Hi Pat, Yes, the term for this very old technique was coined by Danner and Cerutti in or about 1984. This hand position was certainly known in the 1940s, for babies who tended to slip off, whether premature or not. It was to support the baby's face, to prevent slipping off. A mother who participated in research of mine mentioned being shown it in the early 1940s and two nurses who graduated as MCH nurses in or about 1946 mentioned a similar hand position. I was taught the technique in 1965, as my daughter was dosing off to sleep at the breast - which was because she was wasn't brought to me till the four hours was up and she'd screamed for 45 minutes. Back then, mothers were powerless! By the time the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding arrived from America, I had iatrogenic lactation failure. (The book and letters from Marian Tompson helped me turn things round.) Yes, Pat, I agree - look at each dyad as individuals and work with what they can do, and do less "management". Otherwise it can make the whole process like a production line, the Taylorist approach of "scientific mothering" of the early and middle 20th century, when timing and weighing dominated. Virginia in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Pat Young wrote: I think the Dancer hand position came about when Sarah (?) Danner and Dr Ceruti found it useful to support the breast for premies. It wasn't for everyone, just special circumstances :-) "football" hold is one I'm not crazy about, It just doesn't sound comfy, cozy. I'm sure moms wouldn't have nursed thru eons of time if it wasn't comfortable. Using set terms and positioning is part of the "scientification" of breastfeeding. Goes along with pre & post weights to measure amounts and scheduling. Dr Smilie said breastfeeding is a dance between mother and baby and that so doesn't fit in with science :-) Pat in SNJ plowing thru the files on breastfeeding "management". Don't you just love that the medical profession has to "manage" breastfeeding, LOL. *********************************************** 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