I thought that I should add to my earlier post on the most unfortunate experience in which Karen's niece/nephew was provided artificial baby milk without consent.

When I was working in that resistant unit that I have written about several times, a mother who had attended my breastfeeding class prior to giving birth became enraged when she discovered that her infant had been fed artificial baby milk without her consent. This had been a fairly common occurrence in this unit. However, as parents  became more knowledgeable (teach them the truth!!!) they demanded different treatment. 

This mother complained to a wonderful nurse had began to own the issue of breastfeeding and client rights (again teach the health care team the truth!!!!).  This brave nurse (yes, it meant risking her career in this institution) then asked mom to make a complaint in writing (we had created a form). My colleague then photocopied the complaint and sent it to the administration together with an article from the College of Nurses that stated something to the effect that artificial feeding without client consent was a violation of the code of ethics. 

This made waves and changed the way that the administration and subsequently, most of the nurses behaved in this regard. No, this was not because they begun to see breastfeeding and client rights in a new light. In fact, many in this group chose to disregard truthful and accurate information. Instead, the message to this group reached them at a level that had meaning for them. The administrators wanted to "look good" and negative publicity such as this, was uncomfortable. The nurses on the other hand, were worried about loosing their jobs and therefore, they complied with the new orders. 

This event suggests that creating a safe environment, that guards against unnecessary and harmful supplementation,  requires a combination of several tactics including teaching the truth at all levels and making messages meaningful for those who choose to look the other way in the face of accurate information. 

Keren Epstein-Gilboa MEd BScNRN FACCE LCCE IBCLC 
PhD (Candidate) 

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