I know that this collective group has a few people who really know how to
respond to negative situations in a professional manner.

One of my Canadian collegues received a letter from a patient who was not
successful in breastfeeding her baby. The tone of the letter sounds as if it
was written by her husband. I will write some of the excerpts.

"Our child was born in a local hospital from which we left 3 days later
without being able to latch the baby after the milk came in. Being informed
parents who were committed to breastfeeding, we immediately went to a see a
local lactation consultant, where I was taught to finger feed my son. After
renting an expensive electric pump because the Consultant said that the
difficulty latching was probably due to engorgement and after this subsided
with , pumping and use of cabbage leaves he would probably be nursing soon..


Over the next two weeks we visited several other consultants and my son was
consistently unable to latch inspite of strenuous efforts of the
consultants, myself and my husband. Our days and nights were spent
attempting to establish  a latch, occasionally getting it but most often
not, pumping and finger feeding. We were taught to grab our son by the back
of the head and push him onto my breast. {I have watched this colleague in
action and this is not her practice.}I departed from each consultant with my
little written plan in hand feeling more and more dejected and like a failed
mother. After all , breast is best.

My son was continuing to lose weight. The consultants couldn't explain why
he would not latch on but felt that any day now it would click in.. One
consultant labeled him a :vigorous objector" suggesting that his personality
was getting in the way, that he was simply not breasting feeding because he
was difficult. After two weeks, I stopped pumping and tube feeding and began
formula feeding, still feeling like a failure, until I noticed that my son
began to thrive immediately.

Some answers arrived at the first visit to my family doctor after 10 days of
birth. ( usual suggestion is to see family Doc. in 3 days :my insert) He
felt that my son may have a receding jaw, which would make latching on
nearly impossible. We later were referred to a pediatrician over another
matter who diagnosed him with subperiosteal hematomas, or bruises beneath
the layer of tissue covering the bone which were caused by his short but
intense labour and delivery. (mother had a spinal). This is not an uncommon
condition among first born infants and physically fit mothers. It turns out
that my son experienced an excruciating headache every time we pushed him
towards the breast. Now he is a healthy boy who has not been sick for a day
, and has lightly rounded head as a souvenir of his ordeal. This condition
could have been diagnosed at the onset of his feeding difficulties. ( this
is such a common occurrence that I don't think these colleagues would have
missed it or not mentioned that this could cause a headache and also see
lots of babies that take longer to latch)

I realize that your lactation consultants are not doctors, but they are the
front line experts in the area of breastfeeding newborns.Why did these
extremely experienced consultants fail to suspect an anatomical problem,
assuming it a behavioural or social one instead? None of them even suggested
that I see my doctor. (It is assumed here that the family doctor is seen
within the first week. this is taught in the hospital setting and at
prenatal classes). I feel that I was extremely poorly served by these
consultants and their lack op knowledge. All that I gained from them was a
profound lack of sleep, an $80 pump rental bill, undue stress and deep guilt
feeling that were reinforced by the propaganda posters in their consulting
rooms whose subtext clearly states that breastfeeding is best and that to do
otherwise is negligent parenting. (what common posters ever say anything
about negligent parenting?) The wall space would be better utilized with
more pediatric literature for their benefit. ( probably sent by the formula
company).


Anything written in brackets is my own statement, not part of the letter.
Any ideas as to how to respond to this letter would be greatly appreciated.

Attie Sandink RN. IBCLC.

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