from: Melanie Ashworth,RN, IBCLC
[log in to unmask]@pmdf@ren
subject: anesthesia and breastfeeding

Open letter of thanks to all who have helped those of us trying to eliminate the
ridiculous 48 hour moritorium on post-op breastfeeding.  And a note of
encouragement to those still fighting the battle.  Today's patient came in for
wide excision of melanoma on her calf, outpt. surgery and she'd been given the
48 hr. song and dance even though baby's pediatrician had said, 4 hr wait at the
most.  Armed with "Dr. Hale" we made some noise.  The result was being patched
through to the ER via the circulating nurse and hearing the anesthesiologist
nearly fall off his twirling stool when he said "As soon as she can hold the
baby she can breastfeed?!?!?  well, OK." Yessssss.
Here's the strategy: the lactation person in the hospital writes the procedures
on "care and support of the hospitalized lactating woman" and s/he puts in the
appropriate information on post-op breastfeeding.  Then instead of it just
getting stashed into a procedure binder which NO ONE looks at, s/he xeroxes
copies and sends it to the anesthesia dept and the nurse practitioners who do
the patient ed.  Just like Mikey Rooney and Judy Garland, fix up your barn, put
on your own show.