Babies' basic needs interest Utami most

Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Not all doctors will sit down together with their patients' parents to talk about the illness and answer any questions the anxious parents might have.

But at St. Carolus Hospital in Central Jakarta, seeing pediatrician Utami Roesli give a talk-show-like consultation to her newborn patients' parents is a common sight. And the session doesn't look dull at all.

A pale, red-eyed young mother, who has just given birth a couple days before, quickly raises her hand when the doctor -- still beautiful in her mid-50s -- enters the room.

"How's my baby, doc? Is he gaining weight? Can I breast-feed him today?" The mother quickly bombards her with questions. Others, mostly young couples, can seemingly understand the anxiety. They all look exhausted but are gaining enthusiasm from the ongoing babble.

Utami nods her head while she says: "There's no need to worry. I want you to calm down and then you can produce a lot of milk for your baby. He will be okay if his mother is also okay."

A white board, pictures, a cute breast made out of cloth and a baby doll have always been used during the consultation with a nurse standing by to assist Utami.

On that particular day, Utami spent more than two hours on the consultation. Not only did she talk about the reason she had to make certain decisions, but she also explained why she had to prescribe a certain dosage of antibiotics for a 10-day-old newborn and other things doctors usually keep in confidentiality.

"Times are changing. In my mother's era, she did not think there was a need to reveal their medical decisions to her patients," she said, referring to her mother Ediana Roesli, who was also a doctor.

Utami is definitely talking about doctors in the former times and probably some now who may think they are doing God's work through their hands without any need to be questioned.

She revealed there were three professions that need to interact well; patients, doctors and paramedics. In her case in dealing with ailing newborns or sick infants, she strongly believes that the parents play an equal role along with doctors and paramedics to cure infants.

Later on in the consultation room, which is in the Goretty Pavilion with over 20 infants being treated, Utami is still talking as she discusses the general condition of the Al-Gore (the humorous abbreviation of the Alumnae Goretty for sick babies).

The babies are being treated for various illnesses, including blood infections and jaundice.

But the mother of two is broadening the topic to include globalization and God's power.

Utami was focusing the discussion on lactation for the young parents and at the same time she campaigned the advantages of husbands getting involved in breast-feeding. She called them "breast-feeding fathers".

She said that women have a hormone called oxytocyn, which could spur breast milk production and this hormone could be stimulated with affection. Affectionately, she calls it the "love hormone".

"Please bapak-bapak, I beg you to help your wives in breast- feeding your babies. I believe you know best how to show your wives love and attention. There's already an involvement," said Utami, who is an international board certified lactation consultant.

"Breast milk is our baby's basic need. I believe all mothers are touched if it deals with their beloved babies," Utami says in an earnest voice.

Then she randomly picks the topic of the health status of the infants and sweeps through the files one by one. Amazingly, she addresses the parents by name, which was obviously giving them enough confidence to raise their hands and voice their concerns on their babies' condition.

Utami earned her medical doctor degree from the Bandung-based Padjadjaran University in 1980. Her two siblings are also doctors specializing in otolaryngology and an internist. Her younger brother is the well-known Harry Roesli, a contemporary musician based in Bandung.

Once a television talk show host on Perempuan at Metro TV, Utami said she had a high interest in lactation.

"Everything begins from lactation. A healthy baby means a happy family and later, a better generation," she said about her specialty.

Her trump cards are some photos of happy smiling babies held by their mothers and in front of them, dozens of plastic bags full of breast milk.

"These mothers (in the photos) are all working and they can produce dozens of liters of breast milk," she says contentedly.

Her main concern is to help the country have a better generation who were breast-fed. And her next target is for young fathers to get involved in breast-feeding their babies.

Despite her campaign for popularizing breast-feeding fathers, Utami does not feel she moves against the country's paternalistic social pattern.

"I'm not against it but I pick up on its positive side. Unlike in other countries like the United States or Europe, we rarely see fathers here who take care of their babies. The mothers are overwhelmed with daily routines. If mothers are assisted in handling their babies, that would stimulate the production of oxytocin."

"We are living in a poor country and inevitably we will have to face globalization. I can't imagine how our children will compete against advanced countries' children if ours were fed poorly."

All is quiet in the room when Utami pauses after her last sentence as if she is giving time for the others to contemplate that statement. Tapping her fingers on the table, she closes the consultation. "Okay, please get up and reach for your babies right away. Breast-feed them and touch them, and hopefully they will get better soon."