My wife went to a lactation consultant yesterday.

[semillama]

our son is having some problems latching on the breast, so our doula recommended this person. Apparently, the actual advice on holding the baby was ok, but then the consultant started doing cranial-sacral massage, and then gave her a bottle of Traumeel - a homeopathic remedy! Because my dear wife is polite, she didn't laugh out loud at the person, but she did look a little wild-eyed when I came to pick her up!

For those of you who are unaware of cranial-sacral massage and why it is woo -

"Craniosacral therapy is one of many terms used to describe a various methods based on fanciful claims that:

* The human brain makes rhythmic movements at a rate of 10 to 14 cycles per minute, a periodicity unrelated to breathing or heart rate.
* Small cranial pulsations can be felt with the fingertips.
* Restriction of movement of the cranial sutures (where the skull bones meet) interfere with the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord) and cause disease.
* Diseases can be diagnosed by detecting aberrations in this rhythm.
* Pain (especially of the jaw joint) and many other ailments can be remedied by pressing on the skull bones. "

(http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/cranial.html)

Oh, and did I mention that she said the reason there was a slight orange tinge to the breast milk was because of beta-carotene??? um, hello, it's called COLUSTRUM...

Three days on this planet and already my son's been fondled by a woo. Needless to say, we're going to the women's center at the hospital for our next consult...

(let me stress here that we had no idea going into the woo consultant that she WAS a woo...)

[Warpy]

1. Well, none of that stuff did any harm, either

unless she was massaging the newborn's skull trying to get the bones to wiggle. That's a very bad idea and she needs to knock it off.

More practical advice might be forthcoming from somebody from the La Leche League or from the hospital.

[uppityperson]

2. Don't let anyone manipulate a newborn's skull.

I had a craniosacral person tell me to plug my ears and I should be able to hear the noise of my cerebrospinal fluid pulsing through my system. I told her that if I hold a seashell to my ear I can hear the sea also.

I had craniosacral done on my once and while I could feel the same moment when it was time to move to a new place as the person doing it did, I didn't feel much had changed. I was told it was probably too subtle for me. We didn't get along very well.

Do you have a la leche league near you? They can be a bit extreme also, but can give some good advice and are another resource.

[Orrex]

8. Oh, for god's sake! You don't hear the sea in a seashell! Do you really believe that?

You're actually hearing the mollusk's cerebrospinal fluid sloshing around.

Duh!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. She's right about the colostrum.

The pigmentation is due to carotenoids.

Colostrum refers to the entire fluid itself.

Not a component of the colostrum, or the color.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/56882x65814h0kju/

[dawgmom]

4. You're better off contacting La Leche League

My best friend was a long time LLL leader. The leaders/consultants are Moms who have all been there, and the advice they give is science and evidence-based. It's free, too. They believe so strongly in the benefits of breastfeeding, they will work tirelessly with your wife to solve the problems she's having. My friend handled everything from a woman who was nursing triplets, to a woman with breast implants who wanted to breastfeed, to a woman who had a severely retarded baby with great difficulty nursing.

LLL does have its share of woos, also, who are members. However, that stuff can be easily ignored. The leaders themselves? Carefully screened and trained, and no woo.

[trotsky]

6. Another vote for LLL.

My wife had terrible difficulties breastfeeding our first one - complicated by him having latching problems. LLL was a great resource and didn't rely on woo.

[Dr. Strange]

10. And another for LaLeche.

My wife found them very useful.

[dropkickpa]

5. Get 'em while they're young!!

LLL is a good source for help. I BF'd Dropkid for 9 months, and she's turned out great, see the picture below!

[semillama]

7. Update:

We went the next day to the hospital's women's center to see a professional lactation consultant and it was 100x better. My wife is also going to the next LL meeting that's nearby.

Still - homeopathy??? My wife did let our doula know that wasn't our style, and we're going to suggest to them that perhaps they should be recommending going to the lactation consultant we used at the hospital - it was cheaper, for one, and more effective, for another.

[trotsky]

9. Great to hear!

Yeah, the teas and whatnot should probably be suggested as an afterthought. "Please go see the lactation consultant at your hospital, or call the local LLL. Oh and while you're doing all that, enjoy this relaxing tea, blah blah blah."

[Evoman]

11. I can't help you. I've never had problems latching on to breasts.