Greetings Fellow Lactnuts,
This is my first entry. I lurk and scan Lactnet to keep up on the latest
discussions, as I wait to restart my business. My name is Vicki Sanders,
RDH, ICCE, IBCLC. A year ago, our family moved from Kentucky to Florida.
It's been an overwhelming adjustment. We have two teenage daughters who
finally admit they like Florida "a little," and a ten year old son who's just
happy, as long as there's something to do!
I have to add my two cents to bottle nipple as nipple shield discussion. In
KY, I owned and operated an LC & pump rental business, and I was the on call
LC for the local hospital. At the end of a very long day, a young lady
phoned me, said the hospital had referred her to get a breast pump, so she
could return to school. During the conversation I discovered, she was 16,
returning to high school, baby two weeks old, only nursing three times a day
with bottle nipple on mothers breast, no BM in days. She never thought this
a problem because her baby was "so good." I was scared! I had not seen her
in the hospital, because the nurse had fixed the latch-on problem with the
bottle nipple.
I packed my 3 children in the car and went to her home. Baby was lethargic
and dehydrated. No portable scales with me (never again), but obviously not
gaining weight. To make a very long story short, with proper instruction,
encouragement, and correct intervention, mother and baby had a thriving BF
relationship for nearly one year. I get a knot on my stomach every time I
think of this Mom.
Since that incident, believe it or not, this is a practice that continued.
Days before I moved to Florida, I had a phone consultation with a home bound
mother 50 miles from me. Had the same nurse with the same advice (device).
Baby a week old and no LC's in her area for me to refer her to. In much
anguish and tears she decided not to try breastfeeding any longer.
The appropriate use of every device, along with correct instruction on it's
purpose, the outcome that is expected from it's use, and a resonable
timetable for the use of the device is what we should expect from ourselves
and other health professionals. Our patients deserve no less. Informed
consent is the beginning, no what the intervention, breastpumps, finger
feeders, nipple shields, etc.
Thanks for the soapbox.
Vicki Sanders, RDH, ICCE, IBCLC
From the Sunshine State, in need of some rain!
***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
|
