Hi all,
I'm in my third year of a BSN program in a large metropolitan area,
at a university of about 25,000 or 30,000 students. In the two
quarters during which I took OB and Ped's, we heard the compulsory
"breastfeeding is best" but were not given any information on how to
advocate for and support breastfeeding mothers.  No information on
latch-on, growth spurts and reassuring the bf mom that the baby is
"getting enough", etc.  We were "taught" by one clinical instructor
(NOT an OB nurse, by the way) that pregnant women need to toughen up
their nipples by rubbing with towels and having husband suck on
nipples, you know the drill.

Of course, our hospital experiences included making sure that we
separated the mom and baby immediately after the birth so that we
students could "practice" doing all our little tests and measurements
on the babies.  When I would try to intervene in this process and
give the baby to mom to hold on her belly right after the birth, was
told by staff nurses not to.  On postpartum floor one mom I took care
of hadn't even seen her baby yet and asked me to find out if baby was
boy or girl (ok, ok, this is extreme example).

My main point is that my university is fairly progressive generally,
but although many faculty in school of nursing bf their babies, we
have no bf advocates;  in fact, several OB instructors had no idea what I
was talking about when I mentioned "baby friendly hospital
initiative."  I finally was so exasperated that I went to dean and
said "how are we going to help the US meet the objectives of Healthy
People 2000 (increase BF initiation rates to 75% and to 50% at 6 mos)
If this BSN program doesn't even talk about breastfeeding at all?!"
Dean rolled eyes at me.

Needless to say, I am exasperated.  No wonder nurses work so hard to
undermine BF; we don't learn enough in our training about how to
help support it.  Thank heavens I have another degree, and that I am
an attachment-style mother, and that I spent many years working in a
women's crisis clinic -- these things will be much more helpful to me
as a nurse than my training.

Also, our maternity education taught that all laboring women need to
be in bed, get IV drips, be NPO, give birth in lithotomy position,
get episiotomy, etc. etc.  Besides the fact that this model is
painfully outdated, just look at who goes to nursing school --
although we have a fairly diverse group, most students are young,
unmarried, childless women.  We have now just taught them that it is
ok to give birth using this inhumane method,"oh, and by the way,
here's your free formula for your baby."

We will not see effective strides in bf trends until we get into the
schools!  IBCLC's, MDs, RNs on board, take my story as a personal
challenge -- RUN RIGHT TO YOUR PHONE AND CALL YOUR LOCAL NURSING
SCHOOL OR MEDICAL SCHOOL AND OFFER TO TEACH A LECTURE ON
BREASTFEEDING!  IF YOU DON'T DO IT, NOBODY WILL!

Sigh...  At least my study group got an updated education re: better
models of childbirth and breastfeeding -- from me!!

Thank you for letting me vent,
Gina Bailey-Herring
nursing student and future lactation consultant
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      Bill Herring and/or Gina Bailey-Herring
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