Re: the one that "feels that Breastfeeding is good but that many women
(especially low income/low education women) are too irresponsible to
Breastfeed!  His view is outragous and I have told him so, but how do I go
about changing his mind?"

It's not HIS mind you have to change; it's that the women you work with need
to be supported enough to not let this doc's views interfere with their
desire to BF. You can do that, by your attitude towards them and your strong
support of BFing and their ability to do it, without ever confronting him.
It's not about him!

Re: the other, "much worse" one. Same recommendation. You won't change these
guys, and you don't have much to gain by going head-to-head with them. When
women tell you that their OB says they "have to" take such-and-such a drug
and that he's told them it's not compatible with BFing, you can 1)copy the
appropriate page(s) from your trusty Hale (which you should get your WIC
director to order, or ask your Public Health nsg. dep't to get for your
office - it's something both WIC & PHN should have!) and give the mom 2
copies - one for herself and one for her doctor and/or 2)gently remind the
mom that an OB may not be the best person to be prescribing "psych meds" for
her. Make other suggestions of available options, depending on what's
available and realistic for these moms. Otherwise, all you can do is
continue to support the mother in her wish to BF, help her problem-solve,
and remind her that the ultimate choice is *hers* to make, not the doc's.
(Or yours, for that matter!)

It really comes down to helping your women take the power that they already
actually have into their own hands, when it comes to decision-making for
themselves & their babies. Doctors can make recommendations, but ultimately
it rests with the woman to decide. Your role is to provide correct
information (to counteract dumb stuff she's hearing elsewhere) and support
for her, not just as a potential breastfeeder but as a competent, capable
woman who is able to weigh advice and make decisions on the basis of the
information she gets. When you do that, you don't have to worry about the
background noise of these doctors - you're not arguing with *them*, you are
providing information and support to the women in whose hands the choices
actually rest.

Pretty radical concept, huh? Goes right to the roots - no wonder they're
scared of the power we women have to give and sustain life! (What - you mean
the "doctor" isn't in charge of the process??)

Don't let them sucker you into any spitting contests - you know the facts,
and you're there for mothers & babies, and that's about it.

And, as a very old retired doctor once told me, when he came across me in
the back stairwell of the hospital where I worked, crying over some
*stupid*, ignorant thing another doc had said, "Don't let the bastards grind
you down"! (He said it in Latin, and it was very elegant, but I can never
remember it right that way.)

Cathy Bargar, RN, IBCLC Ithaca NY

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