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Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 22 May 1998 06:29:41 -0500
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I have an example of "Teaching MDs."  I worked with a mother who had called
her Ped. because baby wouldn't feed at her breast when he had been doing so
for 4 days. (before the mature milk developed) He told her to give the baby
a bottle of abm. She did, with much anguish.  5 minutes later baby threw it
all up (to Mom's relief), so Dad went out to rent a breast pump. She fed
the baby with a dropper because her first baby had weaned at 2 months after
repeated bottles and she didn't want it to happen this time.

Mom got my name from LLL and I arrived at day 7. Without much heroics baby
was feeding fine and continues to do so.

At the 2-week check-up she told the doctor, "The last thing a mother with a
new baby, who is having trouble breastfeeding, needs to hear from you is to
give formula.  When you told me that, and I gave my baby the bottle of
formula, I completely detached from him.  When he took the bottle when he
wouldn't feed from my breast, I felt as if he weren't my baby.  I didn't
know him."

The Ped. was silent for a bit, then asked, "What would you have me say?"

She replied, "Tell them to call Pat Gima.  She walked into my home and ..."

I sent the HCP report to him and yesterday received a call from him
thanking me for the work I had done with this patient, and saying that he
has put my card in his file and was sure that he will be referring his
patients to me in the future.

This "gutsy" mother did a lot of educating of a physician last week--a
crash course, but certainly to the point.  The business of medicine is
often consumer-driven as other business is.

And we all know of the hierarchy in the medical scene.  Many MDs don't want
to attend a breastfeeding program because they will be admitting to their
peers, and those beneath them, that they don't know something that peer
counsellors, LLLs, and LCs do. We'll have to get to this type "in the
privacy of their own homes", so to speak,--teach them when no one is
looking, send them material (anonymously) in plain brown wrappers. Or
educate them slowly through their patients.

Meanwhile we mop up as best we can, and be grateful for the physicians who
are open to learning from wherever the wisdom comes.

Did you notice in my last two posts that I have had TWO good Pediatrician
experiences this week?  Am I on a roll, or what?!

Patricia Gima, IBCLC
Milwaukee
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