<On this thread, I recently viewed the AWHONN 2 volume videos {assoc of womens health obstetric and neonatal nursing) on bf which I believe were very favorably reviewed. My boss had purchased them to be shown to our nsg staff. I found alot that I didn't like in them. Namely, highly medicalized births, routine suctioning of babes, babes tightly swaddled and presented to mom at birth; and several other things. Unfortunatelty the scenes depicted are very typical of US birth scene.> Laurie, I have no financial interest in this video set, anything connected to it, or "Breastfeeding Outlook", Marie Biancuzzo's meaty, information-packed, reasonably priced 8-page quarterly newsletter for HCP's. http://www.wmc-worldwide.com or e-mail at <[log in to unmask]> That being said, I recently had the privilege of writing reviews of both segments of the video. During this process, not only did I view each of them dozens of times, but I made notes on certain scenes, side by side with the script, word for word in those sections that gave me problems. I also showed them to the members of our local Breastfeeding Coalition and obtained written feedback to assist me in the selection of the 175 words Marie allotted me for each. I concur that a great deal of what is commonly done by American maternity caregivers is shown. That, after all is the primary audience for whom they were made, and it begins where they are, to bridge to better practices. But your perception shows just exactly how powerful a deliberately chosen, commonly seen, but negative video message can come across despite simultaneous audio subtly pointing out the contradiction between practice and the ideal. (I realize that it would have been 'politically incorrect' to superimpose a large black X or a circle with a crossbar over those scenes, but that's what I wished for!) There were numerous segments that pictured and explained the rationale for delaying or altering such practices, but apparently they did not stick in your mind or outweigh the scenes demonstrating current widespread "un-baby friendly" practices. The messages about sensitive listening and watching for baby's cues was reinforced over and over. The role of the lactation consultant profession itself was woven in skillfully, laying groundwork for individual LC's to build on in their individual settings. Excellent references by many of the "household names" in LC literature were provided for those seeking more evidence based practice. Everyone who watches will bring his/her own experience (or lack of it) and worldview, and therefore may not reach the same conclusions on (unguided) first viewing. With skillful facilitation, educators, supervisory personnel, LC's and other perceptive staff can challenge viewers to develop more sensitivity. By selecting critical portions for re-viewing (by all staff round-the-clock), they can point out how practice often departs from the ideal, and help reduce conflicting information for mothers. Discussions thus stimulated can include the subtle power of subliminal messages in commerce, and be used to bring a meeting of minds, reinforcing what the ideal messages are. In this way, better breastfeeding protocols and cooperation between various disciplines and departmentsand shifts can result, for years to come. I admit there were areas I personally found wanting, such as the technique for hand expression, which just doesn't work for a lot of mothers, especially in the first 48 hours. I think this video far underrates the experience of sore nipples for many mothers, judging both from my clinical experience and my vivid personal memories. But all in all, there were so many other strong segments useful in educating students of many disciplines at all levels, and updating HCP staff, that the plusses far outweigh the negatives in my mind. I congratulate AWHONN for it's leadership in aligning other professional organizations and individuals to create this set. I believe this video set can provide a giant step forward for U.S. maternity care, and for anyone else in the world where healthcare has "bought in" to the "brainwashing" that underlies many of our "western" practices. Jean ******************** K. Jean Cotterman RNC, IBCLC Dayton, Ohio USA *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html