Hi everybody
Ro's comments the other day about horrific hospital practices
made me wonder once again about training for nurses and doctors.
At the LLL convention I went to a session with Ruth Lawrence
about this issue.  Her basic point was that the info. must be
presented in context of the rest of the training and it must
be on the exams.  Somehow we need to be reaching medical school
and nursing school faculty in order to start the new generation
out properly educated.  Although I do agree that we need to
empower mothers and fathers it iss not always enough.  Particularly
in the hospital new parents are extremely vulnerable.  With my
second child I was already an LLL leader and I can still remember
three incidents in the three days that I was there (20 years ago)
where hospital procedures could have made an enormous difference.
1- in the delivery room they wanted to take her away "to put her
under the warmer" to prevent a drop in temp.  I managed to
remember that mother's warmth is also effective in keeping a baby
warm, and politely told the nurse that I still needed to hold her
I also cited some study I had heard of about this.
2- 24 hours later (rooming in didn't start until 48 hours) I went
to the nursery and saw her crying.  I asked for her, since her
chart said demand feeding, and was told that Because of shift
change, I would have to wait a few minutes until they could
get her ready.  I don't know exactly where my brains where
but I stood there for 1/2 hour until they brought her out
to me.  The door was right there and yet I didn't go in.
3- The morning of her discharge the nurse came in and saw the
breastfeeding log that rooming in mothers were required to
keep.  We also had to weigh pre and post feeds.  Anyhow I had
been nursing like clockwork every 2 hours (she stayed on that
schedule for about 6 months).  With her voice dripping scorn
and I don"t know what else, she said"you're not going to do
that at home,Are You?"  I managed to say something
and turned around to the phone and called my co-leader.

Moral - I have always considered myself reasonably assertive,
even before it was in style, and not afraid of a good
fight over a matter of principle when it was important
but I remained vulnerable.  In order to help most women
we need to do aa better job educating health care providors
of all types in a meaningful way.  In my opinion the nurses who
do so much of the primary care still have a lot to learn
abou7t breastfeeding.  I don't think we can afford
to let generation upon generation of these health care
providers leave school without adequate bf education.
In service and continuing ed. is not enough.

Sorry to ramble on so long but I have been seeing and
hearing almost the same stuff for 21 years as a leader
and I get frustrated sometimes.

Sarah Barnett LLL leader, NYC