[ozmidwifery] Breastfeeding and infant sleep patterns

[Graham & Helen]

Dear ANJ Editor   I am writing to say how disappointed/disillusioned I am that the ANJ (March 2003) has reported on a research project which gives legitimacy to the idea that we should be working towards increasing the number of very young infants who sleep through the night.  It is these sorts of articles which add to the confusion by mothers and midwives when trying to encourage and promote demand breastfeeding in our society.     The notion that giving 1 week old babies more than 11 feeds per 24 hours could be classed as a "risk factor" requiring behaviour modification programming is appalling and couterproductive to the child's well being at a time when breastfeeding is still at the establishment phase!    Helen Cahill BN RM