Regarding Melissa's post on waking a sleeping baby to BF...I whole
heartedly agree that mother and baby should be together so they can get to
know eachother and the mom can learn the baby's cues.  HOWEVER, so many of
the babies born in hospitals today are born drugged from the mother having
had labor meds and they are very sleepy.  This can create a downward spiral
of sleepy baby not nursing, then milk supply is low.  Also as a non-RN
IBCLC and LLLL, I have seen many (way too many) cases of this, such that
I'm beginning to think it is the NORM for hospital births.  In birthing
center and home births (big here in Oregon), it just doesn't happen (okay,
rarely).  When we start mucking around with the normal physiological
functions it causes a cascade effect, sometimes necessitating more
intervention (waking the baby).  Sometimes this continues for 7-10 days,
and often leads to moms then saying that they "just didn't have enough
milk."  So, I tell them the golden LLL rule of counting wet diapers and
nursing frequently (every one and a half to three hours or 8-12 times a
day).  The LLLI tear-off sheet on "How to Know Your Healthy Full-Term
Breastfed Baby Is Getting Enough Milk"  (#457) is a great handout.
Chris

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Chris Hafner-Eaton, PhD, MPH, CHES, IBCLC email: [log in to unmask]
   HSR & Educational Consultant         fax:   541 753 7340
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