This sounds like an excellent opportunity to educate all sides about how
to work together as a team.  The ped., while perhaps not having the most
helpful attitude, does seem to be open to learning something from this
experience.  He needs to learn that he must share any special
circumstances with the LC.  At the same time, the LC needs to learn to be
less dogmatic and more inquisitive of the ped.  Perhaps you can suggest a
meeting at which all parties (maybe including some of the other peds in
the practice and other practioners?) discuss the role of the LC and what
sort of protocols there should be for sharing information and working
together.  There might even be an opportunity to discuss how the use of
bf educational material from ABM companies is contradictory and
counterproductive.  I feel strongly that this has the potential to be one
of those"when you get lemons,  make lemonade"situations.

Rachael Hamlet


------excerpt of prior message------

Cynthia Payne wrote:

The LC said to this mom and ped in the presence of each other that the
baby was nipple confused and needed to receive no artificial nipples.  The
ped said that he was "concerned" (read "annoyed") because he felt the baby
needed a bottle and possibly an IV, because he turned out later the baby
had Hirshbrung's (sp?) disease.  He felt the LC was not being a "team
player" and because of her advice it made it very difficult for him to
convince the mom to let them bottle fed ABM to the baby.  I asked if he
had told the LC that the baby had other medical conditions and he kind of
sidestepped the question which leads me to suspect he did not. He wants my
advice on how to approach the LC and tell her that he is "not happy" with
the way she advised the mom, how it made his treatment more difficult, how
she needs to work with the healthcare team, but to make it clear to her
that he supports bf.  He went on to tell me that he respected me and
though we may not always agree, he thought I respected him and knew he
supported bf.  As we spoke we were sitting in his exam room with stacks of
ABM and a pad of handouts (the only handout) on bf by a formula
manufacturer.