>If a cardiologist was ignorant about proper procedure to prevent
>excessive blood loss, but well-intentioned when he performed open heart
>surgery, what would people say?

Exactly. Going back to an earlier discussion about "bad" breastfeeding
advice in older textbooks ("nurse 2 minutes per side...") - isn't this a
form of malpractice? This kind of negligence, and subsequent excusing and
throwing up of hands only happens with breastfeeding. If this kind of
horrible advice were given to a diabetic "it's ok to eat brownies in the
morning" etc. that resulted in a loss of vision, we call it malpractice, or
negligence. When the breastfeeding relationship is destroyed - indeed,
stolen from mothers and babies, we call it ignorance and even venture to
assign good intentions. We (myself included) are being too kind. All other
forms of negligence seem to have at least the possibility of legal
repurcussions, but never the theft of the breastfeeding relationship
although an enormous wealth of info exists to support alternative feeding
methods as causally related to later disease and disability for all
involved. There is a reason this has been so and will continue to be so:

Breastfeeding is disposible.

it is still always the first thing to go, the first thing to sacrifice, the
first thing to "test". How can HCP's be expected to stay current on topics
as infinitely disposible as breastfeeding? It must seem like reading
journals on cloth diapering - "nice if you can do it, but the alternative is
easily available and just as good".

Michelle DePesa

p.s. to add insult to injury, now the accusation that an IBCLC is not a
health professional?

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