The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog

The 17th Carnival of Breastfeeding: Taking a bottle.

Welcome to this month's Carnival of Breastfeeding!  June's theme is pumping, and since all that pumped milk has to go somewhere, I thought I'd write about breastfed babies and bottles.  Be sure to check out the great posts from other bloggers on the topic of pumping at the bottom of this post.

Whether you're introducing a bottle because you're going back to work, or you want to share some feedings with your partner, there are some tips below that can help.  I've also included some strategies for dealing with a baby who won't take a bottle.

Speaking of which, here's a great example of a baby who isn't at all interested in bottles.  Thanks to Alicia for posting it!

Tips for introducing a bottle:

• Wait until roughly the end of the first month to try a bottle.  Before that time, some (not all) babies develop a nipple or flow preference and may have a hard time latching on to the breast correctly, or even refuse it.  The danger of this is greatest in the days and weeks right after birth.

• Don't wait too long, since at some point babies will reject the bottle.  In my experience this happens most often with babies who haven't tried one by six weeks.

• If it's important that your baby be able to take a bottle (for example, you'll be returning to work), after introducing the bottle at four weeks, continue to re-introduce the bottle at least a few times a week.  Don't go overboard with it, though.  Up to a bottle a day is usually fine, but too many may cause latch difficulties or breast refusal.

• Have someone other than yourself introduce the bottle.  Babies are smart, and some won't take one from you because they know you have the goods.  Some books recommend that you stay out of the room when a bottle is given.

• Practice "paced feeding (halfway down page)," which helps the baby manage the flow of milk.

• Use a bottle nipple which is more like a breast (with a wide base), and use the slowest flow nipple at first.  You'll probably also want to look for bottles that are BPA-free.

• If you're going back to work, gradually increase the frequency of bottle feedings so that your baby is solidly taking the bottle by the time you return to work.

Tips for babies who refuse bottles:

• Don't force it.  This doesn't work, and often makes the situation worse.  If your baby refuses, like the one in the video above, take a break and try again at a better time (see below).

• Experiment with different nipples, different size nipple openings (for flow).  Try to match the nipple shape and flow with your own.

• Use distractions like movement, talking and singing, going outside.  The Nursing Mother's Companion has a good picture of an outward-facing hold which seems to work for some babies.

• Try at times when the baby is sleepy, in a good mood, or not hungry.  In general, the more hungry and distressed a baby is, the more "disorganized" he/she is likely to be.  In that state a baby is less likely to do something new or difficult.

• Make sure that your milk doesn't taste or smell "soapy."  This may mean that you have excess lipase in your milk. 

• In a pinch, try other feeding devices, like a medicine cup, finger feeder, syringe feeder, or sippy cup.

• Know that your baby will be fine even if she/he only "sips" while you're gone.  He/she will make up for it when the two of you are together, a pattern known as reverse cycling.

• Say to yourself, "this too shall pass."

Be sure to check out these great posts from our blogging friends (updated throughout the day):

• Raising Baby Bee writes about pumping at work (and shares a great 'do not disturb' sign).
• Breastfeeding Mums says "electrify me!"
• Breastfeeding 1-2-3 writes about exclusively pumping for a baby with a cleft palate.
• Hobo Mama writes about donating milk for an adopted baby.
• Adventures of a Breastfeeding Mother shares her pumping tips.
• The Attached Mother writes about pumping and becoming a milk donor.
• Mama Knows Breast invites you to enter to win a free Medela Freestyle pump.
• Mike and Toni's writes about how a pumping experience turned into a business idea.

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Join our next breastfeeding carnival: Pumping it up.

Our next carnival of breastfeeding will be on the topic of pumping and hand expression.

You might write about:

• Your experience pumping
• Tips on pumping or hand-expression
• Going back to work
• Exclusively pumping
• Offering bottles
• Breastmilk donation
• Any other pumping topic!

We'll be looking for posts that are:

• Well written and grammatically correct
• Thoughtful and directly on point for the carnival subject
• Submitted from blogs related to breastfeeding or parenting

Email me your submission by June 17th, 2008.  The carnival will be on Tuesday, June 24th, 2008.  Please note that, if your post is selected for inclusion by our regular group of bloggers, you will be asked to link to each of the other participants in the carnival.  We reserve the right to choose posts for inclusion.  Examples of past carnival posts can be found here.

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The 16th Carnival of Breastfeeding: A breastfeeding-friendly birth plan.

Welcome to the 16th Carnival of Breastfeeding!  This month's theme is pregnancy and breastfeeding.  Be sure to check out the great posts from other bloggers at the bottom of this post.

When I was pregnant I worked pretty hard on developing a birth plan, and it was worth every minute.  Everyone involved with the labor and birth were knowledgeable and respectful of our choices.

I recently re-read our birth plan and found that it didn't contain much in the way of breastfeeding.  I did make it clear that I was aiming for a natural delivery with as few interventions as possible.  It did say that I wanted no pacifiers or bottles if the baby had to be separated from me.  But there was nothing about how I wanted things to go immediately after the birth, or how I'd like to be supported in establishing breastfeeding.

So when we decided on the theme of pregnancy and breastfeeding for this carnival, I decided to try to list some elements of a birth plan which focus on breastfeeding.

To create the list below, I've taken elements of breastfeeding-friendly care from three well-referenced sources:  the International Lactation Consultants Association's Clinical Guidelines for the Establishment of Exclusive Breastfeeding, the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine's Model Breastfeeding Policy, and UNICEF's 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.  Research has shown that these things matter in the success of breastfeeding.  You'll likely find all of these things at a hospital that has been certified as Baby Friendly.  I added a few things based on my experience, and I hope that you'll leave additional ideas in the comments section.

Since this list doesn't address birth itself, I should say aiming for a low intervention birth is also breastfeeding-friendly.  For most women, this means choosing care providers and exploring birthing options carefully, as well as having a doula or other skilled support person present.  You'll find that this list assumes a hospital birth, but many of these elements are relevant to home birth as well.

• I would like the baby to be placed skin-to-skin with me immediately after the birth.
• If I have a c-section I would like to hold the baby skin-to-skin as soon as possible after the operation.  If I am unable to for some time, I would like my partner to hold my baby skin-to-skin.
• I want to initiate breastfeeding within the first hour.  I would like to give the baby an opportunity to self-attach, and I do not want the baby forced into the first feeding.
• I would like all newborn procedures delayed until after the first feeding, and done with the baby lying on me or being held by me.
• I want my baby to stay in my room with me, and I want to hold my baby skin-to-skin as much as possible during our stay.
• I would like help in establishing a comfortable and effective latch, and learn different positions for nursing my baby.  I would also like assistance in learning hand expression, how to recognize swallowing, and what to expect in the days following discharge.
• If I encounter any breastfeeding problems, I would like help from an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (hereafter 'lactation consultant').
• I do not want any water, glucose water, formula, bottles, or pacifiers given to my baby.  If there is a medical need for supplementation, I would like the opportunity to discuss it with a pediatrician and lactation consultant first.
• If I am separated from my baby for medical reasons, I want to use a breastpump to help establish my milk supply.
• I do not want any formula promotional material to be given or shown to me, including formula diaper bags and crib cards.
• I would like to receive information on sources of breastfeeding support in my community.

We have some great posts from other bloggers on the topic of breastfeeding and pregnancy.  Check them out!  (List will be updated throughout the day).

• Natural Moms Talk Radio - Carrie shares practical information on breastfeeding while pregnant.
• Permission to Mother - Dr. Denise writes about a milk supply mystery.
• Crunchy Domestic Goddess - Amy writes about the ups and downs of nursing during pregnancy.
• Breastfeeding Mums - Sinead shares advice on preparing for breastfeeding.
• Attachment Parenting International Speaks - Julie writes about breastfeeding during her pregnancy.
• Breastfeeding 1-2-3 - Angela contributes 10 tips for pregnant women preparing for breastfeeding.
• Milk Donor Mama - Jessica writes about her breastfeeding experience and shares advice for pregnant women. 
  

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The April Carnival of Breastfeeding: "Thrush and mastitis and blebs, oh my!"

Welcome to the April Carnival of Breastfeeding!

This month we're bringing you posts on the topic of breastfeeding problems and solutions.  Be sure to check out the posts below for great stories overcoming thrush, blebs, plugged ducts, oversupply, and other breastfeeding challenges.

I'm very pleased to share a story of overcoming a tongue tie problem, written by Lisa, a mother I know and admire.  A picture of him as a baby is to the left.

In the hospital, one of the nurses looked into my son Joe's bassinet and said offhandedly, "looks like he's tongue-tied."* My husband and I were confused because the kid was crying at the time but she was gone before we could ask her what she meant. 

I was determined to breastfeed, and while the milk was there and the effort was definitely there on both of our parts, Joe was not able to get a good latch.  He would get just about in the right place, but there wasn't the right seal and he couldn't stay on the breast.  The nurses told me that I didn't have any of the common problems like inverted or shallow nipples, so surely it would work out fine. We both kept trying and were told that it takes time and is a learned process.

When I took him to his first doctor's appointment after we got home from the hospital, I told the doctor that I was still having trouble breastfeeding.  She told me "Oh, it's easy" and that was the end of it.  I showed her what I was doing and she said it was right, just keep trying.  My mother told the doctor that she thought Joe had "brick dust urine," and she said she'd never heard of that. I said that I had heard that he might be tongue tied, and she said that he wasn't. It was very discouraging because my nipples were cracked and bleeding, I was tired, sore, and now starting to panic that my son was starving.

Luckily, our hospital offered an evening breastfeeding clinic, so I left the doctors and went to see Tanya. She was calm, reassuring and took the panic-y edge off.  We tried different positions, and she suggested trying a nipple shield to see if it would be effective, but nothing seemed to help; he just couldn't get that seal right.  He would try to latch on and then just scream. Tanya noticed that Joe's frenulum (that little piece of skin that connects the tongue to the bottom of the mouth) was very short and it was up near the tip of his tongue. His tongue only moved back; he definitely could not stick it out. When he cried, his tongue looked kind of heart shaped. Tanya also looked up the signs of dehydration, and he had several.

Tanya was worried about Joe, and suggested that I give him a bottle of formula. It took him a very long time – maybe 40 minutes - to take a few ounces from the bottle.

It was pretty late by then, and that night Tanya faxed the pediatrician and told her of the problem. The next morning the doctor called four times to tell me that frenotomies are rare and "major surgery." She said that she consulted another pediatrician, who wouldn't do the procedure, and he in turn referred her to another pediatrician - best pediatrician in town – who also wouldn't do it but might refer us to see an ear, nose and throat specialist.  I immediately made an appointment with the "best pediatrician in town" and he sent me to the ENT specialist.

There was a consensus among everyone that yes, the frenulum was tight, but no one was sure that having it released would have any positive effect.  We did a little research, and decided that we needed to try something. Also, a big factor in my decision to go ahead with it was that I actually dated someone in college who was tongue tied. He didn't have a speech impediment or anything, but he was self-conscious of it, and truth be told...he was a very bad kisser (!).

The actual procedure was a lot like an ear piercing--a little numbing spray, one quick stroke and it was over.  I held Joe the whole time and he only cried for a minute. It took 30 seconds and there was as much blood as a tiny papercut.

Here's the best part:  he latched on perfectly in the waiting room-I could feel the difference.  His lips made a seal this time. He's been nursing like a champ ever since, and he's still nursing now - at 18 months!

The general attitude I got from all of the doctors was that I was making a big deal out of nothing. I heard a story later about midwives in olden days keeping one of their fingernails long so they could just slice through any frenulum that looked remotely tight.  How did we get to this?

Be sure to check out more posts on breastfeeding challenges on the blogs listed below (updated throughout the day):

• Mama's Magic writes about needing to supplement after birth complications.
• Half Pint Pixie writes about oversupply, blebs, plugged ducts, and mastitis.
• Speech Act writes about plugged ducts and blebs.
• Tales of Life with a Girl on the Go writes about milk supply and the mini-pill.
• Nurturing Notes writes about thrush and thrush treatment.
• Breastfeeding Mums writes about sore nipples, engorgement, and taking medications while breastfeeding.
• Blessed Nest Perch writes about sore nipples, mastitis, and low milk supply.
• Hobo Mama writes about supplementing with a finger feeder during the first week.
• Breastfeeding 1-2-3 writes about using Gentian Violet and grapefruit seed extract as thrush remedies.

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Join the next breastfeeding carnival: "Thrush and mastitis and blebs, oh my!"

Some of you have overcome some daunting breastfeeding problems like thrush, plugged ducts, Raynaud's, blebs, fast letdown, mastitis, low supply, nipple confusion, tongue ties, oversupply, breast refusal... the list could go on and on.  Here's your chance to write about it!

We're looking for posts that do two things this time:  1) tell the story of how you overcame a breastfeeding challenge, and 2) provide your links to your favorite online resources on that problem.  We hope that this will help other mothers find good information to help them through the same problem.

We'll be looking for posts that are:

• Well written and grammatically correct
• Thoughtful and directly on point for the carnival subject
• Submitted from blogs related to breastfeeding or parenting

Email me your submission by April 15th, 2008.  The carnival will be on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008.  Please note that, if your post is selected for inclusion by our regular group of bloggers, you will be asked to link to each of the other participants in the carnival.  We reserve the right to choose posts for inclusion.  Examples of past carnival posts can be found here.

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The 14th Carnival of Breastfeeding: What's so funny about breastfeeding?

Welcome to the 14th Carnival of Breastfeeding!  This month we're featuring posts on breastfeeding humor.  Be sure to check out the other bloggers' posts at the bottom of this one.

I'm reviewing two new breastfeeding humor books.  That's right, two books on the humor in breastfeeding have been published in the last six months.  Looks like the universe thinks we need a laugh.  For more breastfeeding humor, check out these past posts!

First, The Breastfeeding Diaries (Meadowbrook Press 2007, 155 pp.) by Kate Davis, a stand-up comedian.  This is a compilation of some of the funniest breastfeeding stories I've ever heard. 

It starts with a story by the author about stepping nude (it was required) into the hot tub at her gym and spraying the other women with milk.  My favorites include a story about pumping during a conference call that turned out to be a video conference call, and (this one just amazes me) a mother whose breast reduction/lip enhancement surgery (yes, they moved it from there to there) goes horribly wrong when she starts to breastfeed.  There are fifty stories in all.  I can't share more without giving away some fantastic punchlines. 

This little book is just hilarious and would be a great gift for a nursing mom who could use a laugh.  I hope that there's a sequel in the works.

Next, If These Boobs Could Talk, (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2008, 96 pp.) by Shannon Payette Seip, and Adrienne Hedger.  This book is a very clever and wonderfully illustrated ode to breasts.  Actually, it's written for your breasts. 

The book features games (mazes and quizzes), breastfeeding trivia, doodling pages for filling out with you toes while nursing, how-to lists (How to reward your boobs when they produce more milk) and a boob advice column.  It includes drawings depicting bad times to breastfeed (while learning to inline skate, during acupuncture) and instructions on how to hold a Boob Retirement Party. 

One of my favorites is a picture of the "Breastfeeding Circle of Life," which shows a circle of mothers' faces in varying states of distress and happiness.  The captions read start with "This is so difficult!" and "What did these huge rocks do with my boobs?" to "Hmm...this is getting easier," then "I love breastfeeding!" and finally "I don't want it to be over!" before the cycle starts again.

Again, a great gift for the mother who has been there, or who is there now and could use a lift, as it were.

Don't miss these great posts on breastfeeding humor on these other blogs (updated throughout the day):

• Stacie at The Twinkies shares the breastfeeding conversation she fears.
• Andi at Mama Knows Breast shares a dads' nursing in public video.
• Sinead at Breastfeeding Mums shares a pumping multi-tasking disaster.
• Amy at Crunchy Domestic Goddess shares several funny breastfeeding items.
• Carol at Happy Sad Mama shares why she loves to nurse her toddler.
• Angela at Breastfeeding 1-2-3 shares some crazy search terms that led readers to her site.
• Renata at Nurturing Notes shares a weaning story that made me laugh.

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Join the next breastfeeding carnival: What's so funny about breastfeeding?

How about a little breastfeeding humor to brighten up this winter month?  This month our theme is breastfeeding humor, or "What's so funny about breastfeeding?"  Posts could be on your own funny breastfeeding story, something you've seen online, or even a few breastfeeding jokes (G-rated, please).

Email me your submission by February 19th, 2008.  The carnival will be on Tuesday, February 26th, 2008.  Please note that, if your post is selected for inclusion by our reglular group of bloggers, you will be asked to link to each of the other participants in the carnival.  We reserve the right to choose posts for inclusion.  Examples of past carnival posts can be found here.

We'll be looking for posts that are:

• Well written and grammatically correct
• Thoughtful and directly on point for the carnival subject
• Submitted from blogs related to breastfeeding or parenting

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The 13th Carnival of Breastfeeding: Beginnings and Endings.

Welcome to the 13th Carnival of Breastfeeding!  This month's theme is beginnings and endings.  Be sure to check out the posts at the bottom of this page for more great posts from other bloggers.  My post today is about weaning.*

About 6 months after my son weaned, I overheard him talking to another child at a family party.

"I don't nurse anymore," he said.  "Mama said 'not today, tomorrow is okay,' and then," he said, holding his hands in the air and shaking his head for emphasis, "I just stopped."  He sounded proud and a tiny bit confused.

For us, weaning was like picking a really ripe fruit.  Do you know what it's like to pick a fruit when it's not yet ripe?  There's resistance, and it takes some effort or struggle. Now imagine picking the same fruit when it's ripe.  It practically falls into your hand. 

This is what weaning was like for me.  Nursing just faded out, without protest or struggle.  At some point I suggested that we nurse every other bedtime, instead of at each bedtime.  That lasted for about a week, and then I guess he forgot about it, and there we were, done.  He didn't notice that we'd stopped until I pointed it out to him a few weeks later.

Later, I found this quote from Dr. Sears' Baby Book:

In ancient writings, the word 'wean' meant 'to ripen" -- like a fruit nourished to readiness, it's time to leave the vine....Weaning was a joyous occasion because a weaned child was valued as a fulfilled child; a child was so filled with the basic tools of the earlier stages of development that she graduated to take on the next stage of development more independently.  - The Baby Book, Sears and Sears.

It was like this with other things like sleep and potty training.  We trusted that he would know when the time was right.  And when we sensed it was, we gave him a tiny push in the right direction, and that was it. 

This is not to say that there wasn't suffering involved, especially with regard to sleep.  I was ready to be done with nursing before he was, but kept going until I felt he was ready.  And there can certainly be a feeling of buyer's remorse if you do it this way.  But in the end I think that the sacrifices were worth it, and I'd do it all again the same way.

Last year our preschool director sent us a newsletter with a quote I think about a lot.  It said, that newborn babies are faced with the two major tasks of childhood:  to establish connections with others, and to become independent individuals.  It also said that most of us, sometimes unconcsiously, emphasize one over the other.  For us, it has been a conscious decision to emphasize connection and to gently push our son toward independence.  Weaning was one of the best examples of this.

Check out these posts by bloggers participating in this month's carnival (updated throughout the day):

• How to be a Badass Dad - The Breastfeeding Father
• Leche Baby! - Weaning a Toddler
• Mama Knows Breast - One Mom's Story of Breastfeeding Challenges
• Breastfeeding Mums - Beginnings and Endings
• Adventures of Pip and Squeak - A Complicated Relationship
• Nature Moms - Mama Knows Breast
• Crunchy Domestic Goddess - Inauspicious Breastfeeding Beginnings
• Tales of Life with a Girl on the Go - Breastfeeding Beginnings
• Breastfeeding 1-2-3 - Weaning during Pregnancy

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The 12th Carnival of Breastfeeding: A book for everyone on your list.

Welcome to the twelfth Carnival of Breastfeeding! This month, in time for the holidays, we're bringing you reviews of breastfeeding/parenting books and videos.

If you're in the market for other breastfeeding products, check out past posts on best gifts for nursing moms, and breastfeeding gifts you'd bring to a baby shower. 

I started out this post with the intention of writing about one video, but I had too hard a time narrowing it down.  So here is my shopping list for many of the moms on your list.  Be sure to check out the posts from other bloggers below (updated throughout the day)!

For the pregnant mom:  In the past I've recommended The Nursing Mother's Companion, and I still love it, but there is a new edition of Dr. Jack Newman's The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers, and I'm a big fan.  Both books are comprehensive.  The Nursing Mother's Companion is better organized for quick reference, but Jack Newman's book has more interesting editorial content.  For the mom who wants her breastfeeding information with a dose of humor, check out Andi Silverman's Mama Knows Breast, which I just reviewed. 

For the working/pumping mom:  No surprise here that I love The Milk Memos, by Cate Colburn Smith and Andrea Serrette.  You can see my review here.  This book is a wonderful mixture of practical advice and personal accounts of working and pumping.  Psst...look for a podcast and give away related to this book soon. 

For the stay-at-home mom:  For the mom who gets asked "what do you do all day?" or "when are you going back to work?" I'd recommend What Mothers Do, Especially when it Looks like Nothing by Naomi Stadlen.

For the crunchy breastfeeding mom:  The Nursing Mother's Herbal, by Sheila Humphrey, is an excellent guide to herbs and breastfeeding.  It includes information on herbs for low milk supply, thrush, and a whole host of other breastfeeding problems.  It also discusses great home remedies for different breastfeeding problems, and gives a nice overview of complementary and alternative therapies.

For kids:  Mama's Milk, by Michael Elsohn Ross, is a wonderful and simple picture book which shows different mammals, including humans, nursing their young.  You can read my review here.  It looks like a Spanish version is due out soon.  I'm still hoping for a board book version.

For the La Leche League Leader:  La Leche League celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, and to commemorate the event the organization published The Revolutionaries Wore Pearls.  This book chronicles the history of LLL and its founders, and is presented like a scrapbook, with newspaper clippings and family pictures.  It's fun reading that makes you grateful to be parenting today.  I'll post a more detailed review soon.

For the lactation consultant:  There is a new DVD out which I think will revolutionize the world of breastfeeding:  Baby-Led Breastfeeding, by Dr. Christina Smillie and Kittie Frantz.  It shows baby after baby sliding down the mother's chest and self attaching.  Many of the babies filmed have had significant latch problems.  I'd love to be able to post a clip.  Another new publication which your lactation consultant would love is Supporting Sucking Skills in Breastfeeding Infants.  I just got my copy and so far it's great.

Finally, for your snarky mom friend:  Hatched: The Big Push from Pregnancy to Motherhood, is one of the funniest books I've seen in a long time.  It features little posed fake chicks with hilarious captions.  One picture shows a playground scene, with two groups of moms.  The caption says, "Ramona felt like it was high school all over again.  The cool moms, a.k.a. the Breast-Feeders, staked out their territory near the swings.  The outcasts, a.k.a. the Similac Sisters, were relegated to the sandbox."  Everyone gets skewered here, so it's a gift for a friend with a good sense of humor.  And be sure that the gift recipient is a parent - no one else could fully understand.

Check out these posts from other carnival contributors (updated through the day):

• The International Breastfeeding Symbol Blog reviews The Baby Book and Unconditional Parenting
• Hobo Mama reviews Our Babies, Ourselves (one of my favorites!)
• Mama Knows Breast reviews bOObs: A Guide to Your Girls
• Breastfeeding Mums reviews many books, including The Breastfeeding Cafe
• On School Street reviews Blindsided by a Diaper: 30 Men and Women Reveal How Parenthood Changes a Relationship
• Tales of Life with a Girl on the Go reviews the children's book The Best Gifts
• James and the Giant Moose reviews Having Faith
• The True Face of Birth reviews Mama Knows Breast
• Breastfeeding 1-2-3 reviews Baby Matters: What your Doctor May Not Tell you about Caring for your Baby
• Crunchy Domestic Goddess reviews the video What Babies Want

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The October Carnival of Breastfeeding: This I Believe.

Welcome to the eleventh Carnival of Breastfeeding.  This month we've all searched our souls and written "This I Believe" essays.  Be sure to check out the other carnival entries at the bottom of this post (updated throughout the day)!

I believe in instinct.

When I was pregnant my husband and I took a childbirth class.  One of the expectant fathers in the class worked in a primate lab at the local university.  He said that whenever a monkey was pregnant the staff would try to observe the monkey giving birth.  But they never did.  The monkey would wait until late at night, when no human was present, to birth to her baby.

I remember thinking that this was an interesting piece of trivia, but that it certainly had nothing to do with me.  When I contemplated motherhood, instinct didn't factor into the equation at all.  After all, I had a brain that could figure complicated things out.  I had a college degree.  I had the Internet!  And my body generally did what my mind told it to do.

But from the moment my son entered the world I came to understand that we are mammals.  Sophisticated mammals, but mammals nonetheless. 

A few months ago I attended a talk given by Dr. Nils Bergman, who pioneered the concept of "kangaroo care."  He showed a series of pictures, side by side, of a human newborn and a newborn puppy.  Both human and dog rooted, smelled, and kicked their way over to find the breast. 

Such examples are endless.  Simply holding a babies skin-to-skin regulates their oxygen levels, heart rate, temperature, and blood sugars.  Most mothers, across cultures, touch their newborn babies for the first time in the same order (fingers, palms, arms and legs, trunk).  Our chests actually heat up when our babies are placed on us, presumably to keep them warm. 

Meredith Small, in one of my favorite books, Our Babies, Ourselves, writes "...Scientific and medical advisors, counselors, and researchers seem to miss the fact that culture, in the form of the medical establishment, has intervened in human biology.  For millions of years the human female animal gave birth and held that baby to her chest.  She carried the baby close and helped it find the nipple....In all cultures except Western culture, the process is the same today."

A few years ago I gave a talk about breastfeeding to a class of undergraduate nutrition students.  One of them asked me "What technological advances have been made in breastfeeding recently?"  The question caught me off guard, but it's a wonderful illustration our culture's hierarchy:  nature is nice, but technology is the real deal.  Of course, there is no question technology has saved countless mothers and babies.  But when nature designs a system, and equips us with instincts to use it, I believe that we should pay attention. 

What the monkeys in the primate lab know, which I think too many of us have forgotten, is that instinct - such as the instinct to feel safe when birthing - matters.  These bits of hard-wiring may seem quaint, outdated, or even dangerous to some, but they are nature's technology, and they too have protected our babies and ourselves for thousands of years. 

I believe that we have instincts, and we ignore them at our peril.   

Be sure to check out the posts from these great bloggers (updated throughout the day):

• Half Pint Pixie:  "I believe that breastfeeding is natural but not always easy."
• Breastfeeding Mums:  "I have a dream...a dream that involves breastfeeding."
• Breastfeeding 1-2-3:  "I believe in gentle discipline."
• The Lactivist:  "I believe that the things most worth doing in life are hard."
• Such Great Heights:  "I believe that you don't have to be a breastfeeding mother to support breastfeeding."
• Musings of a Crunchy Domestic Goddess:  "I believe in attachment parenting - or parenting by instinct."

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