>>If you are seeing a woman for her first prenatal appointment and find
out she is an occasional smoker, do you withhold the risks of smoking on
her new baby?  What happens if you tell her that smoking while pregnant
increases the risk of having a baby that is too small and it happens? Do
you worry that you made her feel guilty?<<

Let's take this example to the next level. The woman smokes her entire
pregnancy (warned or not) and delivers a small, sickly baby prematurely.
If the docs are confident that mom's smoking compromised the pregnancy
and baby's growth, do they inform her of this at this point in time or
do they withhold this conclusion so as not to make her feel guilty?

What makes this so hard is that a "personal decision" in breastfeeding
is not just about hurting one's self, but about potential harm to
another utterly dependent and helpless individual.

~Lisa

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