Re: the ped whose practice didn't accept bottle-fed babies

>I once had a doctor for a neighbor... He said if mothers delivered in his
>hospital they
>had to breastfeed. What they did when they left was "their"
>business.

>Ordering mothers to bf, not 'allowing' formula feeding.....I
>don't think we have any evidence to say this is a 'good' way to
>proceed, a mother-friendly way to proceed, or a way to proceed that
>increases bf.

I see another possibility:  If a doctor is popular and good, so that women
are eager to use that office, putting out a blunt message like this could be
a really good thing, though I'd elaborate.  Let's say s/he was talking about
smoking, and the office creed was this:  "I work in partnership with my
clients.  I do my best to meet their needs, but I expect them to do their
best to stay healthy.  Smoking is a significant risk factor for many
illnesses.  If you are a smoker and prefer not to quit, please find another
health care provider.  If you would like help in quitting, we can work on it
together."

This doctor would 1) be able to work with a healthier clientele and 2) be
encouraging smokers to quit, whether s/he actually saw them or not.  Now
just substitute breastfeeding...
--
Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC  Ithaca, NY
www.wiessinger.baka.com

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