Dear fellow Lactnet-ers,
I have learned so much from this venue over the years and I'm hoping you
will help me now again.  This incident happened last night and I'm still
stunned!

I teach a prepared childbirth class and usually have a pediatrician come
to one of the classes.  I ask the pedi to "not spend a lot of time
talking about breastfeeding because I also do an entire class on that
topic."  I've found through past experience that the less info the pedi
gives about breastfeeding, the less misinformation I have to correct.
Unfortunately, many (not all) pedi's I have run into still give
misinformation.    My guest speaker last night was doing fine; saying
general statements such as,  "We encourage breastfeeding.  Put the baby
to breast right after delivery. Room-in with your baby."  etc...
Then, someone asked if it is true that breastfed babies are healthier
than formula fed babies.  His response was (and I'm paraphrasing) "Yes,
but it's because mom is the only one who can feed the baby so the baby
doesn't get exposed to germs from so many other people- not because of
the milk."  Trying to do some damage control, I asked about the
antibodies, IgA, IgE, etc... in breastmilk?  His answer, "The gastric pH
is so low that it neutralizes those and no one has been able to prove
that it's helpful in protecting the baby.  In daycare situations, babies
fed breastmilk via a bottle get sick just as often as formula fed
babies."  My response, " Then why are formula companies spending
millions of dollars trying to replicate these substances to put them in
the formula?"   The discussion went downhill from there!!  He negated
the cognitive benefits ("Your child will not score 8 points higher on an
IQ test"), the immunological benefits; all the while saying that he
encourages breastfeeding but "if you choose not to breastfeed you
shouldn't feel guilty."   UGH!!!!

As this Dr was leaving class, I couldn't help but continue.  The long
and short of it is, he challenged me to come up with a "reputable study"
that  factors out  the affect of only one caregiver holding the baby
during feedings.

I drove home from that class so furious - at the Dr. and at myself for
not holding my temper and keeping a clear head about me!   All my
textbooks and journals are at my office, and I'm not scheduled to work
again until Wednesday.  But, I'd like to start compiling my ammunition.
Can anyone help me with titles of research studies.  I'm betting that
whatever I give him, he'll refuse to believe it (if he even reads it at
all).

I know things such as this have been discussed on Lactnet before.  You
may e-mail me privately.
Thank you in advance.

Debbie,  feeling like I'm swimming upstream and the current is getting
faster and faster.
[log in to unmask]

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html