In a message dated 6/13/00 1:48:25 AM, [log in to unmask] writes:

<< I have been hitting my head up against the wall a lot recently.  I would

like some encouragement and words of wisdom from the great collective.


I would like the 5 w's for ways to educate the physicians in my community.


Have had many examples, here are a few

        stop breastfeeding because the bilirubin is too high

        supplement after breastfeeding because babies that are supplemented

grow better                 and are healthier

        Stop breastfeeding or pump and dump because you are on gentamycin

        stop breastfeeding because you are being started on coumadin


Yes we have Tom Hale's book readily available, I have even talked with

physicians directly with information and was told that they didn't believe

it and the mother wasn't allowed to breastfeed.


The most recent one was about the coumadin and the mother will be on it for

4-6 weeks.  She was told that she could pump and dump for that time and then

breastfeed after she is off of the coumadin.  I wanted to scream.>>


Beth,
I was becoming frustrated about a year ago w/ all of the babies with birth
trauma who wouldn't bf. I found that mothers who were willing to take babies
for bodywork (cranial-sacral, massage, Network Chiropractic or energy-based
PT) would have nursing babies w/in a few days and those who wouldn't (b/c of
fear, usually inflicted by the ped) would wean. So, I went to the largest ped
practice in my community w/ all of the facts--case studies (their own clients
mostly), a retrospective one-month study I had done while working in hospital
and the facts about bodywork (specifically chiropractic). I presented a lot
of information as well as all of my rationale. I told them that I had a chiro
willing to meet w/ them to answer questions as well.
    The result: they stopped making referrals to me! I heard through one of
the nurses (who supported me) that one of the ped's in particular resented my
attempts to educate them. And, I was extremely diplomatic (believe me, I know
when I am not being diplomatic!).
    So now, when I see their clients and I think a baby needs a referral, I
tell the parents the truth. This is what I think the baby needs and why. I
give names of other parents they can talk to (w/ permission, of course) if
they wish. I tell them that the ped will not support this choice due to lack
of education, but that it is theirs to make. I also tell them my personal
experiences w/ these practitioners and my own children. And I tell them that
even if they decide not to bf, their baby will still have to cope w/ the
results of the trauma (sometimes I choose another word(s)) if it is not
corrected. I explain that if you hurt your leg and do not allow it to heal
properly, you can still walk, but you may need to limp. It may eventually
feel normal to do so and you may have to sacrifice certain things b/c of it,
like sports, but otherwise you will be fine. I use this analogy to explain to
the parents why learning to cope when it isn't needed can easily go unnoticed
and still be harmful. The outcome has been that many of the parents choose
bodywork, but refuse to tell the ped they have done so. I, of course, want
them to talk about it, b/c it works, but the parents are afraid to make the
ped's mad at them (no, I'm not kidding, all of you truly supportive docs who
are reading this!).
    My point is, that while I have not given up on my efforts to educate
physicians, I focus more on the parents. No doctor can tell a mother she
*cannot* bf unless she allows it to happen. Maybe I have seen too many
residents sleep through bf in-services or Grand Rounds, but I am not
enthusiastic about making rapid changes among them. IMO, real change will
come when either the majority of parents demand it or HCP's are held
accountable for the damage that artificial feeding is doing to children.
Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA

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