| During a feed there may be several intervals where the baby sucks, waits, drinks, and sucks and waits again. This is the way that the breast reacts to and produces what the baby needs in each feed. People have a tendency to worry about the fact that the baby does not feed at the same rate throughout a feed and that sometimes it stops and looks around (perhaps while waiting for the let down). Babies do not have the same urgency or fears that they will be underfed if they don’t take their milk in a certain time. There is all the time in the world and that is the way it is supposed to work. Again the comparison with bottle feeding is unfortunate. The person holding the bottle is in control, not the baby. While the bottle is tipped up the baby has to swallow or choke. If the person with the bottle is responsive to the baby, they will find that the baby likes to stop for little breaks in its feed too. When a calf feeds from its mother the same process of asking and waiting exists. The young being responsible for the type and amount of milk they take. | |
