The solution to send out OB nurses to make home visits gives me a lot of
cause for concern.  One of our institutions has decided when the 24 hour
discharge arrives they will try this out.  My concern is that the OB nurse
has a hospital focus which may be limited, a community focus is much broader
and better managed by the public health nurse.  If the mother is a
breastfeeding mother she must have a nurse knowledgable about breastfeeding,
our local hospital's assumption is that OB nurses must be knowledgeable
otherwise they would not be working there, they did not even consult anyone
who is a breastfeeding specialist, those making the decision are certainly
not.  I know that the knowledge the nurses have about breastfeeding is
extremely variable, some are very good and many have very little often
practicing myth based practice.

I also believe anyone working with breastfeeding mothers should write the
IBCL exam it provides protection to the client by offering a certain
standard of knowledge, skills may be another thing however.  One of our
local health departments is having all public health nurses working with
infants and mothers write the IBCLC exam.

Susan Moxley IBCLC
[log in to unmask]