Hi,

I agree with all the posts that have answered this question. Learning a 
bit of dettachment while continuing to care and help a 
non-pro-breastfeeding friend is hard. Protecting oneself from the pain 
of it is hard. It always helps me to know that I can feel good when I do 
my job, which is to offer accurate information and support to the best 
of my abbilities. Wether that is accepted by the receiver is NOT my job 
and it is out of my control.

About the abuse issue, last month I was giving a lactation course in a 
hospital and I went over that topic. During the break a neonathologist 
came up to me saying that she had just had a hard experience: she had 
been insisitng that a mom provide milk for her 29 week preemie and the 
mother had been saying no and no. Finally she had broken down crying and 
said to the doctor that when her husband got angry he would hit her 
breasts, so she could not stand the thought of touching them. This mom 
should never had had to tell the doctor her story under these 
circumstances, forced into telling it because of the doctor´s excesive zeal.

I think moms who are informed of the benefits of breastmilk and 
understand them but still refuse to breastfeed should be offered donor 
human milk, if there is the slightest possibility of getting it. Even if 
they don´t verbalize it, I am sure these moms feel a degree of guilt for 
not providing breastmilk for their children, specially if they are ill 
or premature. By offering donor or banked milk we might help those moms 
while we know that we are also helping their cheildren.

What a beautiful job we have!

Kika

-- 
Dra. Carmela Baeza
Lactancia Materna
Centro de Atención a la Familia "Raíces"
C/Bravo Murillo 221, 2ºA
28020 Madrid
Tel 91 571 1282
www.centroraices.com

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