"Participating hospitals will still give formula to mothers who request it, but with every bottle they request, staffers will explain why she should offer the breast instead. Gothamist Executive Editor Jen Chung, mother of one, shared her mixed feelings with us: "For many women, breastfeeding is HARD, that's why there are lactation consultants who charge like $175/private visit or $35 for a 15-minute phone call after you leave the hospital. And when the breastfeeding isn't going well, it really makes the mom depressed. For some moms and babies, it's easy, for others, it's harder. I definitely think moms should give it a try for as long as they can but they shouldn't feel like terrible mothers if they can't or that the hospital/medical professionals won't support them. Keeping formula 'locked up' is also weird — moms could just make their partners/friends buy it from the drug store.""
When the decision to supplement is not medically indicated, efforts to educate the mother should be documented as well by the nursing and/or medical staff.Neither is the requirement that hospitals lock formula away.
Restricting access to formula means storing formula away from where it is easily visible and accessible to staff and mothers. Access to formula is restricted by both:All of this just seems to be making things more difficult.
• Storing formula in a locked location, such as a storage room, cabinet or an automated medication system or, storing formula in a location outside, but reasonably near, the maternity unit, AND.
• Limiting the number of hospital staff with access to formula by implementing a system to identify which hospital member accessed the formula supply; some examples are a log book, a code or a key system.
With each bottle a mother requests and receives, she’ll also get a talking-to. Staffers will explain why she should offer the breast instead.posted by Danila at 12:35 AM on July 31, 2012
“It’s the patient’s choice,” said Allison Walsh, of Beth Israel Medical Center. “But it’s our job to educate them on the best option.”
Lisa Paladino, of Staten Island University Hospital, said: “The key to getting more moms to breast-feed is making the formula less accessible. This way, the RN has to sign out the formula like any other medication. The nurse’s aide can’t just go grab another bottle.”
What are the medical contraindications to breastfeeding infants and/or mothers?It doesn't take into account many other factors. But there is at least some acknowledgement that breastfeeding cannot be universally applied.
It is important to note that there are no contraindications to breastfeeding for the majority of healthy infants. However, there are some contraindications for infants and mothers:
• An infant diagnosed with galactosemia, a rare genetic metabolic disorder
• Some infants with developmental disabilities and birth defects
• Low blood glucose, while a potential contraindication for late preterm, small for gestational age, large for gestational age and infants of diabetic mothers, hypoglycemia is rarely a contraindication for breastfeeding healthy term newborns after normal pregnancy and delivery
• The infant whose mother has been infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
• Is taking antiretroviral medications
• Has untreated, active tuberculosis
• Is infected with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I or type II
• Is using or is dependent upon an illicit drug
• Is taking prescribed cancer chemotherapy agents, such as antimetabolites that interfere with DNA replication and cell division
• Is undergoing radiation therapies; however, such nuclear medicine therapies require only a temporary interruption in breastfeeding
Source: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/129/3/e827.full.pdf+html
Article 5. The general public and mothersThat single bit departs so significantly from how most people interact with manufacturers of breast-milk in the U.S. that you'd probably have trouble convincing people you didn't flat-out make it up. Much less that the WHO has been recommending this for over three decades.
5.1 There should be no advertising or other form of promotion to the general public
of products within the scope of this Code.
5.2 Manufacturers and distributors should not provide, directly or indirectly, to
pregnant women, mothers or members of their families, samples of products within
the scope of this Code.
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Terrible one-size-fits-all policy that doesn't even make sense on its own terms.
posted by gerryblog at 9:45 PM on July 30, 2012 [39 favorites]