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Subject:
From:
Karleen Gribble <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 12 Jun 2003 13:05:28 +1000
Content-Type:
text/plain
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Jodine,
I've been wondering how you and your husband have been going. I hope he
continues to go well with the chemo. I'm sure that the breastmilk is making
a difference.

I hope the listmothers will forgive me if I sneak in a last post on this
topic, while not strictly breastfeeding related is important for situations
where mothers and babies are to separated for more than a few days. There
has been quite a lot of research on what separation from their mother can
mean to young children (and by young I mean probably under 3/4 years). I
highly recommend a book called Becoming Attached by Robert Karen which
summarises much of this research. I think this book should be read by all
parents (or at least somehow the content transmitted) but it would
especially be of interest to many of the medical type people here on Lactnet
because it explains the damage that used to be done to children when they
are suddenly separated from their primary care giver. For a baby, loss of
mother is total loss and is experienced as complete abandonment, a cause of
great grief and even after the mother return the impact can continue.
In cases where separation from the mother cannot be avoided it is best for
the changeover to the new caregiver to be gradual as they do in (well
managed) foster care transitions. Mum leaves baby with new caregiver for
increasingly longer periods of time before finally leaving. On return, the
same procedure is followed with mum taking baby for increasing periods of
time. Even if the caregiver is familiar to the child making the changeover
gradual would be advisable. It would also be best for the child to remain
with a single caregiver rather than multiple (for eg with one person during
the week and another on the weekends). Though the trauma of loss associated
with multiple placement is often more obvious with older children, the
seriousness with younger children and babies is perhaps greater because of
where they are at developmentally (for eg not having developed
object/mother/self constancy)

As I said not strictly breastfeeding related but certainly what we know
about the physiology of lactation reinforces the idea that babies and
mothers are meant to be together and the research on mother-child attachment
and breastfeeding meshes well.

Karleen Gribble
Australia





> Just dipping in to read something about lactation while I sit at the
> computer and use the breast pump. And what a treat to read this post from
> you, Rachel. Your comment on focus improving connectedness is bang on.
>
> -- Jodine
> PS - Ron's doing well, on day one of a five-day chemo treatment,
breastmilk
> is important at this time in order to keep his white blood count up.

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