Ok guys, I do NOT want to revisit the issue of the appropriateness of
circumcisions, so please don't even go there.  However, I had a frustrating
morning and I need to vent...

Saw a new mom -- baby boy, 10# had been born at 8:00 last evening.  Baby was
put in the NICU for about 8 hours for observation (mec staining).  Mom
finally was able to breastfeed him at 4:00 am, one time.  He did -- um -- OK.
 I'm in at 8:00 this morning (he's now 12 hours old).  The OB comes in while
I'm sitting there chatting with mom, and says "do you want him circumcised?
Yes?  OK, I'll do it in just a little bit."  VERRRY politely, I ask if it is
at all possible for the circ to be postponed to the next day.  Mom is going
home tomorrow, baby has only breastfed x1 so far, and I'm concerned that if
he is circ'd, he'll be sleepy, blah blah blah.  The OB says no, not possible,
and that most moms don't want it done the day they are going home because
they want the nurses to take care of it for 24 hours.  Then she said, "He's a
big boy.  He'll eat just fine." I said, OK, fine.

Explained later to the mom that we'd deal with it, and that we'd get him in
and breastfeeding then so that at least he'd have one more feed before the
circ.

Went out of the room, and one of the nurses came up and told me the OB was
LIVID -- ranting and raving about "that lactation nurse" who obviously
expected her to come back in the middle of the night to do the circ!
AKKKKKKKKK!  Now, I'm just a "visitor" as I work for a peds group; don't work
for the hospital, so really have to mind my political correctness, and I
don't want the peds group to get put in the middle of this (which may happen
anyway, but...) Obviously the OBs want to do the circ when they want to do
the circ, and they don't care about waiting for the baby to be feeding well.
 They used to at least wait until the peds had examined the baby and
pronounced them healthy & well.  Not any more....

Rant over (on computer -- not in my heart).  Does anyone know of any studies
or anything that discuss the issue of circumcision and breastfeeding.  We've
all seen that those punkins that aren't feeding well before a circ, don't
feed well for 10 to 12 hours afterwards.  Those that are feeding well seem to
know that the breast is a lovely place to be and can latch right back on
without much of a fuss.  Is there anything written about this?

Jan Barger, frustrated and sad in Wheaton.

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