very good question re alternate feeding: is bottle feeding going to preserve
bf better or will it be the end of bf sooner due to bottles being seen as
more normative and able to be continued? this is a question every lc must
struggle with i think. i agree that the best tactic is to present the
options to the parents. i think, too, that if a very short term alternate
fdg is needed, like in hospital with a sleepy or jaundiced baby, then
syringe, spoon, etc would work well. if a long term non-bfer is expected,
like the case with the large nipples and small baby, then bottle feeding may
work better. i think one of the big issues that i am really seeing is
motivation to bf or committment to bf. i think somewhere i saw a pyramid,
similar to the food pyramid, with factors influencing bf. the bottom or base
of the pyramid was motivation (or committment). without this, the mother
will not persist, regardless of alternate fdg method chosen. of course,
having the healthcare system, friends, family, and culture supporting bf
would help. i know her committment is influenced by all the above, but
ultimately it is the mom who chooses. this may seem callous, but i am seeing
this more and more as a factor. if i am the one coming back again and again
into her room and she is saying, oh i gave him a bottle due to having
visitors (for example), or if i'm making all the f/u calls and the mom is
really not seeking out help or going to pick up the pump that i've arranged
for her via the wic program or the one she says yes she is going to rent,
then she is really not motivated to continue.
Laurie Wheeler, IBCLC, MN, RN
New Orleans Louisiana, s.e. USA
_________________________________________________________________
Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail.
http://www.hotmail.com
***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
|
