I absolutely agree: "implying that there is something wrong with a woman's
body before it is evident is not a benign intervention."

I hope any parent who has a discussion with me, about any red or yellow
flags for milk production issues, who walks away feeling that I have
informed them that there is "something wrong" with their body, gives me a
good swift poke in the ribs.

My post encouraged "a good clinician [to] use excellent parent-centered
communication skills."  My approach (greatly abbreviated here, of course,
compared to a real face-to-face consultation) is to cover "You might have
supply isues, here is why I say that, and here is what to look for."

With IGT-signalling parents, I also spend a whole boatload of time
affirming and validating what marvelous things are happening (because
something marvelous always IS happening--we have a newborn!), and stress
over and over again that appearance is not proof -- it is a marker.

I go back to Cassar-Uhl's book.  She did the research; she interviewed the
parents with IGT.  They said: We want information about our bodies, and we
are entitled to get information about our bodies.  I am persuaded.

To repeat: information never hurt anyone.  But, please fer cyrin' out loud
-- let us all as clinicians impart information in an empowering (not
diminishing) manner.
Liz Brooks, JD, IBCLC, FILCA
Wyndmoor, PA, USA

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