Someone said : <I feel it is very important to "bite your tongue" and
remain entirely professional>. I wish that the docs felt this way (altho some
do give us collegial respect, many do not).
        I have one pedi who tells moms that he is going to give them info that is
different than they have heard from "all the other people around here" and
proceeds to advise them not to nurse more than 10 min per side or risk getting
sore (usually after I have told them not to limit nursing but to insure good
latch on). The mom will say, "but, Dr. said...", and I have to say that he
sees a lot of soreness, and attributes it to timing. But that the literature
shows that position is vital, and that even 1 minute wrong may cause damage. I
don't say the doc is wrong, but point out subtly that his advice is only half
there.

I did have an anesthesiologist come looking for me the other day, after I had
reassured the mom that she could nurse her 3 month old as soon as she felt up
to it after a laparoscopic choley (gallbladder). The doc wanted to see my
references and I showed her the new 1998 Hale book (thanks, Tom!). She looked
up many meds, and then said, "well, it's ok for each individual med but for
anesthesia we have to give a cocktail of several different meds, and nowhere
in the anesthesia literature does it say that it is safe to breastfeed". Since
I am not a doc, I cannot go against their orders in the hospital, but we were
able to compromise on pumping for 12 hrs instead of 24!!!
        (This mom had also been told that she had to pump & dump pre op because she
had an elevated bili of about 6 --high for an adult. Does anyone know the oral
bioavailability of bilirubin, presuming that it is even the same level in
breastmilk that it is in plasma???)

Such frustration....but it helps to know that I am not the only one
experiencing it.

Kathy IBCLC RNC in NJ