Carla, your discription is apt, and very closely resembles my practise as
well. Infants, parents and birth experiences vary.  We need tact, and an
open mind to decide appropriate actions, not absolute rules.

To the nursing student (sorry I didn't keep your message and have lost your
name).  Good for you for being inquisitive and asking intelligent questions.
This can be a difficult situation to put into a protocol.  Many infants seem
to need a prolonged sleep after birth, especially if they have had a rough
ride.  Interfering is unnecessarily intrusive.  YET all of the comments
about blood sugar levels etc are correct as well.  I am not terribly
concerned about sleeps of several hours on day one especially if the infant
has had close contact with its parents (hopefully tucked in with mom), but
it deserves close monitoring.

Carole Elliot of Calgary has a lovely chart with expected behaviours during
the first 3 or 4 days. She developed it for the staff at her hospital, and
it was handed out at the Breastfeeding Clinic at High River Alberta. It is
much more useful and flexible than an absolute time limit on hours between
feed. Unfortunately I do not have it on my computor and I do not think she
on LACTNET.
She IS treasurer of the Canadian Lactation Consultation Association so I
will ask if it can be included in one of their newsletters :)
----"Without interest and passion, nothing great has ever happened in
history"  G.W.Hegel
      Rhoda Taylor, B.A., IBCLC          ph. 604 748 4945

      3346 Glacier St.                   fax. 604 748 2743
      Duncan, B.C. Canada                e-mail. [log in to unmask]