Hello everyone, I am new to this list so please pardon me if I state some issues that
you may have already discussed in the past. I am an RN (emergency/trauma and nursing
informatics). By default, I have been approached by several women and men who ask
me questions about breast feeding. I never profess to be an expert in the field nor
joined this list so I can give advice to others. Without hesitation I refer breast feeding
issues and questions I am not capable of answering to my favorite lactation consultant
who is an RN IBLC. I, however, proudly claim to be a veteran at breast feeding having
successfully breast fed my now three year old son for two years and presently
breast feeding my ten month old girl while working full time. Here are some of the
issues that have been dogging me for the longest time:

1)  Why are professional services of independent lactation consultants not
        covered by health insurance?
2)  Since most physicians are not knowledgeable about lactation and breast
        feeding and seldom refer patients to lactation consultants how can we
        provide adequate services to patients who require lactation consultants' services?
3)  How can we initiate a move to make businesses pay the same attention as
they do to smokers' needs by providing smoking rooms to breast feeding
employees by providing milk expression rooms in business offices?
4)  Spend more effort in advertising the benefits of breast feeding by starting with
        education especially the obstetricians, pediatricians and primary care physicians
        who often do not mention breast feeding or if they do, it is lukewarm and
        sometimes erroneous by stating that there is no  nutritional benefits in breast feeding
        after six months!

I have more issues but this is my first time. I just gave Thomas Hale's book - Medication
and Mother's Milk to a physician who informed me that I should stop breast feeding
because I had pneumonia and had to take medications. She also recommended that
I stop breast feeding because I had to have a flu shot! The choices are so obvious.
Thank you.

Cecille Court
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