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Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 3 Feb 2004 16:50:05 EST
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Dear Lactnetters:

As a Manhattan private practice LC, I have the opportunity to salvage the
nursing experiences of Dr. Michel Cohen's patients on a regular basis.   His book
is absolutely horrible.   The chapter on breastfeeding is particularly
abysmal.  Not only is it incorrect (e.g. breastmilk can stay in the refrigerator "a
good twenty-four hours," or, "Your doctor will prescribe antibiotics for your
shooting pains," but it is borderline libellous to our profession.   I have
transcribed the section on "Breastfeeding Consultants" for your reading
pleasure:

"Breastfeeding's resurgent popularity has given rise to the new profession of
lactation specialist.   The ideal person for this job would be your mother or
an older sister.   The specialist's primary task is to hold your hand and
give you the emotional support and guidance you need when things get rocky.
Most breastfeeding problems, especially that of latching on, are caused by
apprehension about doing it improperly.   A reassuring presence can help you gain
confidence.

Beyond the expert hand-holding, however, I take a dim view of their
professional equipment and theories.   In particular, if Lucy develops latching
difficulty, a specialist might advise you to give poor Lucy sucking lessons with your
finger in order to reeducate her "disabled" tongue.   They might show you
some awkward nursing positions that will likely make you more anxious or hook you
up to a "supplemental nursing system," a tube that's taped to your breast and
connected to a pouch that's filled with milk.   It's completely unnatural for
Lucy to suck from a tube, and not only will this bionic contraption teach her
nothing about nursing, it will also discourage you further.

Last but not least, they might recommend clipping Lucy's frenulum, the thin
membrane under her tongue.   This idea is based on an incorrect, mostly
discredited belief that a short frenulum can cause nursing problemsby creating a
restrictive 'tongue tie,' which is, in fact, just a normal varient in tongue
shape.   This costly procedure won't improve nursing either.

Clearly, there is a market for the lactation specialist's services.   I'd
still recommend a female family member or friend first, but if they aren't
available, you can hire a lactation specialist to help out at your house, as long as
she leaves her equipment at hers."

My favorite bit, however, is in the "Sleep" section, under the "Four months"
of age category, in which he assures the reader he has "broken the [getting
her to sleep through the night] process down into three simple steps:

1) Put Lucy in her crib at a reasonable hour (while she's still awake, if
possible)...
2) After the baths and the songs, kiss her good night.
3) Come back the next morning at 7 am."

And this man was dubbed the hip, "must-have" pediatrician by a paper here in
NYC.

Heather Kelly, MA, IBCLC
NY, NY USA

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