My hospital is working toward becoming baby friendly. This entails that we promote rooming-in and breastfeeding, which I have no problem at all with- what I do have a problem with is how we are being presented with it- and how we must now interact with our patients. Our patients come from a very diverse spectrum of cultures who are set in their ways and I guess I don't really feel it's my place to be like "well welcome to America- this is how we do it, too bad so sad."
We have been ordered to move all formula, nipples and pacifiers to the back room of the nursery (which has also undergone a name change to make it less accessible and friendly sounding) so that NOBODY sees it, patients or family. We don't want them to think we promote formula or artificial nipples. We are instructed now to council every mother who has chosen to formula feed, or do breast/bottle combo on the "dangers of feeding formula to your baby". Yes, these very words were uttered and in writing. There's serious talk of making the mother sign an informed consent before giving the baby any formula- acknowledging that she is aware that she is causing harm to her baby by giving him/her formula, and that they understand that breast milk is superior to formula.
We must extensively chart WHY mom is choosing formula. We have to now keep all the shades in the nursery down so that people don't look in, and THINK it's a nursery and again to make it an in-accessible place.
This really seems out of hand to me. I love where I work, I love the field but boy, we are in for some troubles when a mom from another culture other than white-upper class wants to put their baby in the nursery so they can sleep, or can go for a walk, or wants to formula feed and then gets a 20 minute lecture implying that they're a bad mom for choosing this method. Is this true of any other hospitals out there that are baby friendly or are in the process? I feel like they're trying to brainwash us, or like it's becoming a cult-like atmosphere!
