Hi, I have a question about the appropriate response to a childbirth educator who is giving inaccurate information about baby's feeding frequencies.  I am attending classes with a client as her Doula, as her SO has exited the picture and she needs additional support.  There have been several issues during the 4 weeks that I have made notes on and plan on giving a kind but honest critique in the hopes that she may seek out additional newer, more accurate information for her classes. I will be training as a CBE myself, so this is near and dear to my heart. She stated in class "Babies eat about 6-8 times a day". She was referring to newborns and the neonatal period.  I spoke up and asked, "Isn't that number a little low? I understood breastfed babies eat about 8-12 times a day?"
   
  Unfortunately, she kind of just shrugged me off, as if to say, no, you're wrong, it's 6-8 times.  This was really odd to me, unless she is a diehard formula promoter. I have BF 4 children myself, one is 27 months and still nursing, and I've been a BF peer counselor and a doula for almost 5 years.  I am not an expert, yet, by any means, but I am a serious student of lactation and it seemed that she was quoting what a FORMULA fed baby would do.  Isn't it the ethical responsibility of a person teaching a childbirth class to either A. Always define the method of feeding in regards to frequency   or B. Always use the biological norm when referring to newborn behaviour, and then defining the sub-norm, i.e. ABM feeding?
   
  My big concern is that the other parents in the class are walking away from the class thinking nursing will be 6-8 times a day from the start. This IME, is setting them up for failure, when their precious bundle wants to eat TWICE as often, they will assume they're "not making enough milk" "the baby is always hungry" "I'm failing" and they will , once again, turn to formula.  I have seen this already, over and over in my community and to have a CBE stating without definition, babies eat 6-8 times a day, and then when questioned, to not grasp the opportunity to define, BF babies eat 8-12, formula-fed MAY eat as little as 6-8 times a day, is very frustrating.
   
  What is the best way to approach this issue? 
  It may seem like nitpicking, but I see it as the beginning of a long list of small failures (such as hospital practices just after birth, baby seperation,etc) that are slowly eroding the mother's foundation of knowledge and support before the baby is even born!
  I don't want to go directly to managerial or administrative staff, because that won't stop someone from giving out incorrect information if they believe they're right. The odd thing is, I know the LC on staff at this hospital, I've collaborated with her for pts. and I've sat in on her Breasfeeding classes and she's VERY clear about the frequency of feeding and cluster feeding and sleep patterns, getting enough sleep at night, etc.  The disparity is alarming, as then parents attending BOTH classes will be getting conflicting information.
  Help!
  thanks in advance, 
   Jennifer Delaney

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