In the 1960s I rode on the floor board of my mothers car, in the 1970s it was the back of my fathers pick up and never wore a seat belt until I was pregnant with my first child 23 years ago. We all lived, we never had any injury, etc. Since we were all safe and secure in our transportation method, should I ignore the information that says seat belts save lives? There are levels of attachment aand some theorists would say there is more to attachment than the Stranger Situation. We do know that there can be emotional damage done by some forms of parenting. I am sure I would have passed the Stranger Situation test as a baby, but I assure you my mother neglected us and abused us from infancy until we were to big for her to do so, and yet we love her because she is our mom. In the same time in history being used to suggest that attachment is just fine without attachment theory parenting styles, breastfeeding was almost unheard of in the USA Perhaps the connection is there after all. Just like those moms who had not intended to breastfeed find themselves breastfeeding after private time skin to skin with their babies. Something changes in a mom when her baby is skin to skin, and something can change when she breastfeeds and responds to her baby. (I know that this is not always the case, just as I know that some mammals get up and abandon their young, but abnormality is not proof that normal does not work.) Breastfeeding is most successful for most babies when the mothers feed them on cue and meet their needs so they continue to trust the access to food. While some women can manage to schedule feeds and sleep train for long hours, the majority of women see a drop in their milk supply when long periods of time between feedings become the habit. I have read websites that suggest a baby can get enough milk from mom feeding just three or four times a day when they are as young s 6 months. Considering what we know now about how the body manages milk supply, I think that is misleading. For many mothers when they miss even one feeding on a regular basis they notice a drop in supply, and a fussy baby at the breast because the flow is not as expected. At some point we have to respect the way the breasts work and the way baby digests and educate the mothers to the science of making breastfeeding work. Attachment Parenting International is an organizatio. Attachment Parenting is a term coined by Dr. William Sears. However, Attachment Theory is more than the both of them. And it is the theory we need to be aware of. To suggest that because babies would likely have performed well on the Stranger Situation test to determine attachment in the past is not a reflection of what we know today about attachment theory. What we have learned about infant brain development has changed in the past 15 years and to ignore that research because 'we have always done it this way and children turned out fine' is no different from ignoring the science we have now that says breastmilk and formula are not equal. As an LC I cannot and do not separate responsive infant care from breastfeeding because they go together. I am not involved in other API or AP per Dr. Sears parenting choices regarding discipline because I am no longer being asked. However, part of my consultation does and will continue to include the importance of being responsive and trusting the baby'scues and meeting the baby's needs. I will share ways to do so that are easier, but how a mom manages to be available to her child is up to her. I provide this baby brain 101 to anyone involved in the baby's care. Sometimes that means fathers, grandmothers, baby nurses and nannies who have been instructing mom to stop holding her baby so much or who interfere with breastfeeding success by refusing to bring the baby to mom on cues to be fed. As I said, so far, as soon as they hear it is about science and not weakness of the mother to be strong enough to teach her baby to be alone, no one argues about it anymore. To me, educating about what we know today about the importance of not letting baby cry, not having the baby sleep across the house alone at 3 weeks, etc. is about being evidence based in my practice. Since the research supports attachment theory based infant care, and I cannot find any research that supports the alternative is better for breastfeeding success, I will continue to teach current research to my clients because I act in the best interest of the baby and I practice evidence based care. Take care, Pam MazzellaDiBosco, IBCLC, RLC *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome