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Subject:
From:
Nikki Lee <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 29 Oct 2004 19:16:39 EDT
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Dear Friends:
    My deepest sympathy to Pamela and the mother of the  tongue-tied baby.
     I wish this mother had had the energy to  stand up and make a scene in
the MD's office. (The one that said the tongue tie  wasn't severe enough to
clip because the baby will grow out of it.  Meanwhile mom's nipples are like
aching hamburger.) I wish the mother had raged  and yelled at the MD, and said
something like, "Look at my nipples,  they are damaged because my baby can't
latch well.  My baby deserves  and needs to be breastfed, and why are you ignoring
the seriousness of this  situation?!"
    I wish this mother had had a doula or some advocate  or some family
member with her to fight for her, because she doesn't have the  energy to fight,
having been in pain and worked so hard since the baby was  born.
    When, oh when, will the US take breastfeeding  seriously? Even the ad
campaign seems like high-class lip service to me. "Sure,  babies are born to be
breastfed, but we sure as hell won't help you." Talk about  inducing guilt!!
How do mothers feel when they act on a health promotion message  and don't get
help?
    I feel an exploding sense of helpless outrage  everytime I hear or am
part of a case such as the one Pamela described. I  see it in the hospital where
I am a relief LC all the time: "Your baby has to  eat, you don't have enough
milk because your milk hasn't come in yet, so  give a bottle."  And even more
outrageous: "Your baby is sick (or has  jaundice or is premature), so stop
giving the best food in the world and give  bottles of this inferior stuff."
    Sometimes I feel like giving up. I am outnumbered.  For every
breastfeeding advocate or wonderful case where the mother and the baby  get it together
despite all odds, there are 100+ cases of healthcare  practitioner ignorance
and poor practice.
    I HATE feeling on the loosing side. I need truth to  prevail.
    warmly,
Nikki Lee RN, MS, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CCE
Maternal-Child Adjunct  Faculty Union Institute and University
Film Reviews Editor, Journal of Human  Lactation
Support the WHO Code and the Mother-Friendly Childbirth  Initiative

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