Gretchen writes:

<< As for the doc who doesn't believe in thrush, I'd hate to be driving near
him
 - what if he doesn't believe in stop lights either?  This is such arrogance!
 Hear it all the time from HCPs who "don't believe in - nipple confusion - or
 whatever.  Like this is related to a belief system!  Don't know what to say
 to those folks.  Facts is facts, and water is still wet even if you don't
 believe it!  Coming from a gentle sharing perspective tends to be a better
 means for advocating change.  Going head to head rarely fosters
 understanding.  >>


Here's another way to think about this:  don't argue about the theory, just
suggest about the practice.

For example, as Gretchen rightly says, nipple confusion isn't a matter of
belief.   But not because everybody WHO KNOWS and cares about bf believes
exactly the same thing about it --- a check of the archives will make clear
that there are plenty of different theories about what it is, or isn't, and
what babies are or might be susceptible to it.   So even if you hold
knowledgeable-majority opinion, why squabble with the ignorant about it?
Instead, you could say,

"You know, I agree with you in part -- among LCs there's a lot of
disagreement, too, about whether "nipple confusion" is a real diagnosis or
how to understand it.   But I think almost everyone agrees that some babies
do better when bottle nipples aren't part of their process of learning to
breastfeed, whatever the mechanism for that turns out to be.  So where we
don't need to bring them in we often try not to.  That was my point here
really -- that this seems like a situation where it would be OK if we don't,
so we might as well do no harm, don't you think?"

In other words, 1) Your intuition, Dr, is similar to that of some
knowledgeable folks.  2) But people who think like you still practice like
me.  3) My area of disagreement with you is tiny, so you can easily afford to
give it up to me -- it will be no skin off your nose.

Still doesn't always work -- some people are just jerks, after all -- but
sometimes can help.

Good luck, Elisheva

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