I agree that it's a personality type that thinks it (they/we/he/she) knows
it all and is afraid to say otherwise.  Some specialties, by nature,
attract that personality type.  In general (and I realize I'm going out on
a limb), the more "specialized" a specialty is, the less likely the
specialist is to admit they don't know something.  After all, they have up
to 7 extra years of education!  The point of all this is that the model
also works in reverse:  general primary care docs are quicker to realize
that they (we) can't know "everything" because the definition of our
"specialty" is too broad.  Here's where I put in the plug for Family
Practitioners:  we're the broadest, and therefore theoretically the most
teachable when it comes to learning new things, including about
breastfeeding.  We also are accustomed to seeing both moms and babies, not
just one or the other.  Maybe that's why the FP's in our community seem
more BF-friendly, even than some of the pediatricians!

Becky Saenz, MD
Assistant Professor
University of MS Medical Center
Department of Family Medicine
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