Kathleen,

I think many of us are pissed with our systems. They just don't work. Like
someone else said, 'they' don't seem to understand that bf is a dance
between two people. My experience is that the only thing that matters is
that the baby grows, whether thats breast or ABM, who cares, all 'they' want
to see is a nice curve in the growth chart.

The system dishes out deep psychological wounds like Kathleen said. I've got
two women on my course at the moment who were given the most stupid info and
advice in the first week that they stopped bf within weeks because "there
breastmilk was of not of sufficient nutritional value". As you give
information about breastfeeding you see the psychological wound open up as
the penny (quarter, cent) drops. This happens a nearly every course I give,
I hear the same story from friends and it just makes you want to do
something horrible to the carers who were meant to look after mother and
baby in the first weeks.
If I think of the talk I had with that stupid ped. (I'm only bashing this
one,really) then my blood boils. I want to shake her until she gets it (and
boy she needs some basic training on blood sugars, jaundice and bf). Its ok
to be stupid enough not to be able to put water in your car (like me!) or
weed a garden (like my husband!) but its NOT OK to be stupid enough to give
ridiculous information about breastfeeding.

Somebody get me a ladder, I need to get down from my high horse.

Sara Bernard
The Netherlands
(ps one success though -  managed to persuade a friend to have a home birth
to keep her out of 'that place'!)

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