For the past 2 years, I have been lurking and learning from LACTNET, and I
find Nikki's posts very helpful. As an LLL leader for 27 years and an IBCLC in
private practice for 19 years, I find that her posts express a lot of my
thoughts. At first when I started to read the below post, I thought Nikki was
going to gently challenge Nancy Wight on her comment about the respiratory
problems being negated by having the woman go into labor spontaneously and then
having the C-sec. My opinion is that that is not completely accurate. As far as
 I know, the baby's respiration is aided not only by the contractions during
labor but also the compression of the chest as the baby travels through the
birth canal...and not experiencing that compression is one of the problems
with  a C-sec, especially the mucus that is not compressed out of the repiratory
system. C-secs are life-saving procedures when ABSOLUTELY MEDICALLY
NECESSARY;  otherwise, they should be avoided.

As an IBCLC, I work with many women  during the perinatal period who
want/wanted/had an unnecessary C-sec for  convenience. I think physicians have an
ethical obligation to talk them out of  it or refuse to perform it...It is MAJOR
ABDOMINAL SURGERY with risks to the  woman and the baby. Although the
percentage is low, the risks cannot be  denied.

My daughter just gave birth last week. She was not allowed to be  admitted to
the hospital birth center because her membranes ruptured over 21  hours
before going to the hospital. When I heard that, I frantically rushed to  the
hospital (a car trip of one hour flying low) because I knew what could  happen that
would lead to an unnecessary C-sec and I was going to do everything  I could
to help her avoid that. She had a vaginal birth with no drugs and has a
beautiful ALERT baby who is not all drugged up. The breastfeeding is going
beautifully despite flat nipples and a baby with a very tight frenulum (the  tongue
has a pronounced heart-shaped tip, with the short frenulum near the tip).  All
of the good outcomes are due to the knowledge I have gleaned from LLL, LC
conferences/workshops, and the wonderful posters on LACTNET. Thank you to all of
you for so unselfishly giving of your time and knowledge...my beautiful
healthy  grandaughter is partially a direct result of all that help.

THANK YOU a  million times over, including Nancy Wight. Yes, I can disagree
with Nancy on  this one item but still appreciate all the good things that she
shares with us.  Nancy, I admire you for your advocacy of breastfeeding and
your enormous  knowledge in this field...You and other MDs on this list are rare
as physicians;  I wish I could clone you to help women in my area.

Lee Galasso, MS,  IBCLC, RLC
Lactation Specialist in private practice
Westchester County  near New York City



Nikki Lee RN, MS, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CCE
Maternal-Child Adjunct  Faculty Union Institute and University
Film Reviews Editor, Journal of Human  Lactation
Support the WHO Code and the Mother-Friendly Childbirth  Initiative

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