Pamela writes:

"All  educators have been asked to stop saying epidurals can possibly cause 
 suppressed suckling, etc after birth.  We have been told to stress skin  
to skin.  Anesthesia is not happy.  It seems the literature is not  
conclusive in the latest studies...any thoughts....we love our work here and  all 
want to live in harmony :)"
~~~
I often wish that hospital staff who don't find the literature conclusive  
could actually have time with these babies who are struggling, and their 
moms  whose lower limbs are edematous, sometimes up through the knees and even 
the  trunk and hands. Combine the baby's issue and the mom's and it is a 
recipe  for frustration, underfeeding necessitating supplementation, and 
exhaustion  leading to breastfeeding abandonment. 
 
Since supposedly breastfeeding is important as an individual,  family and 
public health issue, wouldn't the burden of proof be that unless  they 
conclusively have NO negative effects, it's worth talking about? But  really 
Pamela, I hear you. Can you take photos or videos of healthy term babies  who 
cannot find a breast and self-attach normally, photos of mom's limbs,  to 
share? Could you ask what effects they could consider as truly indicative of  a 
problem? How they might be documented in a way that would be meaningful? 
Maybe  getting input on what they consider normal post-birth behavior and skills 
in a  newborn would help find common ground for discussion. ( I find that 
subtle  skills not being in place can so easily be dismissed. We need others 
to be able  to understand that those subtle skills are critical.) Changing 
what we've come  to accept and expect as a norm, is a hard road. I was in my  
own doctor's office not long ago and heard a young woman actually  yelling 
at the doctor to get off her back because it was none of her  business and 
that really we have on conclusive evidence that smoking  is bad for health.
 
Wow.
 
Peace,
Judy 

Judy LeVan  Fram, PT, IBCLC, LLLL
Brooklyn, NY,  USA
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