My Australian experience with this is that no, the doctors are not involved
in breastfeeding at all - this is the midwives territory. You do get the
occasional paediatrician who is interested in breastfeeding but they are
the exception rather than the rule. The only time the doctors get involved
in breastfeeding is when it goes wrong - for example mastitis or breast
abscess when they have to prescribe antibiotics (and even then that is all
they do - just the prescribing). If the patients actually ask the doctors
anything about breastfeeding they are usually quite happy to refer the
patients onto the midwives anyway.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Madeline Hall
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----------
> From: Ann Perry <[log in to unmask]>
> To:
> Subject: Ac.Brfdg Med(ABM) editorial
> Date: Saturday, 20 February 1999 11:41
>
> I receive the Newsletter of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine. In the
> latest issue, Vol.4,No.4,1998 there was an editorial by Dr. Lawrence M.
> Gartner. He was making an observation of physicians involvement in
promoting
> and supporting breastfeeding. He states he was in Australia recently and
found
> the physicians had minimal to no involvement. He went on to say Egypt's
> physicians were very involved.
> He did not expand on the Australian group and since we have several on
Lacnet
> from "Down Under" I was hoping that some of you might enlighten us on
what he
> observed.
>
> I know Dr. Gartner has posted to Lactnet in the past but I'm not sure if
he is
> a regular. The newsletter is very good, by the way.
> Thanks,
> Ann Perry RN IBCLC
> Boston, Mass
>