I heard Dr Ruth Lawrence give OB/GYN Grand Rounds yesterday at Tampa General
Hospital.  First of all, it is always a treat to hear her speak.  I have never
gotten a chance to hear her speak to her medical collegues so this was extra
interesting.  I also thought that it was unusual that she was brought to the
hospital by the OB/GYN staff, there were few if any pediatritians there.

She addressed a question from an attending physician about what to do about
women who do not breastfeed and their discomfort from engorgement.  First of
all she mentioned that there were some reasons that women do not breastfeed-
HIV and infant loss-then she went on to say that these women should wear a
good fitting bra 24 hours a day until they were comfortable.  She also
mentioned a case in Rochester that is quite tragic, and they have "bound" this
woman.

Now, I can see that some of the folks in this session might remember the
"wearing the bra for 24 hours a day" and not remember the rest of the story (a
little Paul Harvey, he is a radio personality in the US of many years.)  All
of us here on the list have concentrated on lactation, and know all the ins
and outs of it.  Many people who have contact with our Moms only see lactation
as a passing issue.  They don't "study" it like we have.  I can see where some
of these "wrong turns" come from.  Many of the common cases of misinformation
that we see are "almost" right.   I was disappointed that the issue of
medicated birth and the effects of that on the breastfeeding experience were
not addressed.

I was there to hand out breastfeeding information kits to all the physicians
and healthcare providers.  The kits were all snatched up by the medical
students and nurses that attended.  Hopefully they will open them and learn
from them.  As so often pointed out here, Tiny Steps.

Linda J. Inglis, BS, IBCLC
Breastfeeding Coordinator
Best Start Social Marketing
Tampa, Florida
Where "Loving Support Makes Breastfeeding Work"