This topic can be discussed at length and we will never come to one conclusion. First of all, what is normal?? It is not normal to take a baby after birth from its mother, wash it, weigh it, examine it , inoculate it, and expose it to loud noises, bright lighting, etc. Once you have done that, you change the baby's behavior. At first they react with that shocked look on their faces, eyes wide open looking around, trying to figure out where they are. Then they start rooting, looking frantically for mother ( not really for food, just mother), then they start to cry, work into hysteria, and then go into that deep sleep which we all know in hospital. This is all part of survival instinct, and according to Nils Bergman, and other wise ones, this is where the problems start. They can sleep deeply, unnaturally, for hours, even up to 20. Is that ok? Not really, if within 48 hours they have to go home, and pass extensive tests such as weight loss, bili, glucose,etc. I do suggest to moms to wake them and try to feed, and if the baby is not interested, then to give him colostrum in a spoon to keep them from losing too much weight. Another thing that we see, and this has been discussed on this list, is the feeding frenzy once they do wake up. They might attach to mother for up to 6 hours straight, not for food, but for the safety and security of being near mother. Again, survival instinct. This "white night" often makes moms think that those little drops of colostrum could not possibly be enough, and that is where you come in: you have to explain a lot about the way babies behave in those first few days, and why. Talk about the problems of separating mothers and babies, and how this affects them. Show those little belly balls to show that the baby does not need liters of food, but rather lots of mommy. Tell them that at this point, the only place those babies feel good is on the breast. It is better for them to learn this before the birth, so that they will understand their baby's behavior. Many moms fall that second night, give artificial milk, and you end up doing breastfeeding rehab the next morning to convince the mom and the baby that the breast is the way to go. Good luck, and if I can be of any help, even just for moral support, let me know. Hospital work is not easy, but very rewarding because you make a difference to many mothers and babies. Esther Grunis, IBCLC Lis Maternity Hospital Tel Aviv, Israel *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html Mail all commands to [log in to unmask] To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or [log in to unmask]) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet or ([log in to unmask]) To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]