RE: Digest Number 647

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

I have read about your Lactpsych list and I think your work is vital to

helping mothers. Personally, I think the psychological component of

breastfeeding can be a significant part of breastfeeding difficulties. All

the lactation support I can give doesn't help a mother succeed in nursing if

she has emotional issues that aren't being addressed. I recently tried to

help a mother whose baby never latched, except the 2 times that I was with

her. I know the baby could breastfeed, but she was convinced he couldn't.

The entire time we had him on the breast she stared at him and constantly

shook her head " no, no " . She had a history of depression. I don't know any

more about her mental health history, but I know it is why she could not

breastfeed her baby. I come form a Psych orientation, my BA is in Psych.

Unfortunately, I have not had the time or money to return to grad school so

I don't work in the field.

I am cultivating relationships with 3 licensed counselors in my

area. I have shared Kathleen Kendall Tackett's books with them and some

articles as I come across them. Two of them have been my clients so they

have breastfed themselves. I am hoping in the future that one of two of them

will become IBCLC's. I have done this so I have a good professional who I

can refer clients to whenthey need counseling. I get permission to share

their information with other health care providers when I do consults so I

can discuss the situations with the counselors and help bring in the

breastfeeding component. I think what happened to the mother with psychosis

did untold harm to her and her baby. I'm sure it undermined her trust in

mental health workers and sadly, her family also, because they did not

support her before the psychosis or at the time this incident occurred. I

sense that she feels very betrayed.

Wish I could clone you.

Judy Gutowski