Dear Friends:
     Judith Markham wonders what else she could have done as she describes a
newborn who is feeding compromised. Lactation professionals are not trained
to be able to deal with such a situation. All we can do is get the mom
pumping with a hospital grade pump, make sure that the baby is feed nothing
but mother's milk, encourage skin-to-skin care, and insist baby be evaluated
by a qualifed medical person. If it isn't the pediatrician, then a pediatric
neurologist should be looking at this baby.
     I agree completely with the reaction others have about the lack of
reaction many medical professionals have to newborns that can't do what
babies need to do to survive.  As has already been so well stated, if the
baby was having breathing problems, would we send them home with an Ambu bag
for moms to use and no further surveillance or evaluation?
     This is an outrageous situation. Many times babies that can't breastfeed
well can't bottlefeed well either. Why should this be tolerated?
     Perhaps the obstetrical practices of this country would change to a
less-interventive mode if every single term baby that was unable to
coordinate suck, swallow, and breathe received a thorough medical work-up by
a pediatric neurologist or occupational therapist. Or if feeding ability was
used as an outcome measure for Quality Assurance.
     I am in despair about these babies; I can't help them. Craniosacral
therapy can help some, but it isn't the first choice when a baby leaves the
hospital in such miserable shape. And if the doctor has a "don't worry, baby
will grow out of it" attitude, the parents often don't take it seriously
either.
     Warmly,
Nikki Lee RN, MSN, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CIMI, CCE
craniosacral therapy practitioner
Elkins Park (a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; northeastern USA)
supporting the WHO Code and the Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative

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