Personality on tap

Lisa Sanders was anxious when her infant son tended to vomit after she breastfed him.

"Little did I know it was his 'mannish' eating habits," says the mother of two. "He still gobbles everything."

By contrast, his older sister was a steady, more focused nurser, and this difference in styles shows in their personalities today, Sanders says.

Nursing patterns are as individual as babies themselves-and part of the way parents come to know more about their child, says lactation consultant Vicki Nizin.

Tina Pavich's first daughter "was like a turtle. She savored every morsel."

Baby number two was "no stops, just gulp, gulp, gulp like clockwork every four hours, whether I was ready to nurse her or not."

Daughter number three was a "suck and stopper." After a few sips, she would happily look around, then she would latch back on when she was ready.

Some newborns "snack" on smaller amounts in this way, says Nizin, taking in just enough to satisfy their appetite and waking and nursing more frequently.

A child's nature often shows in her nursing patterns. "Alyssa, the dainty eater, is today a very girly girl, petite and sensitive," Pavich describes. Andra, the guzzler, tackles life head on, full of life and energy. Alivia, the take-it-or-leave-it eater, still does things at her own pace today.

"I naively expected both of my children to nurse the same way," says Angie Best-Boss. For her oldest, "nursing was about sustenance and nothing more. She nursed only to get full as quickly as she could so she could go play."

For her younger daughter, nursing means comfort. "She refuses bottles, even of expressed milk, and all forms of baby food. She likes to nurse when she's tired or upset, and I am the human pacifier."

Young, sleepy infants sometimes worry their mothers, who may also feel anxious about breastfeeding as they struggle to become accustomed to it, says Nizin. But they should know that nursing behaviors grow and change rapidly at different stages of development, just as their babies do.

For the first few weeks of life, some babies may need a bit of help to stay awake long enough to empty both breasts, Nizin says. Lactation consultants often recommend massage or a similar tactic to accomplish this, and a diaper change between feedings at each breast can help.

By three months, many babies are nursing every time their eyes pop open, and growing much more active at the breast, says Nizin. With their increased awareness, they may also pull off the breast with every noise.

While younger infants tend to focus more on getting the satisfaction and nourishment of what the breast provides, older children are more apt to blend this with social interaction.

"Both of my kids liked to caress my face as they nursed," says Sanders.

Sometimes, breastfeeding babies become too distracted by their surroundings to nurse properly, notes Nizin. To remedy the situation, mothers may need to find a quiet place to help nursing babies settle in.

At every age and stage, babies often seek comfort nursing-the nurturance of warmth, cuddling, and suckling-and they may need more solitude to do it.

As mothers get to know their babies, children's nursing patterns will make more sense, Nizin says. "They should feel confident that experience-and the individuality of their nursing baby-are their best teachers."