I've been stewing about the RD K. Bruce mentioned who thinks ABM and
BM are equivalent.  She should know better and I'm sorry that she put
a bad light on the gazillions of RDs out there who are up to date in
their field.  I, too, would refer her to the Marsha Walker article
(JHL 6/92) as well as all of the Best Start information (C. Bryant).
Best Start even has a new "magazine" out dealing with the subjects of
teens - "Your New Life" - write for a professional copy @ Best Start,
Inc., 3500 E. Fletcher Ave., Suite 308, Tampa, FA  33613.

With regard to teens and their compromised diet, I think it would be
helpful to explain to this RD that in 3rd world countries, infants
thrive at the breast, even if the mother is severely malnourished.
Only when the infant is weaned does malnutrition start to affect the
weanling.  Health professionals like this RD make BF so complicated,
so "medical".  A teenager's diet will not "poison" an infant - how
many of us (even us RDs) had perfect diets while pregnant OR
breastfeeding??  Good nutrition is primarily for the mother's health,
well-being, stamina, wellness, etc.  Teens are not often looking at
long term health, but daily energy level, may be more motivating to
them when trying to convince them to eat well.

Finally, Kathleen's note said nothing could or would ever changer
this RDs mind RE:  BM.  I can't help but wonder if this RD is tied up
in knots about the "guilt" issue - either her own or her misguided
feelings that she will make non-BF feel guilty.  This guilt thing
bothers me, especially coming from health professionals.  Do health
professionals withhold scientific information from clients in any
other are of health education?  Do we not tell smokers the hazards of
smoking for fear of making them feel guilty if they don't quit?  Does
this RD NOT tell pts hazards of high fat diets because she doesn't
want to make them feel guilty down the road if they develop heart
disease or cancer??  Does she not tell diabetics about sound ways to
eat, because she is afraid they will feel guilty if they binge
occassionally?  OF COURSE NOT!!

The best we can do is provide this RD with scientific information,
ask her to do the same, discuss the issue and hope for the best.
It's kind of like the issue in the 70s with holding off on infant
cereal until 4-6 months.  In spite of the scientific evidence
presented in the 50s by the AAP, many health professionals resisted
and denied the science, until, through constant plodding and
persistence, it is finally more the norm than the exception to not
give infant cereal until closer to 6 months.  That only took 40 years.
  We LCs have to be continually persistent and plod along, even
though it gets so tiring sometimes to go against the current.  So
many societal changes to happen along the way!
Theresa Gutsch, MS, RD, CLE