arguments about feeding

In ,
Joshua Levy wrote:

*"Circe" wrote in message news:_PXSa.14436$u51.12043@fed1read05...
* Joshua Levy wrote:
* I vote for (c): Buy or borrow the book THE BABY WHISPERER by Hogg,
* and use it's advice to understand your baby better. Your answer
* (a) is obviously wrong buy it shows the underlying problem you need
* to fix. You should feed the baby whenever the baby is hungry (NOT
* whenever the baby cries!) Babies cry for many reasons. If you feed
* the baby every time she cries, you will feed him when he is bored,
* gassy, hungry, sleepy, etc.
*
* Except that babies don't eat if they are not hungry and babies who have a
* problem *other* than being hungry won't be pacified by being fed.
*
*This is well known not to be true. Babies have a suck reflex.
*If you get the teat in the right place, the baby will suck.

I agree that a baby will suck reflexively if something is put into its
mouth. That is different from a baby eating when it isn't hungry, though.
I have breastfed two infants for a total of 22 months so far. In my
experience, if I put my nipple in my non-hungry newborn's mouth, the baby
will suck on it shallowly until I take it out, at which time baby may or
may not cry to have it put back in. If I put my nipple in my hungry
newborn's mouth, the baby will give a couple of short sucks, and then
start to SUCKLE deeply in a far, far different pattern. Milk will start to
ooze out the corner of baby's mouth. It's a totally, TOTALLY different
thing, eating, from just simple sucking. So, offering the breast does not
necessarily teach the baby that food is the answer. If the baby doesn't
want food, the baby won't take food.


--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large

Hillary Israeli wrote:
I agree that a baby will suck reflexively if something is put into its
mouth. That is different from a baby eating when it isn't hungry, though.
I have breastfed two infants for a total of 22 months so far.
This is my experience too, though I have breastfed two infants for a
total of 7.5 months now grin - Hillary knows I have twins!

In my
experience, if I put my nipple in my non-hungry newborn's mouth, the baby
will suck on it shallowly until I take it out, at which time baby may or
may not cry to have it put back in. If I put my nipple in my hungry
newborn's mouth, the baby will give a couple of short sucks, and then
start to SUCKLE deeply in a far, far different pattern. Milk will start to
ooze out the corner of baby's mouth. It's a totally, TOTALLY different
thing, eating, from just simple sucking. So, offering the breast does not
necessarily teach the baby that food is the answer. If the baby doesn't
want food, the baby won't take food.

Yes, as usual, you're on the money, Hill.
:-)
barbara