>Date: Sat, 6 Apr 1996 11:34:34 -0600 >To:[log in to unmask] >From:[log in to unmask] (Sulman Family) >Subject:response to instructor > >Dear Stephanie, > >I can understand your feeling upset that your nursing instructor let that >"sick" comment slip by without a correction. Speaking as a former nursing >instructor, I wonder if you could play a role in a supportive way to help this >instructor. Why not share some references with her to educate her about the >major differences between formula and breastmilk? You could make an >appointment to talk with her in her office, and let her know how the other >student's remark made you feel. Then share some helpful resource materials. >This will give her the opportunity to read and learn and perhaps give more >time and attention to this topic in the future. Sometimes it is hard for a >teacher to respond to a negative comment on the spot in front of a whole >class. > >Do you have the opportunity to do any oral presentations on topics of your >choice, or perhaps a term paper for this class? Breastfeeding would be a good >topic. I do know that as a teacher I learned a great deal from my student >nurses and all the varied experiences they were able to share with me and the >rest of the class in this way. > >To start, I would refer her to the article by Marsha Walker, "A Fresh Look at >the Risks of Artificial Feeding" in Journal of Human Lactation vol. 9, no. >2:97-107, June 1993. It is also available from ILCA's publications dept., 200 >N. Michigan Ave., Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60601. Another "classic" article is >"Breastfeeding and Health in the 1980's: A Global Epidemiologic Review," by >Cunningham, Jeliffe and Jeliffe in the Journal of Pediatrics, Vol. 118, no. >5:659-666, May 1991. You could call your local La Leche League and ask for >their "Facts About Breastfeeding" sheets, or order them from LLLI. These >2-sided single pages cite recent research studies for each year - 1996, 1995, >etc. Of course there are many other good resources, but these would be a >manageable place to begin. > >Good luck. Again, I'd begin by assuming that your instructor would like to be >well-informed, then share your knowledge with her and your class in a >supportive rather than an attacking way. Good luck! Maybe you can end up by >helping the whole class be better informed, and turn them into a group of >advocates for breastfeeding (and pumping when it is needed)! > >Anne Altshuler, RN, MS, IBCLC and LLL Leader in Madison, WI > >e-mail address: [log in to unmask]