For us in the Lactation field, the perfect world would be a place where
mothers get excellent prenatal care and learn as much as possible about
lactation before their birth.
They would have all taken classes and gone to La Leche League meetings ahead
of time.  They prepare for their births, have labor support, deliver with a
knowledgable OB or midwife in a loving setting, preferably with no
medications which would cause problems for the labor or the newborn.
Breastfeeding would begin as soon as baby is ready, and babies would stay
with parents.  Our jobs would be easier, babies would be happier and parents
would enjoy their success.  We would be there for supporting the parents,
answering questions and helping as needed.

Realistically, that is not what I usually see, although sometimes I do.  A
pediatrician once told me- Just stay in there with that baby until it
nurses.  I tried to explain to her that it isn't that simple. Sometimes the
answer is tincture of time. Sometimes babies are dealing with things that
make nursing very difficult.  She wondered why I couldn't just fix it and
get the baby nursing.  I told her something I had read on Lactnet.  I am the
one downstream, pulling the babies out of the water, trying to help them get
back to dry land.  Sometimes it takes a while for them to dry out and feel
right again.  Perhaps it would be helpful to look back to the place where
the babies are tossed into the water, and see what can be done about helping
them before they get tossed. Problem prevention. Things like becoming aware
of what drugs can do to newborns, what suctioning can do to newborns, what
epidurals (especially when the first one or two don't "take") can do to
newborns, what removing the baby for a bath and whisking them off to the
nursery before nursing can do to newborns.  Being downstream is frustrating
sometimes, actually much of the time, because we see ways that this entire
problem could have been avoided, yet our hands are tied sometimes in helping
before the fact.  We would like others to stand downstream with us and see
things from our point of view.  Sometimes we get a little zealous.  Perhaps
getting zealous is the way changes will be made.  Being zealous in little
doses does not always turn people away.  Sometimes it helps them to realize
that there is another point of view out there, and help them to think about
an accepted practice, and perhaps even question it.

Things take time.  But I think about my husbands birth, when his mom was
knocked out for 24 hours when he was born, and she didn't get to hold him
for days. And was never even asked about breastfeeding. And my mother who
was given a spinal,while my dad was in the waiting room,delivered me breech
and didn't see me until I had several bottles (when she wanted to
breastfeed), and who got incorrect information from her physicians about
breastfeeding.  And when we look at things that way, we see improvements
coming along.  It wasn't a perfect world then.

Many of us had wonderful experiences with childbirth-unmedicated, and great
breastfeeding followed this.  I was fortunate enough to experience a home
birth, and also a midwife assisted birth.  Also two unmedicated hospital
births.  Many of us had alert babies who knew what they were up to right
away.  Or our wives have had this.
We know how fulfilling it is, and we want that for others.  Many of us have
had the experience of working with wonderful breastfeeding couplets who have
been very happy and love the whole birth/breastfeeding/mothering experience.
We want that for all the mothers we work with.  As LCs though we often see
the other side of breastfeeding- frustration, sleepy babies, babies who
cannot suck, babies who refuse to open their mouths, babies getting
jaundiced and/or losing weight because of the first mentioned things, and
the first mentioned things were caused by- interventions. We have to reach
into our bag of tricks and pull out things to try and help. We  pull out the
pump, the SNS, the tools moms might need.  All the while, cheerleading like
crazy in hopes that mom won't give up before baby dries out and feels good.
Loving everybody through the difficulties.  Being positive when we don't
feel so positive. Caring a lot, sometimes maybe too much.  Feeling
disappointment when things don't work out.

As Lactation Consultants, we must continue to keep the Perfect World in our
horizons for  this is the goal we work towards every day. Without such
vision, we could not continue.  It is our shared vision.  It is why we are
here.

Ann Calandro,RNC,IBCLC
Piedmont Medical Center
Rock Hill, SC