Diana's remarks on what we learned in nursing school about breastfeeding
brought a few chuckles when I looked back at my OB text book. It was
Obstetric Nursing by Olds, London, Ladewig, and Davidson. Copyright 1980.
Some of the information was not too bad until I got to the five minutes each
side and the test feeds of sterile water. What I really loved was the line
drawing of a baby attached to the breast (mouth partly closed, tongue drawn
back behind the lower gum, etc) that was provided courtesy of Ross
Laboratories! The photograph that follows this gem shows the mother holding
her breast away from the baby's nose and the baby perfectly biting the tip of
the nipple. This is an outstanding photo of improper latch. How did mothers
ever manage to breastfeed?

The good news is that there is now a new text book being used in nursing
schools that has a whole chapter on breastfeeding. The title is
Maternal-Newborn Nursing: Theory and Practice by Francine Nichols and Elaine
Zwelling. The breastfeeding chapter is 43 pages long with color photographs
(not the best illustrations) and a few things that could be better. I had the
priviledge of writing this chapter and hope future nurses, mothers, and
babies benefit from it. I also hope that student nurses can lift the book -
it is 1679 pages long and must weigh 25 pounds!