A family member gave me some baby books from when her DD was little, and I found a booklet that was printed by her ped's office stuck in one of them. Now, this was from around 1996, so I'm hoping that it's just outdated advice, but a lot of it was either misleading or just plain bad.
-In regards to newborn weight loss of up to 10%: "No feeding for the first twelve hours and water only for the next twelve will account for some of this loss." Was it really standard practice at the time to not feed a newborn for 12 hours, and then give only water for another 12?
This is the first time feeding is mentioned, so it sounds like it....anyone know? What on earth would the reasoning be behind that?
-In the feeding section, there is no discussion about BFing vs FF, no recommendation to BF if possible, nothing about the benefits of BFing. There are a couple of generic paragraphs where neither method is specified, and then there's a section on how to FF and one on how to BF. FF is discussed first and sounds fairly straightforward and simple. The BFing section does have *some* decent info, but it also implies that there is only one correct way to nurse (holding baby a certain way, squeezing your nipple with certain fingers, having to stroke baby's cheek to get him to open his mouth and turn towards you, always nursing on both sides) and makes it sound kinda complicated. At one point, it does say to nurse the baby "frequently," and later says that it is "not unusual" for a baby to nurse 10 times a day at first, but the wording makes it sound like any more than that would be. The next part is more concerning:
"You may nurse the baby on EACH breast for:
3-5 minutes the first day
5-10 minutes the second day
10-15 minutes the third day
...The baby gets 90% of your milk in the first five minutes of sucking, and if allowed on the breast too long, your nipples may crack and bleed."
I could go on for a while on this one, but suffice it to say that those time recommendations would not have worked at all for my kids, especially if they weren't supposed to eat more than 10 times a day.
This is of course assuming that I wasn't already scared off by the promise of cracked and bleeding nipples. 
-In another section, under the heading "Can a baby really get too much milk?" it says: "Yes, a baby really can get too much milk...that can result in irritability, vomiting, diarrhea, and eventually a fat baby." It is not specified anywhere whether they are talking about breastmilk, formula, or both.
-Under "How do I know when the baby is hungry?" the answer is: "If it's been awhile since the last feeding and baby starts yelling, it's a pretty good assumption that baby wants to eat." No mention of rooting, hands in mouth, or the fact that crying is a late indicator of hunger. On the plus side, it does at least say that a "demand schedule" is better than a "clock schedule."
Ugh, I hate how much bad advice there is out there about BFing!
-In regards to newborn weight loss of up to 10%: "No feeding for the first twelve hours and water only for the next twelve will account for some of this loss." Was it really standard practice at the time to not feed a newborn for 12 hours, and then give only water for another 12?
This is the first time feeding is mentioned, so it sounds like it....anyone know? What on earth would the reasoning be behind that?-In the feeding section, there is no discussion about BFing vs FF, no recommendation to BF if possible, nothing about the benefits of BFing. There are a couple of generic paragraphs where neither method is specified, and then there's a section on how to FF and one on how to BF. FF is discussed first and sounds fairly straightforward and simple. The BFing section does have *some* decent info, but it also implies that there is only one correct way to nurse (holding baby a certain way, squeezing your nipple with certain fingers, having to stroke baby's cheek to get him to open his mouth and turn towards you, always nursing on both sides) and makes it sound kinda complicated. At one point, it does say to nurse the baby "frequently," and later says that it is "not unusual" for a baby to nurse 10 times a day at first, but the wording makes it sound like any more than that would be. The next part is more concerning:
"You may nurse the baby on EACH breast for:
3-5 minutes the first day
5-10 minutes the second day
10-15 minutes the third day
...The baby gets 90% of your milk in the first five minutes of sucking, and if allowed on the breast too long, your nipples may crack and bleed."
I could go on for a while on this one, but suffice it to say that those time recommendations would not have worked at all for my kids, especially if they weren't supposed to eat more than 10 times a day.
This is of course assuming that I wasn't already scared off by the promise of cracked and bleeding nipples. -In another section, under the heading "Can a baby really get too much milk?" it says: "Yes, a baby really can get too much milk...that can result in irritability, vomiting, diarrhea, and eventually a fat baby." It is not specified anywhere whether they are talking about breastmilk, formula, or both.
-Under "How do I know when the baby is hungry?" the answer is: "If it's been awhile since the last feeding and baby starts yelling, it's a pretty good assumption that baby wants to eat." No mention of rooting, hands in mouth, or the fact that crying is a late indicator of hunger. On the plus side, it does at least say that a "demand schedule" is better than a "clock schedule."
Ugh, I hate how much bad advice there is out there about BFing!
. I think 4 hours was the recommendation at the time.
