Not much you can do with such a person.  S/he will eventually retire.  I
am amazed, however, at the arrogance, hubris, of a person that can speak
of God's mistake.  As many neonatologists count themselves amongst the
gods, and, are very occasionally willing to admit that even they make
mistakes, then God too must make mistakes.  S/He made a mistake when he
developed human milk.  Formula companies, however, *never* make
mistakes.

I think this is the point you should press.  It is fair to say that this
neonatologist knows nothing about breastfeeding.  Where did s/he learn
anything about breastfeeding?  Babies do not become dehydrated because
there is no colostrum.  Babies become dehydrated because they do not get
the colostrum/milk that is available.  And the reason this happens is
that people such as him/her set up routines and interfere in such a way
that babies get started poorly.  And because we have staff in hospital
who don't know the difference between feeding on the breast and just
sucking and how to help mothers get a baby properly latched on.  Most of
the babies I have seen who become dehydrated *were* supplemented in
hospital.  And they became dehydrated despite the fact that the mother
had, in the majority of cases, more than enough milk, and that we helped
the mother get breastfeeding exclusively in the vast majority of cases.

Unfortunately, neonatologists see a very skewed point of view of what
life is all about.  As a resident in pediatrics, working in a tertiary
care NICU, (where most neonatologists are trained), I thought the worst
thing that could happen to a baby was to pass meconium in utero, because
meconium aspiration was such a terrible disease.

When I began working in a peripheral hospital, I soon learned that the
*vast majority* of babies that pass meconium in utero, even thick
meconium, are perfectly alright, and never run into problems.  This is
why, by the way, many pediatricians still put babies who have passed
meconium into special care for observation for hours, or, even days.
This is completely unnecessary, since a baby who gets sick with meconium
aspiration is sick at birth.  In five years of seeing babies (hundreds
of deliveries in the peripheral hospital) with meconium in the liquor, I
never saw one develop meconium aspiration syndrome.  That's to point out
how skewed life in the NICU is.

The skewed point of view is a liar of magnificent proportions.

Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC

Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC