I find it intereting when we discuss choice about breastfeeding it is
never about what the baby would choose.  When we are talking about
choice in the hospital setting I also find it rather hypocritical that
they claim "mothers deserve the choice" when they talk about using
formula, but many hospitals refuse to give mother the choice to haev
uninterrupted skin to skin because it is necessary of course to do
their 'routine newborn procedures' immediately so of course mom cannot
'choose' otherwise.  And if she dares to try to choose, my goodness,
that just upsets the nurses who need to stay on task and get those
heel pricks and baths done.  Give me a break.  Choice is the least
thing a mother or her have once they walk in the door. Or, should I
say choice is discouraged and a very strong determined mom may get
heard, but most will not be heard atg all. Once when I was working as
a doula, a nurse sqeezed a moms nipple without asking, and said "see,
no milk yet anyway" when mom asked to please delay the bath a bit
because she really wanted to nurse first!  She still had not been able
to hold her baby and it had been a half hour since birth.  This was
due to some meconium issue, and mom totally understood the delay, but
the doctor had said all was fine. The nurse just wanted to go ahead
and do her tasks while the baby cried and mom kept asking to be given
her baby..  I about choked!  Asked mom's permission to express to show
the nurse, though she really did not need to priove anything, and
easily expressed colostrum. Showed the nurse and said 'look first off,
she had milk  and secondly, if you are going to go around proving moms
do not have milk, the least you should do is learn how to hand
express."  I was so aggravated and the mom was happily nursing when
she returned and literally pulled the baby to take her off the breast!
 Mom said quite firmly to stop and not come back.  Where were her
choices??!   Choice is a word they like to throw around to protect the
bottom line but it is a dirty word if a mother dares to claim to want
to exercise it in a way that does not fit into the tidy practices and
policies that are often nothing more than "thats how we do it" witn no
evidence to back it up at all.

So, this breastfeeding week let me say thank you. Thank you to all the
IBCLC's working in hospital settings.  To those who are struggling
with mother baby "UN"friendly practices, I say thank you for hanging
in for the babies and mommas.  I have enough friends doing this work
in hospitals to know that it is often a battle ground for every inch
that protects breastfeeding.  It must be hard to go work every day
knowing you are up against such a a difficult task!  I thank ou all
for being willing to take on the challenge!

Best,
Pam MazzellaDiBosco, IBCLC, RLC

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