I think it is a new word for controlled crying which changed to controlled comforting to parent directed something as though it is any different. I am quite concerned by the amount of women buying into this parent directed feeding sleeping crap, as though it works- although we all know about Pavlov. I have seen women as an L.C. who have had homebirth and yet have huge expectations that they can do this parent directed feeding even when they are experiencing low supply etc. the idea that a six week old baby should sleep through the night or at least not be fed is unbelievable to me personally and really scary professionally as women increasingly need to use formula to enable this. It also teaches women to distrust themselves as mothers capable of 'mothering' their baby the way they instinctively want to. It seems to becoming quite an acceptable form of parenting here in SA and there is a GP here who actively promotes ( and unfortunately gets lots of media exposure/support - you know the reporter who had sleep deprivation and turned to him for advice formula fed then got her life back or the one who couldn't breatsfeed and her baby starved and cried all the time until he 'saved' her etc etc etc) women's need to sleep for the sake of the family dynamic (husband) and herself as more important than feeding at the breast therefore artificially feeding at night is the best option. he doesn't acknowledge or discuss issues such as the importance of breasftfeeding, support, mothering as instinctual or essential to a woman and her baby. Anyway I could go on and on it is an extreme source of frustration and anger to me, in the end it only deprives women of a good sense of self esteem, parenting style, acceptance of difference in babies as though there really is a way to produce a 'good' baby etc. I must stop! Belinda
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