>Physicians promote vaccinations for infants
>and let smoking patients know they should quit. However,
>while human milk is appreciated as optimal nutrition by
>virtually everyone, promoting breastfeeding makes many
>providers uncomfortable. I think this is NOT because they
>fear "causing guilt" -- since I've never met a provider who
>worried about making me feel guilty when they bring up why I
>should lose weight! I think it stems from a lack of conviction
>of the hazards of artificial feeding. If providers <truly> believed
>>that breastmilk is important, they would find ways to solve
>the problems they discover -- instead of suggesting formula
>at the first hint of a problem.

>Margery Wilson, IBCLC


Margery I read this a week after an incident I had with my partner. She is
a female g.p. who I had presumed was strongly promoting breast feeding with
her pregnant patients. I asked her whether I could put up a little sticker
on the window in our clinic saying we were a breastfeeding friendly place
and she asked why? When I explained my reasons she said she did not like
advertising for either side of the breast/formula debate nor did she want
to make people feel quilty if they chose not to breast feed. This is a lady
who will harange anyone who smokes or is overweight or is not exercising
and try her best to make them feel guilty if they don't follow her advice.

We give out info packages for moms during their pregnancy and I wanted to
put in a sheet on all the advantages for mom and babe of breastfeeding.
Both partners refused so I add them to the package myself for all my moms.
I also now tellthem about the phylate problem in Europe to give them some
ideas that formula may not be as safe as all presume. I don't know that
they would even if they knew about this as they wouldn't want to "scare"
moms not keen on breastfeeding.

I swear I do not understand this attitude. Why is this an issue that we are
not supposed to give people *all* the info they need to make a good
decision. In any other area in medicine we give them *all* the info and if
they make a "bad" decision by our standards so be it. Is it the hangup
about breasts as sexual things?

There is so much to do to change doctors attitudes as well as society's. I
think we should be pushing to educate medical students so at least the new
M.D.s will be better educated and pushier about this.

(I graduated in 1979 and during four years of medical school then one year
as an intern and two years of family medicine I had never seen anyone
breast feed! Pretty sad eh? I think it may be a little bit better than that
now.)

Karen Cunningham M.D. C.C.F.P.
London Ontario Canada
Email : [log in to unmask]
(My husbands address)