Stepahine,
In this area, it may be useful for you to look outside your own culture.
The term "breastfeeding jaundice" is not one even used in most
countries, and the aggressive practices you mention are not standard, or
even common, in most maternity units across the world. If medical
proceedures and terms are not standard, it's often useful to investigate
why: has culture made a problem when there isn't one?
I can imagine how difficult it might be, to be asked to do a paper on
something by your lecturers, to find that it doesn't exist, especially
when you have so many papers stating it does. But I think if you look
closley, there is no such thing as 'breastfeeding jaundice', there is
only jaundice in newborns, and the issues on how that is best treated,
if at all. That jaundice presents differently, sometimes, for those
newborns on formula, is an issue of looking at what the formula is doing
and/or checkign assumptions about what is actually going on. Jaundice
is not caused by breastfeeding.
If this sounds topsy turvey to you, I'd reccomend you read this
article: http://www.fresnofamily.com/articles/watchyourlanguage.htm
It explains that the language used in the past few decades around
breastfeeding, has had a tendacy to pitch formula as the 'norm' and thus
describe breastfeeding, and breastmilk as 'extra' or 'different'. This
is not a rational approach. Breastmilk, and breastfeeding, are the
norm. Evrything else should be described in relation to it: it is the
default. Thus we can't have breastfeeding jaundice - only jaundice.
I'm hoping that makes sense: I'm suggesting you widen out your search to
look at all issues of jaundice in newborns, and not just concentrate on
the myth of 'breastfeeding causes jaundice'. You may be surprised by
what you find. You might want to start with 5.3.2 here...
http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/publications/msm_98_3/msm_98_3_6.html
whereby the WHO states it is "It is both normal and common for healthy
newborn infants to become jaundiced." If it is both common and normal,
then it is not a problem and it is not related to breastfeeding, but to
being born?
This may sound spectacularly useless advice. But there are those of us
who'd argue that it's only by staying in touch with the normal and
common, and changing the language, that real change can occur. If you
'defend' against 'breastfeeding jaundice' you are always going to be
arguing within a faulty structure - and you will never win - for you are
agreeing such a thing exists. If you change your own language so you
only discuss "common and normal jaundice in healthy newborns" then you
make them have to prove otherwise. :-)
You could actually start your report off on the langauge issue, and
state up front, you will be discussing 'newborn jaundice'. :-)
Hope this helps
Morgan Gallagher
(In the UK, where we don't have "breastfeeding jaundice" - just jaundice)
Stephanie Lloyd wrote:
> Hello. I am a nursing student in Indianapolis, IN and was assigned to study
> and present a report on breastfeeding jaundice. I am appreciative of this
> assignment as I have learned so much; however, my studies have raised many
> concerns for me. JCAHO has issued an alert regarding BFJ and the alert
> focuses on improvements in patient care in order to prevent BFJ. These
> improvements focus on assessment, follow-up care, education and aggressive
> action with babies that are not feeding effectively.
>
>
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