I remember this parable and had it posted on my bulletin board in my office
for years. Today, I couldn't resist adapting it to what I feel most of the
time and sounds like my situation. Here's what I came up with. I hope this
doesn't violate any copywrite rules.
THE PARABLE OF THE LATCH:
Once upon a time there was a OB unit on the edge of town. The staff there
were good and life in the OB unit was good. One day a Mother/Baby staff
person noticed a baby not latching well. The staff quickly called the
Lactation Consultant to latch this baby and save him from formula. The next
day this same staff member noticed two babies not latching. She again
called the LC for help, and both babies were latched after much
difficulty. And the following day, four babies were having difficulties
and would not latch. And then eight, then more, and still more!
The Lactation Consultant organized herself quickly, setting up inservices
and training nurses to assist the babies that were having difficulty
latching. The LC felt as if she was working 24 hours a day, doing prenatal
BF classes, seeing out patients and answereing phone calls about babies
that couldn't latch. And each day the number of non-latching babies
increased. The LC tried to organize herself efficiently and was now
latching many babies each day. While not all the babies, now very
numerous, could be latched before discharge, the LC felt she was doing well
to latch as many as she could each day. Indeed, the unit management
blessed her in her good work. And life in the OB unit continued on that
basis.
One day, however, the LC raised the question, "But what is causing all
these babies to have difficulty latching? Help me organize a committee to
go to L&D to find out what procedures are being done to cause all those
latching problems in the first place!"
The seeming logic of the management countered: "And if the LC is sent to
study the procedures in L&D, who will keep helping the babies latch in
postpartum? We need every concerned person here!"
"But don't you see," cried the one lone LC voice," if we find out what is
causing the latching difficulties in the first place, we can stop the
problem and more babies will latch! By reviewing our procedures like
epidurals, vacumes, early inductions etc., we may be able reduce or
eliminate the cause of the problem!" "It is too risky and might cause
overtime, and besides it will make the OB docs mad" said the management.
And so the number of babies not latching increased daily. Latched babies
increased, but those who didn’t latch increase even more.
And similiar to Jennifer's note - Clearly, we need to do our part in
helping those non-latching babies. But we also need to take the risk of
raising our voices and asking why they're not latching in the first place
and what we can do about it.
Pamela Edenfield MSN, RNC, CNS, IBCLC
Perinatal Clinical Nurse Specialist
Lactation Consultant
Youngstown Ohio
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