Dear Lactnetters:
Today my very good friend and BFHI Champion, the Chief of Neonatology at
the biggest tertiary-level gov't Medical Center in southeast Mexico, called
me excitedly to share the fax he had just received from the WHO offices in
Trieste, Italy.
Over the past weeks he has requested my assistance and input on the project
that we both hoped to be part of.....and today we got the exciting news!
We're in!
Our hospital has been accepted as the 5th and last site to be included in a
WHO worldwide KMM (Kangaroo Mother Method) study. The preliminary work
begins YESTERDAY, so to speak, since the WHO people have been getting the
ball rolling since last Feb., but due to lousy mail mixups my friend didn't
get anything on this until late May. Yikes...scramble, hurry, rush, rush.
But we've been accepted, nevertheless.
The 5 locations are in Brazil, Indonesia, Africa, India and ta-ta, Merida,Yuc.Mx
The actual study and data collection will be from Sept.'95-June'96. My
friend will be invited to the final meeting in Italy a year from now.
In order to participate, we need to have between 4-6 beds set aside for the
Kangaroo study group...the total number of babies involved in the study
will be about 100 in the K. group and 100 in the control grop. The mothers
will be residing in the hospital for between 2-3 weeks. The WHO suggestions
mention that the women who do the surveying of the participants are often
best selected from non-medical areas, like pschology or sociology. I may be
involved in the training of the surveyors, and maybe even in training of
the mothers themselves in the KMM. My neonatologist buddy and I laugh at
each other, 'cause neither of us have worked with this method personally
before. Ought to be interesting, to say the least. The blind leading the
lame talking to the deaf who listens to the dumb. Well, you get my gist.
REQUEST: Does anyone out there have any studies on this method that have
been already concluded? Any personal experience from those of you in the
NICUs?
Comments, warnings, suggestions? HELP!
I'll be at ILCA, T-shirt clad, so look me up. (I'm not staying at the
hotel, my parents live about 30-40 min. away)
p.s. I've told this wonderful Dr. all about the Lactnet and he is mind-boggled.
How we teamed up is another story. A year ago a mother mentioned during my
home visit that her ped. had recommended that she call me, but she had
already met me at the Natural Childbirth Center where I have been teaching
classes on BF for decades. I asked the name of the ped, and called him
later that evening, thanking him for recommending me, and wondering if we
had met previously.
He let out a large chuckle over the phone, and said, "Roberta, you came to
our home 15 yrs. ago and helped my wife with BF when our 1st daughter was
born"
Talk about harvesting what you plant 15 yrs. ago. The next day we had
coffee together and he told me about how they were soon to have the UNICEF
BFHI inspection...and would I please get involved with the support groups.
Did I hestitate? No, sirree.
This is just to encourage you all to forge ahead, despite unfair, inhuman
treatment, like Janet received at her conference. From what you have all
told me, I am living in Baby-Friendly heaven down here! Even tho' Merida is
hot as hell! Viva the tropics!
Adios, people.
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