventions have been so disempowered, they are
afraid to try on their own and give up easily if things don't go well
immediately.  Besides, most hospitals don't give moms enough time to
learn on their own.  If baby isn't nursing well within "x" number of
hours, his blood sugar is tested, his mother is castigated for not
having awakened him and made him to eat, and he is bottle fed.  If
breastfeeding hurts the mom requests, and is likely given, a bottle.

For all these reasons, and because it seems to work so much better to
show and tell than just to tell, I find it necessary in most cases to
actually touch the mom's breasts and her baby while helping her
breastfeed.  Most first time mothers want and expect this.  If she
doesn't, I make other resources available to her and let her know I am
available to help if she so desires in the future.

I find that often, if I can teach the baby how to correctly latch and
suck and mom can learn how it is supposed to feel, that it is much
easier for mom to learn.

--
Bonnie Jones, RN, ICCE, IBCLC
from the sunny S.W. USA
mailto:[log in to unmask]