Thank you, Dr. Jen,

You are a credit to your profession, as many of us have said.

IMO, one of the most important things which can change physician attitudes
and education about breastfeeding is Medical School Lactation courses. I do
not know the number of med schools which offer lactation classes, but a few
years ago about 10 med schools (out of, what 150 or so schools in the US,
if I am correct, my numbers may be off) offered Lactation classes, and in
NONE of these schools was it required. Not for peds,ped specialties,
OBGYNS, Fam Pracs or anyone else. A lactation course should be required for
specialties which see a large number of women of childbearing age, IMO.

I approached a local medical school with a plan for Lactation course a few
years ago and got no response. This is a medical school I respect, because
many of the doctors I have worked with, from the school and hospital, as a
patient and as an LC have good knowlege of breastfeeding, but most of them
claim it was all self learned or learned from LCs and nurses in the field.
(My own OB told me when he was in med school there was only one paragraph
in one of his OB books about BF, it read "Breastfeeding is best for both
the mother and the newborn. Encourage your patients to breastfeed." That
was it, no implementation strategies, no details, no explaination of "best"
ect. He refers to LCs regularly, because in his words "They know a heck of
a lot more about it than I do." His brother is a Neo and is infamous
for "forcing" mothers of preterm and other Neo patients to pump and then
breastfeed! He is, as far as I know, also self taught.) We need more docs
like this, those who either know BF or know when to refer, and aren't
afraid to refer when neccesary. Education of med schools students is
essensial to breastfeeding success.

I have seen more and more clients of late who have doctors who are more
than happy to defer BF situations to myself and other LCs, who trust my
weighing more than their "slidey scale's" weights, who tell moms to talk to
me, who are happy to accept recommendations for treatment for things like
mastitis and thrush from myself and other LCs, who will order tests for
things like thyroid. Things are changing, but all of these doctors have
self motivation about BF, and I think "getting them while they are young,"
and still in med school may be one key.

Does anyone know what is being done to make inroads to medical schools to
teach lactation?


Mary Jozwiak IBCLC, RLC, LLLL, AAPL
Private Practice

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