Wednesday, November 16, 2005

A mother's hero, a 'thorn' in hospital's side (The Globe and Mail)

When Johanna Heselmann Wong tries to bottle-feed her eight-week-old son Jacob, the infant chokes and throws up.

Like many babies, he hasn't developed the co-ordination needed to feed smoothly.

"It's not a happy situation right now," Ms. Heselmann Wong said yesterday. "His health is so fragile."

That's why she sought the help of Jack Newman, a pediatrician and breastfeeding expert who runs a clinic at the North York General Hospital. Dr. Newman is widely celebrated for his ability to teach babies how to breastfeed successfully.

If Jacob -- who has two holes in his heart, which will require him to undergo a 10-hour operation -- can't learn how to nurse, doctors may be forced to implant a feeding tube into his tiny stomach.

It's a painful and invasive procedure that his mother wants to avoid.

However, the hospital is closing Dr. Newman's clinic -- meaning patients like Ms. Heselmann Wong could lose access to the world-renowned specialist.


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