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Lactation Information and Discussion

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Subject:
From:
Sue Petracek <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 6 Dec 1997 22:05:50 -0000
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Our discussion here is on two levels:
-our philosophy of breastfeeding as it fits into various cultures, what
the ideal would be, wanting to encourage each mom to be her best;
-the reality of day to day working with moms/health care
providers/family/insurance companies (I could go on and on) to try to put
those philosophies into practice.

I suspect most of us here would be in very close agreement on the first
level. We want breastfeeding to be the norm, we know the benefits, we
eagerly explore both what's new and what's old, and our passion for our
field comes from deep within us as humans - more profound than we are
able to express in words.

The second level is what gets messy. We all have biases, although it's
easy to overlook our own. Most of us need to make a living. Whether
someone takes home a regular paycheck from an organization which employs
them (hospital, county/state, non-profit) or tries to make a living in
private practice or renting pumps, is only a matter of degree. The
connection between the money and the job is just less apparent in some
cases.

I love to read, discuss, learn and teach breastfeeding. I (try to) make a
living selling things. It is up to me to bring my integrity and ethics to
the process. Discussions like this are always healthy - we need to check
our motivations and actions constantly. I believe the service I provide
(moving product from manufacturer to customer, adding information and
value along the way) is valuable. I find it hard to believe I am creating
the need.

It can't sell a mom something I don't think she needs, because I am there
with her and this is a person to person relationship.

I think businesses begin to compromise ethics when they take on a life of
their own and lose touch with the human beings they serve. I've met few
people who would sell or do something to a customer that was not good for
the customer if they were standing face to face with that person. I've
met many people who really didn't have a clue because they were so
distant from their customer.

There are no answers that are absolute. We do need to continue to call
one another back to the philosophy to give direction to the messiness of
the real world.

********************************************************************
Sue Petracek              * [log in to unmask]
Bosom Buddies, Inc.       * www.bosombuddies.com
(888) 860-0041 Toll Free  * Helping mothers breastfeed successfully
********************************************************************

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