Today I did a fun thing: I went to help a new mom who was having trouble nursing her baby. I wanted to be the calmest gentlest version of myself while I was there, because the baby's grandma had a terrible first breastfeeding experience and still rolls her eyes about La Leche League. I don't do much hands-on breastfeeding support these days, but the visit left me with some thoughts:
- The existence of a kazillion kinds of lactation certifications is not doing new moms any favors. Most people don't know what an IBCLC is, and new parents don't know how to evaluate conflicting advice from nurses with just a weekend course in lactation under their belts.
- There is a lot -- A LOT -- of very persistent bad breastfeeding advice floating around out there. We have known since the 90s that forcefully bringing baby and breast together creates distress and feeding reluctance for a significant number of babies. That whole Chele Marmet* Rapid Arm Movement thing where you are told to R.A.M. the baby onto the breast? Don't do that, actually.
- Early breastfeeding is often not very efficient, and trying to make it efficient can have harmful downstream effects. Sure, you can chart that the baby latched. ("Latched," harrumph.) The number one thing that reluctant nursers need is lots of low-stress, low-expectations opportunities to practice-- preferably in a semi-prone position. This page has some good advice (with helpful pictures!) from my amazing friend Cathy Watson Genna.
- "Don't let the baby use you as a pacifier" is the last thing a nurse should tell a new mom who is (a) not experiencing any pain with breastfeeding, (b) worried about when her milk will come in, and (c) trying to nurse a baby who goes from zero to 60 in no time flat. If you've got a baby who gets mad really easily, frequent small nursings can bring down the pressure to feed him NOW NOW NOW FASTER FASTER. As long as it doesn't exacerbate any nipple damage, it is more than okay to pacify your newborn baby at the breast.
*Lots of respect to Chele Marmet, who pretty much invented lactation consulting. Everybody has the occasional bad idea, though.
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