I think Lisa hit the nail on the head when she stated at the end of her post: "it is the loss of the Oxytocin/Prolactin surge state that should be present for the first few days post birth that negatively impacts not only breastfeeding, but parenting and bonding in general." The vast majority of the women I see in the postnatal ward have had either an "emergency" or elective Caesarean. The few vaginal births usually involve artificial oxytocin and epidurals. The profound change we are seeing now with prolonged skin-to-skin contact I am convinced is due mainly to getting the natural oxytocin to flow in both mother and baby. I just wish more babies could be born the way nature intended. In an ideal world, there would be very little need for lactation "experts". (an "expert" is a spurt under pressure - not sure where that one came from?) Jean Ridler Cape Town, South Africa [log in to unmask] *********************************************** 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