<<So Gail (and the other MDs on the list) what was it that made the
difference with you that you didn't end up in the situation os not knowing
about breastfeeding? I'm curious.>>

Well, I can only speak for myself.  When I left private practice Pediatrics
almost 5 years ago, all I knew about breastfeeding I had learned from my
personal experience and "reading up on it".  I also learned quite a bit from
the mothers of my patients who breastfed.  And I made a LOT of mistakes.  I
am reminded of a personal friend whose son (my patient) ended up hospitalized
for dehydration/hyperbilirubinemia due to poor latch/intake.  This was
shortly after I had finished my residency at U of Minnesota, where the vast
majority of my experience with newborns was in the neonatal intensive care
unit.  Sadly, I was MUCH more comfortable/competent in caring for an infant
on ECMO (where the baby is so sick they can't oxygenate their blood with
their lungs, so we took it out of their bodies and ran it through a machine
to do it for them) than I was advising a mother on breastfeeding.  Therefore,
the way I was comfortable in treating this friend's baby was by gavage
feeding formula (wanting to avoid "nipple confusion", after all!).  But I
suspect it is experiences such as this that subconsciously cause ignorant MDs
to be somewhat "relieved" when a baby is bottlefed, and then dehydration is
not as likely to occur...and they don't have to feel like they "failed"
somehow.

I realize this does not "make sense".  I am merely attempting to explain my
personal take on the situation.

I became more "educated" on the subject of breastfeeding from nursing both of
my children (which I did because of the emerging evidence of benefits)
although as you know, the misinformation was even more rampant 9 years ago.
My recent fervent interest probably stems from the fact that I left medicine
to stay home with my kids (then 1 and 4) and I believe it is something more
people should consider doing.  I also believe that breastfeeding is "related"
to that issue...something ALL women should at least seriously consider doing,
and society should better support/encourage...and it angers me that women are
sabatoged at every turn.  Thus the opening of our Breastfeeding Support
Center, with the goal of helping individual mothers, and educating the public
and the medical establishment.  (We've been open 2 whole days, so I still
have a lot of energy!)

Sorry so long-

Kathy Leeper, MD, IBCLC
Medical Director
MilkWorks
A non-profit Corporation providing breastfeeding education, consultation and
support in Lincoln, NE

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