Biological Nurturing
Many say that breastfeeding is natural yet most health professionals teach mothers to practise responsive, baby-led feeding using a set of predetermined, latching instructions. This book describes a new, proactive, mother-led approach called biological nurturing. Biological nurturing research highlights that, under certain conditions, mothers have an inborn breastfeeding capacity aiding them to nourish and nurture their babies. However, tapping into this instinctual heritage is diametrically opposed to the thinking involved in a skills-teaching approach.
Biological nurturing is quick and easy to do. Maternal comfort is a priority and the laid-back breastfeeding postures optimise baby gazing and eye-to-eye contact. Spontaneity and reciprocity are the watchwords and once comfortable, most mothers and babies discover what works through the hit and miss of the experience.
The challenge for health professionals lies with promoting an oxytocin-friendly environment, understanding breastfeeding releasing mechanisms, and learning when not to intervene. This book restores confidence in nature’s biological design and in mothers’ innate capacity to breastfeed.
2nd revised and updated edition.
Dr. Suzanne Colson is a midwife and a nurse. Her thesis introduced a new breastfeeding paradigm called biological nurturing and won the prestigious English Royal College of Nursing Inaugural Akinsanya Award for originality and scholarship in doctoral studies. Suzanne is an Ankinsanya scholar 2007 and a visiting principal research fellow at Canterbury Christ Church University. She is an honorary member and a founding mother/leader of La Leche League France. She is also on the professional advisory board of La Leche League of Great Britain.
She lives in Canterbury, England.