I thought I would attach this letter I got today. For interest's sake. I realize that mothers do not always understand what health professionals tell them, and I have been quoted myself as saying things I would never have said in a million years. But still, I think this woman's story tells volumes about what is wrong with how we help mothers start breastfeeding and how we deal with problems. I am not blowing my own horn because the mother really did this on her own and didn't contact me until this letter. But what she says should be of interest especially for LC's. Are we missing something in what we expect from LC's in their training? After all, going a few days without a bowel movement in the first few weeks usually (but not always) a sign of poor intake. Surely even the least experienced LC should know this. Also, depending on scales is a losing proposition, both for weight loss and weight gain. We must depend on observation of breastfeeding, not the scale and especially not the 7%, 10% or whatever percent is currently in vogue. Of course, in many hospitals people call themselves LC's who are not, and that could be part of the problem. "Why in the world was I never told about this "open, pause, close" type of sucking!!! How is it that I could see my Pediatrician several times, a lactation consultant at the hospital, and watch the hospitals "baby channel" for 2 solid days and I still end up with a baby who wasn't gaining?! "It was only because I have the internet and found your webpages that "disaster was averted"! After one of my usual 1 1/2 to 2 hour nursing sessions I noticed my 3 1/2 week old daughter was still agitated and hungry. Per my Ped. oc's request I gave her 2 1/2 oz.of formula. Extremely frustrated I began surfing the net in search of something....anything that could enlighten me....I guess I felt something was missing. When I found your page and began reading I started to cry. I had been starving my baby. Inspite of HOURS and HOURS of time spent "nursing", my baby was only getting a tiny portion of the perfectly adequate milk supply my breasts contained. "So close and yet....so far away"! "MY BABY WAS NOT LATCHED ON PROPERLY AND WAS NOT GETTING ENOUGH MILK! Your pictures and especially your emphasis on the "open, pause, close" type of sucking was just what we needed. I woke her up from her "formula induced coma :o)" and hooked her up just the way your pages suggested and VOILA! She was drawing in mouthfuls of milk right away! I did have to use breast compressions as my daughter had been latching on and sucking improperly for 3 1/2 weeks! I anticipate compressing while nursing for a while until she gains in sucking ability. I also benefited from your suggestion to WAIT UNTIL THE BABY OPENS HER MOUTH--WIDE!! I had been "chasing the baby with the breast" and so she had never learned to do this properly--We are still working on this each time. "Bottom line is that inspite of my efforts to get help from LC's, nurses, and my doctor; No one asked to actually observe my latch-on and the baby's sucking. It didn't matter that I told them that I didn't think the baby was latching on well. The doctor said that some babies just don't suck well and to begin supplementing with formula. The LC said I was doing fine because she had gained a few oz. over a few days and the other "signs" of getting enough were there. This, inspite of the fact that I told them she would go 24 hours without a BM quite frequently and that I felt she wasn't latched on well and would slip off easily compared to my other children. The LC said that some babies will go a day without a BM and because my nipples weren't sore she was latched on properly (not so!!). "I am a mother of 5 children and have nursed two children to 23 months. I thought I was a pro and apparently so did everyone else and yet BF was failing and my baby was almost starving. It is only because of your webpages that I now have hope to continue BF and my daughter can begin to be nourished properly." Actually not my web page, since I don't have one. But many websites do carry my stuff. *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html