You know, the more we read about this scenario, the more questions that come to light. Is this "midwife" a CNM or a non-nurse midwife (CPM)? The training varies so as does the different types of health care available to people who go with the non-nurse midwife practitioner. Medical personnal are understandably suspicious of some of these "practitioners." However, I am not trying to initiate a debate on what is the appropriate type of HCP. Now, we have added the possibility that the parents were reluctant to go to a pediatrician because of their hesitation to vaccinate. This brings in a whole new dimension. So now, maybe we are dealing with a baby who has never yet been seen at all! This is more of a concern! I am usually the last one to jump and point fingers, but here I think, we have a case for someone needing to advocate for this baby. I continue to be very worried about the health and potential well-being of this baby. Someone official needs to be involved. Would this family have access to a visiting nurse? Someone needs to be the eyes and ears for this baby in the home. Sometimes, it takes getting the 'big guns" involved to help some of these more "anti-establishment" families see the importance of proper follow-through. We see these types of patients on occasion and they are often very suspicious and difficult to deal with. Personally, I would like to know if this baby has actually seen a doctor ever at all. If this midwife is any kind of qualified professional, she would be advocating for the baby's well-being, and not protecting the family. If, after all this time, the IBCLC involved still has concerns, I think it is time to make an anonomous referral to DCF or Child Protective Services (or whatever the Department of Children and Families is called in the infant's immediate area). Someone needs to be following this up as soon as possible. We need to remember that we are all mandated reporters. I am sorry to sound so negative and suspicious but my years of experience in this field cause my antennas to rise really quickly this time! Betsy Riedel RNC, IBCLC Connecticut *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html