Hi All,
I have been away from daily reading (mostly scanning) here at LACTNET for a while - way too busy with lots of babies and the perpetual office work. I mean no offense to anyone here and maybe I am the one missing something in the numerous thread on Medela, or maybe our area of the country / world is just different - but - I just don't see the problem with pumping. Yes direct breastfeeding is more efficient, faster, better, and the list goes on and on - but what about the moms who do not have the option to direct breastfeed or won't be able to for some time. Maybe my view is tinted by the fact that I have worked NICU for 27 years before my current Lactation position and have seen great strides in the survival and caring for the pre-term infant and helping moms initiate and maintain
lactation.
Most of the mom's I see pumping have 22-32 week gestation babies in the NICU and struggle everyday to collect this precious gift for their babies. I remember the days of needing to pump for my own critically ill infant and having only a "bicycle horn style"
pump to use. What I would not have given for what we have now.
Yes I agree for the "average" mom a pump is not needed. We don't even give out a manual pump unless mom asks for one or there is a good reason (engorgement, short term stimulation, inverted nipples, etc.). Before it is given, questions are asked as to why mom thinks she "needs one", how she plans to use it and the different types of pumps and their use. This is a great time to to educate and discourage early, unnecessary pumping. In our prenatal breastfeeding classes we do briefly discuss the types of pumps and when to use them, and I discourage the purchase of a pump, regardless of the manufacture, until after the baby is born. Why spend the money if you don't need to.
I have tried to make an unbiased read of all the Medela threads and the WHO code and I do understand the reasoning behind it especially as it applies to third world
countries - but again do they have NICUs? What happens to their 22-32 week infants? It just doesn't seem to fit some how.
I have heard and on a few occasions worked with moms who were for a lack of a better description were " just too selfish / self-centered, busy, or uncaring / can't be bothered" to breastfeed their child directly or are pushed or guilt-ed into breastfeeding. They chose to pump and feed in a bottle. These folks have a whole different (in my opinion) set of problems or priorities. A big part of our social problems. But that is a whole other thread.
I wish I had a magic wand that I could wave and fix all the worlds problems, breastfeeding and caring for your child being among the 1st. But that is not going to happen. We can not fix societies problems or make people care. We can only try to improve the situation through education, support, and lots of patience.
I stitched a sampler many, many years ago as a young girl, it is called " The Serenity Pray". For those of you who may not of heard it before it goes like this:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not changeCourage to change the things I canAnd wisdom to know the difference
There are so many things we can not change - but there are some we can. Thank you all for letting me express my thoughts and again no offense is intended.
Ann Slaughter RN, IBCLCMobile, AL , USA
Medela and The Code
Re: Medela and The Code
From: "Regina M. Roig-Romero, Bs Ibclc" <[log in to unmask]>
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