Re: the one that "feels that Breastfeeding is good but that many women (especially low income/low education women) are too irresponsible to Breastfeed! His view is outragous and I have told him so, but how do I go about changing his mind?" It's not HIS mind you have to change; it's that the women you work with need to be supported enough to not let this doc's views interfere with their desire to BF. You can do that, by your attitude towards them and your strong support of BFing and their ability to do it, without ever confronting him. It's not about him! Re: the other, "much worse" one. Same recommendation. You won't change these guys, and you don't have much to gain by going head-to-head with them. When women tell you that their OB says they "have to" take such-and-such a drug and that he's told them it's not compatible with BFing, you can 1)copy the appropriate page(s) from your trusty Hale (which you should get your WIC director to order, or ask your Public Health nsg. dep't to get for your office - it's something both WIC & PHN should have!) and give the mom 2 copies - one for herself and one for her doctor and/or 2)gently remind the mom that an OB may not be the best person to be prescribing "psych meds" for her. Make other suggestions of available options, depending on what's available and realistic for these moms. Otherwise, all you can do is continue to support the mother in her wish to BF, help her problem-solve, and remind her that the ultimate choice is *hers* to make, not the doc's. (Or yours, for that matter!) It really comes down to helping your women take the power that they already actually have into their own hands, when it comes to decision-making for themselves & their babies. Doctors can make recommendations, but ultimately it rests with the woman to decide. Your role is to provide correct information (to counteract dumb stuff she's hearing elsewhere) and support for her, not just as a potential breastfeeder but as a competent, capable woman who is able to weigh advice and make decisions on the basis of the information she gets. When you do that, you don't have to worry about the background noise of these doctors - you're not arguing with *them*, you are providing information and support to the women in whose hands the choices actually rest. Pretty radical concept, huh? Goes right to the roots - no wonder they're scared of the power we women have to give and sustain life! (What - you mean the "doctor" isn't in charge of the process??) Don't let them sucker you into any spitting contests - you know the facts, and you're there for mothers & babies, and that's about it. And, as a very old retired doctor once told me, when he came across me in the back stairwell of the hospital where I worked, crying over some *stupid*, ignorant thing another doc had said, "Don't let the bastards grind you down"! (He said it in Latin, and it was very elegant, but I can never remember it right that way.) Cathy Bargar, RN, IBCLC Ithaca NY *********************************************** 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