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Full-name: KRBhom
Message-ID: <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 14:15:31 EDT
Subject: Selling things room to room
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Yesterday I spent 45 minutes with a young couple who wanted information on
everything except the actual putting of the baby to the breast. Which pump
should we buy today, when can we pump, which formula is best for
supplementation, etc, etc, etc.  Meanwhile baby lay in the basinet rooting.
Needless to say this made me NUTS. To quote the director of our center
(Melanie Ashworth...hope she doesn't mind) re pumping, supplementing, etc.
"This is NOT today's job."  I finally convinced mom to put her baby to breast
and, bless the little ones heart, she did a bang up job of latching, sucking
and swallowing, totally softening mommy's moderately engorged breasts.  Now
imagine if the pink lady had arrived with an array of breastfeeding
equipment. This family could have been convinced to buy any item on the cart,
furthering separation of mother and baby.  Despite great breastfeeding, this
family continued to hound me about pumping, asking to try out a variety of
pumps before they left the hospital.  I explained that this was not a service
we provided and that there was absolutely no reason for mother to pump at
this time. I recommended that they return to our lactation center at 3 weeks
to discuss pumps for return to work. Meanwhile she was to just breastfeed.

I strongly believe that breastfeeding aids and equipment can be invaluable
when they are indicated but a large part of our responsibility as LC's is to
ensure their judicious use.  When they become part of our livelihood we've
muddied the waters and threatened our credibility. I also find it almost
impossible to believe that the practice of selling items room to room could
increase breastfeeding rates. It would only provide one more distraction
while sending the message that successful breastfeeding requires money and
lots of equipment. Better we spend our time dispelling this notion.

Kathy Boggs, RN, IBCLC
Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.
Palo Alto, CA