Hi all,

I've appreciated the discussion about medicalization and it's effects on
breastfeeding.  As a hospital lactation RN, it is something my colleagues
and I struggle with everyday.  I feel as if my partner and I have the
unrealistic assignment of "whipping everyone into shape" in 2 days.  Often,
we don't even get that amount of time because someone freaks out about
weight loss or a long interval between feeds and plants the seed that
somehow mom's milk is not enough.  I work in a birth center that sees a lot
of high risk patients.  It seems as if the last few weeks have been
especially tough.  Lots of vacuums, forceps, c-sections after hours of
pushing etc.  Then the poor boys get their circumcisions and the deck is
really stacked against them.

I'm also not offended by the way people in the public health community view
hospitals.  We work in a strange culture that is still very hierarchical It
is highly unusual for any physician to value breastfeeding enough plus have
enough time to spend encouraging their patients. Formula is almost always
seen as a benign quick fix to a mom in tears or a baby who dropped weight,
especially in an environment where people are concerned about lawsuits.
Most of the docs. have such tight schedules that it's all they can do to
see patients, write notes and get to their clinics. Few nurses are
comfortable challenging the physician once an order has been written.

Working toward baby friendly has been a real eye-opener.  I think that
slowly (emphasis on slowly) we'll be able to influence the pervasive
techno, bottle culture, but I don't see anything dramatic happening any
time soon.

What would really help me- someone who is hoping to have passed the exam
last July and still considers herself a novice- is for some of the private
practice and public health LC's to keep the dialog going.  (Don't be shy,
we couldn't survive in hospitals without thick skins!) Please post your pet
peeves and the things that happen when people get home that were most
likely a product of the hospital's influence.  Then, please post any
suggestions you have for what we can do in the short time we have with
these moms and babies.  We can all learn from eachother and it will only
help the process.....

Thanks,

Barb Fibich, RN CLC
Milwaukee, WI

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