I had a conversation with a neonatologist recently that just floored me.  I
couldn't believe what I was hearing from him.

He stated that any benefits of breastfeeding come from the physical contact
involved and that the milk is not better than ABM.  He doesn't believe in
pumping or giving pumped breastmilk from a supplementer of any type,
including bottles, because the breastmilk isn't all that special and the
pump doesn't stimulate production anyway, only the baby can.

Somebody once told him that it takes about 20 times at breast for the milk
to come in.  Therefore on rounds he tells all mothers this as a reason to
breastfeed early and often.  When I tried to explain to him that milk would
come in anyway, without the stimulation due to hormone shifts, he commented,
so why should the baby be offered the breast in the first two days at all.

He considers himself a strong breastfeeding advocate and probably does
better on rounds than some of the other doctors but these comments just blew
me away.

I would like to give him a detailed account, from R. Lawrence, about the
mechanisms that impact milk production and the maintenance of milk
production.  I would like to give him some strong citations for the benefits
of breastmilk that have been derived when baby was given the milk, perhaps
not even directly from the bottle.  Any ideas or favorites that any of you have?

Denise Parker, BA, IBCLC (La Crescenta, CA)
To Avoid Criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing