Okay, one more post and then I'll stop.

I spoke with a couple this week, who came to the
facility where I work to rent a pump.  They had just
been to the pediatrician's office.  The baby was just
beginning day #4 of life, mildly jaundiced, 4 ounces
under birthweight...and the ped told the mother she
had "nothing" in her breasts and that her baby was
"starving".  His instructions were to rent a pump,
pump out all the milk in her breasts, then bottle feed
it to baby, and keep track of the amounts given until
office visit the next day.

Fortunately, the parents were not convinced that this
advice was sound, and were questioning the whole pump,
bottle-feed, and record regimen.  I had trouble
controlling my frustration and my tongue when I heard
that the HCP had used the word "starving".  Even Dad
found this inappropriate...

I assisted the parents in coming up with a plan that
they were comfortable with, and talked about changes
to feeding strategies that would improve baby's intake
and Mom's supply (Mom had been limiting length of
feeds and doing the "10 and 10" thing...AAAACK!).  I
gave them some teaching materials on signs of adequate
intake and milk transfer, and made damn sure they had
the phone # of our lactation department!  Hopefully at
yesterday's visit, they had some tools to deflect the
physician's BAD ADVICE.

One of the aspects of *professionalism* is taking
responsibility for one's own education and knowledge,
*or lack thereof*.  Up on my soapbox now...I do not
have a problem being honest and frank when asked to
discuss something I know little or nothing about!  I
try hard to provide current information, based on
clinical evidence. If I don't know the answer, I say
so, and either go and look it up myself, or try to
direct the parents so they can find out themselves.
Giving outdated, poorly-founded advice is both
unprofessional AND unethical, regardless of the topic
at hand!

Why is it that the field of breastfeeding management
and human lactation is like this crazy, wild
territory, where the demons of ignorance are free to
roam and randomly devour the innocent?!

Gee, I must need some encouragement.  Thanks for
listening!
Carole



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