I do believe in giving everybody pats on the back for the things they do well, or beyond expectation, doctors included.  And we all know at least one enlightened doctor -- I hope.  (Some of my best friends. . .)  But I thought we were sharing "stupid reasons for weaning," as opposed to doctor bashing.   Doctors and dentists being at the upper end of the chain of command in telling new moms what to do for this, that, or the other thing, it is inevitable that most of the statements that we cite are going to be from them.

It will not help, as many have pointed out, to make these practitioners feel stupid with witty (and catty) comebacks.  But it is part of our job to take these practitioners in hand and bring their education current.  Fortunately, I work in a hospital that has residents in all units, and we have a rich field in which to teach.  Fortunately, also, most of our residents (and attendings) are willing to listen and learn, when we bring up the research.

A good story to share -- a pediatric resident from another hospital was doing a two week rotation in our NICU.  He was told to come to Perinatal to write supplementation orders for small twins, who were losing a lot of weight and still not feeding well.  He came to Perinatal, all right, and the first thing he did was asked for our LC to work out the most appropriate supplementation schedule possible.   Ta-da!!  One resident who values the teaching we can provide.

Chanita, San Francisco