Breastfeeding/hourly nursing

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Expert: - 9/16/2004


Question
I saw an 8 day old baby born at term, 10-3oz.  Mom has been nursing about 45 minutes totally at both breasts, but nursing every hour.  Mom is exhausted.  Baby is already at birth weight, normal stools, and at least 6 wet diapers a day. I suggested that nursing q 2 hours during the day and q3-4 at night would be ideal.  The baby has a good latch.  I suggested that they let the baby fuss and/or try to settle her before they automatically put the baby to breast.  Mom was willing to use a pacifier.  I also suggested pump and supplementing.  This baby being as large as she is has big feeding needs.  Both of us were reluctant to offer formula after nursing times.  How do you handle situations like this?  Mom is sleep deprived!  I also referred her to the local lactation resources.

Thank you.

Answer
Dear Dr. Lo,

It sounds to me as if you have given this mother excellent advice. I have a message in to Dr. Marvin S. Eiger, the pediatrician who was my coauthor on THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING, and if he has any further suggestions for you, I will let you know.

It is wonderful to know that there are caring doctors like you who can really help breastfeeding moms.

Sincerely,

Sally Wendkos Olds

Breastfeeding

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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