Analogies for explaining "FIL", please, anyone?

[organiccarrotcake]

Struggling with this one - can any one give me any ideas?

Everything I think of (eg reservoirs, canals) work by releasing when full rather than inhibiting filling!

Cheers :)

Module 1?

Supermarket shelves?

Car park?

Yep. You done it? Where are you up to?

Pathetic really. I know this, I'm just too knackered to think. And I'm months behind - should be way further on than I am.

[frustrated at self being crap emoticon]

Thanks, I will think those through! I like the supermarket shelf one. Did you use that? If so I'll need to amend it somehow.

Bugger it, I've done the supermarket one. Thanks MBJ. I like it and will use that myself, so I may as well use it in the module.

Yup, I used it.

I'm on module 2 but am way behind. It is due in on the 15th and I haven't yet started. (But I'm using having had a new baby 6 weeks ago as my excuse )

Excuses, excuses.

I'm trying to get as much done before mine in May. Have been delayed with serious illness in the home (not me) but now trying to crack on.

Would help is a small boy stopped trying to "help" by randomly typing on my keyboard.

What books have you found most useful? I'm loving "?Breastfeeding and Human Lactation? ? Jan Riordon and Karen Wambach" which is VV expensive (£33 I think) but absolutely brilliant. It's not on the list, I just picked it up at the UNICEF conference. Have you got "The Breastfeeding Answer Book"? I keep going to buy a copy then being put off by the price and I don't know whether it's got more in it than the above book.

I've obviously got the usual stuff - you know - POB, Womanly, Food of Love etc but it's the text books I'm looking at. I have several text books on BF in the NICU type thing as it's my particular area of interest. Would appreciate any recommendations.

Bf answer book is great but I tend to look at lot at the articles they reference on line. I would love one of the it text books (but can't afford one )

Supporting sucking skills is great but very specific. Keep looking at Bf and human lactation on line. And wishing...

Saw this and couldn't work out what father in law has to do with bfing

Does a tap filling up a bath work with the analogy? As bath fills up, tap has to turned to slow?

@ crikey. Not thought of that!!!

Tap - bath - it's an option but it just doesn't quite work and I can't put my finger on why.

MBJ Can you see if your local NCT branch has any in its library (or, indeed, your library!). If the NCT doesn't, but if there's a BFC trainee, they may be able to fundraise to add them to the library?

Thanks for the suggestions BTW, sorry! :)

Does the BF Answer book have more boobie geek stuff in than, say, Womanly? Meaning, is it an actual textbook or more of a mother support book?

I've not even been able to browse a copy.

I'm guessing you're training as a BFC, which I would love to do one day!

Lots of biological mechanisms (sweating, white blood count) work on the same principle but that's not a great analogy.

Gas under pressure? Except there the molecules spread out rather than more being produced.

Rain from a cloud?

fraktious yep :)

Problem with those analogies is that when the pressure builds up, things explode (or are at least released) rather than th input being inhibited. I don't want mums to think their boobs will explode and .

Thank you all. I've used the supermarket one and I'm done there. Just the book suggestions if there are any.

You're all fab :)

The more I think only the gas thing works because unlike rain there isn't a saturation point and you don't actually have a biofeedback saying 'body cool, stop now'.

Whereas you can pump gas into a balloon but as the balloon gets fuller less gas can go in until either it springs a leak or is deflated - you reach a natural equilibrium of compaction and then as the gas is removed the molecules can space out again. Except you need something like an airlock to demonstrate equalisation.

OCC, we live in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Will try the library.

Yes Bf answer book is worth it. Much more in depth than womanly art. I think womanly art is an excellent recommendation for peer supporters or mums who want to know more but not really adequate for bfc

stopcock in a loo stopping the cistern overfilling.

Tragic at a toll boothwaiting to come out of the Mersey tunnel.

I know that you already have an answer, but couldn't help thinking about it

"Whereas you can pump gas into a balloon but as the balloon gets fuller less gas can go in until either it springs a leak or is deflate"

Or the balloon goes BANG which probably isn't a image you want with breastfeeding.

What is FIL thouh?

Traffic, not tragic. Damn you autocorrect

LOL soup :)

It's a protein in breastmilk which builds up in the breast as milk is stored, and there's less of it as milk is released (ie fed). The more milk is released, the less there is of the "FIL". The less is released, this more it builds up.

It's short for "Feedback Inhibitor of Lactation" and it's one of the mechanisms by which the breast manages milk production. It's why letting breasts fill up between feeds to have more milk for a feed is counter productive to milk supply, and why the more you feed, the more you make.

And why when cluster feeding you still have milk as your "storage" may be being used up but your body is therefore making milk madly.

And yes, it's also one of the processes that stops milk from just being continually made (from a balloon perspective )

Thanks Norma :)

"it's also one of the processes that stops milk from just being continually made" if there is nowhere for it to go because the milk storage areas are already chokka...

Fast food joint is the one I use as an analogy.

When demand increases - ie the burgers and fries move off the racks behind the counter - production speeds up in the kitchen. When the racks are full the kitchen slows down and production lessens.

Well yes, bang is bad. But an airlock style analogy works. The air rushes from positive to negative quickly at first them slows as equalisation is achieved and no bang in sight

Oh nice one TT.

"bang is bad" Oh yes. PMSL.

(Remembers leaving DS1 for 3 days when he was 3 months old and EBF).

I can stiiiill feel the pain.

Done, printed, binding for post tomorrow.

Thanks for all your input, ladies xxx