>her pediatrician (an older gentleman, very
>proud to be "of the old school.") He told her, after two weeks of
>breast
>refusal and feeding breastmilk from a bottle... "give only water from
>the bottle until the baby takes the breast."

Am I a nut, or is this purported "cure" for the two week old
non-breastfeeding-but-taking-breast-milk-by-bottle baby very dangerous?
It's like the old "don't worry when the baby's hungry he'll eat" advice.
I'm relieved that this baby finally took the breast, and think this baby
must have had a guardian angel working vehemently on his behalf.  Thank
goodness it only took seven hours!  It's a real stretch to believe that
this is what "worked."

I once worked with a mom whose third baby, five weeks premature, was an
agressive non-nurser (somewhere among stages 1 to 3--aggressively
fighting the breast to willing to be held but not in a cradle hold).
Despite every effort and encouragement to get this baby to take the
breast, the baby finally only began to allow finger feedings in lieu of
formula from a bottle.  Two steps forward and one and half steps
backwards up through the stages for a full five weeks.  The baby became
a great finger feeder (his mom even went out with him once or twice and
finger fed using the old SNS out in broad daylight) and then we wondered
if he weren't "hooked" on it.  Of course, the mom tried slipping the
baby onto the breast every time he fed.  The baby still fought it,
though, until I think they just got tired of trying, and one day (which
happened to be the baby's original due date) the father said, "oh, let's
just see what happens if we try to make him."  Miraculously, the little
guy took the breast and sucked like a champion! His mom continued to use
the SNS at the breast until her milk supply built back up.
This baby was the orneriest, meanest looking, most fussy baby I have
ever met in my life, but when I saw him again at three months he had
made the most amazing transformation.  He was calm, and sweetly smiling,
round and lovely.  Epiphany, to be sure.

Diane, LLLL in VT