Several recent situations have started me thinking about how traditional medicine and the natural birth/breastfeeding cultures (that is generally shared by childbirth educators, lactation consultants, midwives, and doulas) are diametrically opposed cultures operating, in many cases, in the same arena. It is no wonder that, while desiring and attempting to do the best for our clientele, our values lead to conflict. I am guessing that most people on this list (and am certain that this is true of those of us who are the most vocal) share many values which the medical establishment genuinely views as dangerous, strange, or downright weird. If I were to guess, I would guess that there was a time when some, perhaps many, of us shared those views. For example, I now view unmedicated birth, immediate exclusive breastfeeding, private get acquainted time for families soon after birth, respect for the baby's communication, his needs for security and closeness to mom (not just any caring and concerned caregiver) as being very important. I regard the majority of interventions during pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum to be unnecessary and potentially harmful. I believe letting babies cry in the nursery on warmers or in cribs is seldom necessary and likely to be harmful both physiologically and psychologically. I believe that supplements of formula or fortified breastmilk are seldom necessary. It makes no sense to me why premature and SGA babies are expected to gain weight from day one and to grow at intrauterine rates, especially when this almost always means giving non-human milks and force feeding with bottles. The medical establishment holds values in many cases which are the exact opposite of these views. Many doctors, nurses,.and nurse practitioners truly believe that to refuse routine tests and treatments such as vitamin K and eye ointment, hepatitis vaccine, and glucose monitoring by reagent stick for large non-IDM (infant of diabetic mother) babies immediately after birth is foolish and likely to harm the baby. It is no wonder that we oftentimes feel all alone in such an environment. It is not unlike suddenly finding oneself in a foreign country, knowing only a few words of the language and little of the cultural norms while holding tightly to one's own culture and language. It will take a concerted effort on the parts of both groups to help us achieve a common culture and a common language. However, it will be worth the effort, as it can only benefit our moms, babies, and families. -- Bonnie Jones, RN, ICCE, IBCLC from the sunny S.W. USA mailto:[log in to unmask]