Oy, what a day I had today. I'm just venting so if you want to skip this go
ahead. Today I was talking to one of my postpartum nurse co-workers about
formula company "bribes". I was trying to discourage her from taking one of
the "coffee mugs" with the formula logo that the rep dropped off. She just
didn't get it. Then our chief perinatologist interrupted us with a
"couldn't help but overhear you..." and blasted me with "how could one nurse
drinking from a mug make a difference", "----- is a good nurse", "you
underestimate the intelligence of our patients -- they know a nurse drinking
from a (formula company) coffee mug means nothing", "women need to be given
the choice about breastfeeding or bottlefeeding AND NOT BE MADE TO FEEL
GUILTY IF THEY CHOOSE BOTTLEFEEDING", etc., etc., etc., You all know how it
goes. Then she got beeped and took off. I wanted to scream!!!! WHAT
CHOICE do these women have when the nurses tell them - - "you don't have
enough milk, that's why your baby is crying", "why don't you give a little
formula" (and why not choose X brand since we got coffee mugs this week),
"you're too sore to nurse, give a bottle", "you better give a bottle if you
want your baby to take a bottle when you're at work", "here's a pacifier",
"your baby is just not satisfied". I have lost count of the hundreds of
mothers I have seen who were ready to give up breastfeeding over a simple
lack of knowledge that no one took the time to correct or for that matter,
to learn how to correct. I'm so sick of being looked at as a fanatic
because I choose to teach my patients about the best source of nutrition for
their baby.
Then, to top it off, I find out that our new mother/baby follow-up
clinic is decorated with formula company paraphenalia (posters/clocks,etc.).
When patients walk in, the first thing they see is a table with the sign up
sheets for the formula company club. The program coordinator of the clinic
calls herself a lactation consultant!
Thanks for listening - Donna Zitzelberger RN BSN IBCLC
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