Hi All, Coach Smith here. I'm not sure whether this is a rant or a tantrum,
and it's not meant PERSONALLY at anybody, so please so don't take it that
way.
I've been disturbed by some conversations with colleagues and some posts
where the emphasis has been on "I think" or "I say." Those kinds of
responses should be limited to very tentative ideas for the newest, rarest
issues - those areas of practice where nothing yet has been published in any
journal or book related to lactation. Sixteen years ago, "I think" might
have been the only recourse for solving many BF problems. The times have
(thankfully) changed.
There are many excellent texts on lactation available worldwide. The Journal
of Human Lactation has been in print for 16 years, and the Internet has made
searching for published studies relevant to lactation available even to
cyber-novices. For example, try PubMed at
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi and follow the instructions
for searching on a topic. I have links to many professional journals on my
web site www.bflrc.com. People can learn about breastfeeding management via
good on-site and distance programs. Breastfeeding management is both art and
science, and we need to have the existing science at the tips of our
fingers.
Climbing up on my soapbox now... and shouting to nobody in particular....
Please DO YOUR HOMEWORK on common issues like nipple confusion, allergy,
milk synthesis, etc.! ! This stuff HAS been addressed in print, recently,
and rather well.
Back on the ground, hardly even out of breath...
This week I am taking the time to file over 100 research articles topics
that I've collected over the past year. Yes, it's tedious to decide whether
an article on nipple yeast belongs in "infant infections" or "breast
pathology" or "BF management" or all of the above. I spent hard-earned
dollars on plenty of three-ring-binders, page protectors, a sturdy 3-hold
punch, binder labels, etc. I am also taking the time to enter the title,
authors, journal citation in a database on my computer so I can FIND the
articles later.
This is part of being a professional. This is also essential to our
collective credibility with clients, peers, and the general public.
Do your homework.
Linda J. Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC
Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre www.bflrc.com
6540 Cedarview Ct., Dayton, OH 45459-1214 USA
(937) 438-9458 email [log in to unmask]
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