Birth drugs and practices DO affect the baby. However, often the mother (1) didn't know, (2) needed the intervention anyway, or (3) the baby has a problem despite every thing "going right." The research is only now surfacing that will tease out the specific risks of drugs and procedures, the specific nature of the consequences, and specific strategies to minimize the impact of any compromises to the mother and baby on long-term outcomes. Part of our professional role is to share research on these practices with providers and parents. To withhold information on potential risks is unethical and violates the principle of informed decision-making. Providers have a responsibility to "first, do no harm." So, yes - sometimes even the best-laid plans go awry. Some babies are compromised because of an odd intra-uterine lie that may not have been preventable. Some mothers take or are given narcotic pain-relief drugs via IM, IV or epidural route for their own reasons, even if they are informed of the potential risks to the baby. And some births don't go the way everyone hopes and plans. That being said, providers still have a legal and ethical responsibility to obtain informed consent from the mother regarding risks of drugs and procedures. Linda J. Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre Ltd 6540 Cedarview Ct, Dayton OH 45459 937-438-9458 / fax 937-438-3229 www.BFLRC.com -----Original Message----- From: Lactation Information and Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of LACTNET automatic digest system Sent: Monday, February 13, 2006 8:10 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: LACTNET Digest - 12 Feb 2006 to 13 Feb 2006 - Special issue (#2006-180) *********************************************** 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