"How much time can one expect a pediatrician to spend trying to help a
mother breastfeed? Most of the time their appointments are only a few
minutes in length."

Well, that's what we LCs are here for! Whoever said that we need to make
physicians aware of who we are and what we do was sure right. When I do my
every-other-month mailing to local physicians, I always try to approach it
from this angle: I know that you know that breastfeeding is best.
Breastfeeding issues can take a lot of your time, and I know you have a
roomful of patients waiting. So that's why I'm here - refer your patients
with BF concerns to me, that's my area of expertise, and I have the training
and the experience and the time to help. I'll work with you and keep you
posted about what we're doing, and what I've recommended and why. Won't
cause you any trouble, keeps your patients happy, keeps your babies getting
all best stuff.

I keep it light in tone. No going on & on (believe it or not!), just a
reminder that I'm here to help with lactation concerns. Whenever I send
these out, I get a couple of actual referals from *actual* doctors! Which
reminds me, it's time to go put out my April one...

Cathy Bargar, RN, IBCLC Ithaca NY

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