Michele,
I can understand your frustration.
We decided not to call our presentation "Breastfeeding" but instead
"Infant Feeding in Emergencies." That takes the immediate resistance
to breastfeeding away. (I learned this in an ILCA talk by Carol
Melcher, RN, who educates nursing staff about breastfeeding at a
group of hospitals Loma Linda, CA. Rather than teaching sessions on
"breastfeeding," she focuses her workshops on skin-to-skin and
accomplishes the same goals.)
Next, having a physician presenter gets the attention of skeptics
outside the breastfeeding community. For many, just having an MD
behind the name of the speaker makes the material seem more trustworthy.
Or you might try a presentation to the city or county emergency
preparedness team, then approach the Red Cross afterwards with some
feedback or testimonials.
Once you make any inroads, I guess I would actively listen to the
target audience's complaints to try to understand why they are so
resistant. I am reminded of a wonderful Lactnet post by Ester Grunis
back on Saturday, January 21, 2006, 07:01:39, titled "nurse education
to hostile audiences." She really addressed the anger that people
were feeling in hearing about breastfeeding when they had not
breastfed their own children. She used active listening, caring and
humor to win them over. I urge everyone to read (or reread) her post.
My list of resources did not come through very well. If you want it
in a cleaner format, I can send it to anyone who wants it as an
attachment.
Anne Altshuler, RN, MS, IBCLC
[log in to unmask]
> Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:16:49 -0800
> From: Michele Crockett <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: emergency preparedness
>
> Thank you Anne for all the good information and resources. There were
> several I didn't have on my radar. But, how do we get in the door
> to even
> start???? They just don't to seem to think breastfeeding is
> important to
> their work!
> Michele
>
> Michele L. Crockett, IBCLC, LLLL, PCPA
> Washington State USA
>
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