Greetings, all.  I have previously posted about my experiences with
breastfeeding and practicing medicine.  Some of you may remember that I
recently left my Family Practice office in a small semi-rural town to work in
a larger metropolitan area.  I received a call today from one of my former
partners.  She and I shared an office until August 2001.  I had my youngest
child August 2000, she had her first child September 2000.  She is still
breastfeeding, with some encouragement from me.  (She also had a breast
cancer scare which was very motivating.)
By way of background, I took Emily with me to the office every day until she
was about 8 months old, then on a decreasing schedule until 10 months.  My
former partner and I had a nice pumping schedule and a very supportive staff.
 Emily (my daughter) was in frequent attendance at hospital meetings, etc.  I
nursed her in the office, the hospital, the nursing home, etc., and never had
a negative comment.
My former partner went into the hospital last week on her day off to see two
hospitalized patients.  After she had seen her patients, she nursed her son
in the nurses station while charting.  (This is behind a half wall, and she
is very discreet, not that that is really relevant.)
Apparently two family physicians and the Director of Nurses complained to the
hospital administrator about her breastfeeding her child at the hospital.
They have no objection to her child being at the hospital (many of the
medical staff bring their kids with them if they are only going to be there a
short while) just to the breastfeeding.  The physicians involved are planning
to confront her at the monthly Medical Staff meeting next week, and to
suggest a policy against breastfeeding in the hospital (!).
The physicians in her group are very supportive of her position and plan to
vote against any policy.  (One is nursing/pumping and another has a nursing
newborn/toddler.)  She is a very strong person and has emailed Liz Baldwin,
gotten copies of the Texas law (which states that a woman can breastfeed
anywhere she is entitled to be) and plans to ask the complainers to submit
their complaint in writing before she responds to it.
I should add that the physician complainers are young family physicians who
are less than 3 years out of residency, and should know better!!  The
director of nurses is in her fifties.
The hospital administrator told my former partner that they had the same
feelings about my public breastfeeding, but were too AFRAID of me to
complain.  Should a policy be enacted, my friend plans to take legal action,
and I will be leading the public nurse in at the hospital (but I think I will
make an effort to recruit nursing toddlers and up).

Leigh Fredholm MD, FAAFP
who is very proud of my former partners, and ashamed of the FP colleagues
involved in this

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