Babies' basic needs interest Utami most

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."