You said:

>Up here in enlightened No. Cal., at Kaiser Hospital in San Francisco>


I just had to let you know that I was a pediatric resident at Kaiser SF from
1989-1992 (before the new birthing area was completed).  Even before the new
physical plant was built, the pediatricians and obs worked hard to promote
and support breastfeeding for all babies from preemies to the normal newborn.
 The FAMCAP program (utilizing nurse practictioners to home visit mom and
baby) has been in place for many years.  One could do an "early discharge"
knowing that mom and baby would be visited daily over several days (BTW there
were very strict criteria for "early dc" during my tenure there- parents had
to have a stable support system set up).

This experience along with my experiences in Medical School motivated me to
support breastfeeding families as much as possible.  While I was in Med
School at the University of Chicago-Pritzker (home of Dr L Gartner)
from1978-1983, I was granted a one year predoctoral fellowship in nutrition
to study infant feeding patterns in an adolescent mother population
(1980-81).  I fondly remember following one of the neonatalogy attendings
around (the late Dr Diana Woo).  Diana had a newborn at the time that she
would take by papoose on rounds and breastfeed in front of the parents!  Very
powerful message!

Now that I am a breastfeeding pediatrician I bring Joshua Mandela everywhere
and breastfeed almost everywhere (I'm not back to work yet-trying to stay on
leave for four months-max I can afford as a single mom without Josh's dad's
help).  My latest "fete" was breastfeeding standing up and walking with him
in a sling at Costco (a warehouse store).  He was screaming, my friend Aurora
said--"feed him now!"  I did and we had a peaceful rest of shopping-Josh was
very comfortably and discretely breast fed.

Breast Milk Rules!

Pierrette Mimi Poinsett MD FAAP
Modesto CA