Ann Calandro writes:

> << They have become bogged down in the difficult cases. They do not hear the
> glowing tales of joy that one might hear, say, at a La Leche League meeting,
> nor do they read the stories of happy breastfeeding that one might read in a
> LLL magazine....

That is so true!  But there is hope that some of the physicians are
being exposed to women who are having wonderful experiences.  but the
question is are the women sharing this with their docs?

Elisheva Urbas wrote:
>  I would love to know how to let physicians know that breastfeeding is not a
>  horribly difficult most nutritious food for the baby.  Any thoughts on this?

Probably the best way to do it is to get women who have those glowing
tales of joy to tell actually share them with their physicians when they
go in for the well baby checks, the immunizations, the occasional family
illness (especially where the older child is ill and baby isn't)  Those
kinds of things do make an impression on busy physicians.  My DH
frequently remarks on how so and so has just stopped breastfeeding and
now her baby is having to be seen for an earache or other illness.  But
he remembers that they have had a good bf experience previous to that
based on the well baby visits, etc.  (NOW I will admit, he does already
have a positive bf bias, because I told him he better!  And then we had
our three girls, so he saw it first hand.)

>
> Is it possible to send gift subscriptions to New Beginnings?

Judging from the mailbox for my DH, such a sub might very well end up in
the waiting room, and never in the doctor's reading stack.  Last time we
moved and I had to do address change notices (that was 13 years ago)
there were over 150 reoccurring mailings coming to him.  This included
throw-away tabloid type medical newspapers, special journals sponsored
by pharmaceutical companies, membership associated journals such as the
Family Physician Journal, special interest group publications such as
the Lung Association, Heart, CP, etc.  We throw away at least 50 pounds
of reading material a month that has had only a cursory glance to
distinquish it from the "keepers" which go into a stack for a more
discriminating evaluation.  That stack is probably another 10 pounds or
more.  What he actually gets read is really only a small portion of what
he receives.

Now if a mom were to come in and share a story from New Beginnings, as
something which was especially meaningful to her that might also have an
impact.
Melinda Hoskins, MS, RN
Minden, NV

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