Karyn writes:

Karleen  brings up an interesting and thought provoking concept when she
suggests that  breastfeeding experts should really be 'infant feeding experts'
and should be  as familiar with formula and bottle feeding as they are with
 breastfeeding.


~~~
Hello all,

This is something I've actually thought about all lot over the  last
decade. I've always thought that I need to be familiar with both the  normative
standard, as well as any safe, appropriate alternatives when the  standard is
not being or cannot be achieved. As a Physical Therapist, I need to  be
completely versed in normal gait(walking) but I also need to familiar with
crutches of all types, splints, casts, braces, and wheelchairs and able to
assess and discuss their usefulness as either temporary or ongoing assistive
devices. Bottles, cups, syringes, shields, etc are all feeding assistive
devices  in my mind. We got on a challenging path by calling ourselves lactation
consultants, rather than infant feeding experts. I don't call myself a
leg-using  gait therapist, because all PTs know that normal gait means using the
 legs/'hips/trunk normally and without assist unless indicated. In the US
we  totally forgot that infant feeding meant breastfeeding, so we tried to
correct  that and let moms know we know about breastfeeding as a unique
specialty, by calling ourselves breastfeeding experts, but that still means  that
breastfeeding is one thing, whereas infant feeding might be something else.
 I actually hope that is why WHO and UNICEF refer to infant feeding and
then  restate it as breastfeeding IS the infant feeding standard. I still find
it  scandalous that SLTs, OTs, PTs, etc who work with new mothers and
babies, as  well as pediatricians, RNs, and any other health professional who
works with  women of childbearing age, and young children, are allowed to be
ignorant, or  base their suggestions on their own opinions alone, when it comes
 to  infant feeding. That would not be tolerated in any other area of care
such as  wound care, taking blood pressures, or helping with other
activities of daily  living: there are normative standards, and everyone agrees what
they are and  knows how to help someone on the path to achieving them.  I
also feel I  need to keep up with whatever information I can to help moms who
are devastated  that they do not have enough milk for their hungry,
growth-faltering babies, and  have to select an artificial infant milk from the
dizzying array with the  crazy marketing that exists out there. I remember
vividly a phone call when a  mother was standing in the drugstore in the aisle
where all that AIM was, crying  that she was so overwhelmed she had no idea
what do to. I am not a marketer of  AIM, nor promoter, but I feel I need to be
versed in the basics for moms who  need to use it.

Peace,
Judy

Judy LeVan  Fram, PT, IBCLC, LLLL
Brooklyn, NY,  USA


             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome