
Watch the baby - not the clock
My clients are often told by well-meaning pediatricians, nurses, midwives, friends, mothers-in-law, and even sometimes IBCLCs or other lactation professionals, “Nurse the baby on each side for X minutes”. This starts the mother off on (potentially) the wrong path and a skewed vision to have about her new breastfeeding relationship.
What does this magical number of minutes mean? Does it mean the baby transfers an appropriate amount of milk? Does it mean that any nursing