Dear Lactnetters,
I have found that the overall opinion of medical staff decides in Hep C/ HIV Cases . A big No to BFing. The comments from many MD's, RMO, and Registrars in our Hospital clinic dampens all the BF enthusiasm. I have been instrumental in changing the policy here for Hep C to a yes for Breast feeding but it remains a big NO for HIV,Still.
Most Midwives here still "fear" the client with both. Even Hep B 'with some' is treated as a 'No for BF'- I've been through that one and had policy changes initiated. Those people have no rational fopr it either.
Keep up the good work,
Robyn Aulmann,
RM FACM,
Darwin, N.T, Australia




Date:    Thu, 16 Mar 2000 22:33:42 EST
From:    Carol Brussel <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: hiv letter

valerie is right, i just didn't take the time to talk about my feelings about
that further. i think a lot of mothers "don't want to breastfeed" but its not
because they don't want to, they don't even believe they might be able to do
so. they can't make a choice because the choice has been made so far back in
their lives that it isn't a choice any more.

and valerie is quite right in describing this as force. and aren't mothers
forced every day? lots of time "not breastfeeding" is forced on even the ones
that want to. its hardly a surprise that the mothers who have special
situations might already have figured out, from how they are treated during
pregnancy, that they will never be able to breastfeed. the tyson case is a
frightening example of what happens to the occasional mother who does still
think she has a choice. of course she didn't have a choice; she got punished
for her audacity, being already "guilty" of HIV.

and i don't think they are merely threatened with loss of custody. they are
also blatantly threatened with "you will be the murderer of your baby if you
persevere with this insane and selfish idea." just as many mothers are
threatened with the same thing for other situations - supplementation,
pacifiers, etc.

carol brussel IBCLC

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