Thank you, Liz, once again, for your 'voice of reason' ! Holly McSpadden, IBCLC Sent from my iPhone On Jan 28, 2013, at 2:27 PM, "Elizabeth Brooks <[log in to unmask]>" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > I loved the news that Sally reported of a call with WIC [public health] > administrators, and how to offer advice to BFg moms who are using > marijuana. Some states in the USA have now decriminalized marijuana use > (although there are remains-to-be-seen legal issues because the federal > level still considers its use criminal in all states ...). > > Sally wrote, "Basically - The state office told us if we thought mother's > use of > marijuana was causing weight gain issues that we should call the Doctor and if > we thought it was an issue of negligence we should contact CPS." > > Love it love it love it. > > This makes us look at WHAT IS HAPPENING to the mother and baby, instead of > finding some singular physical activity to demonize. Smoking marijuana ... > drinking alcohol in pregnancy/lactation ... co-sleeping ... these are just > a sampling of activities for which mothers have been shamed and villified, > without anyone ever stopping to see how or if it MATTERS. > > Mothers come to lactation with a whole host of good-and-bad > habits/traits/situations. As healthcare providers (HCPs), we should be > offering evidence-based information and support, so the mother can make an > informed decision on her own and her child's healthcare [in consultation > with her primary HCP]. > > So if the IBCLC has a health concern about the baby (i.e. weight gain), the > primary HCP (the pediatrician) needs to be pulled into the loop no matter > *why* weight gain is sluggish. Marijuana use? Poor latch? Insufficient > feeds due to "training" programs of one kind or another? Underlying > illness? Maternal physical anomalies lowering supplies? Then -- > heck yeah -- the primary HCPs for mom and/or baby need to be part of the > discussion! > > What if the baby isn't gaining weight because the mother is smoking > marijuana to the point of incoherence on a daily basis? And not feeding > her baby? Then, a call to Child Protective Services (CPS) is needed because > the mother isn't parenting her child! > > In other words: We can't make blanket statements (and care plans ...) > about marijuana use and BFg any more than we can about beer drinking and > BFg or co-sleeping and BFg. There are saf*er* ways of doing everything > (since no one can guaranty 100% safety ...), and this is what parents need > to know. > > -- > Liz Brooks JD IBCLC FILCA > Wyndmoor, PA, USA > > *********************************************** > > Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html > To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] > Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] > COMMANDS: > 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail > 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail > 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet > 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome > *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome