Anyone going baby friendly?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

We are in the beginning stages of initiation of the WHO baby friendly initiative. Just wondering if anyone else has received the accreditation or is in the process. I am having difficulty with it really. Not that I am against breastfeeding. I really just don't want to discriminate against a bottlefeeding woman. Would love to hear your thought!!

Specializes in Nurse Manager, Labor and Delivery.

The bags that are being given are small totes with hair care items, tooth brushes, soaps and stuff and coupons. Funny, these bags are being provided for us at no charge by someone who gets paid from the advertisers who give her the stuff to put in the bags. Seems I will end up promoting hair care products instead of formula. It will have the hospital logo on it and some other goodies in it. I haven't seen the final product yet. I am also leary about someone who will GIVE us bags for NOTHING. Seems too good to be true.

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Specializes in MICU, neuro, orthotrauma.
The bags that are being given are small totes with hair care items, tooth brushes, soaps and stuff and coupons. Funny, these bags are being provided for us at no charge by someone who gets paid from the advertisers who give her the stuff to put in the bags. Seems I will end up promoting hair care products instead of formula. It will have the hospital logo on it and some other goodies in it. I haven't seen the final product yet. I am also leary about someone who will GIVE us bags for NOTHING. Seems too good to be true.

Well that same leeriness should be applied to formula companies. Truly. Even if they are supplying formula moms with what they need, it was also shoved in our bf hands with no breastfeeding equivalent available. I wanted the bag, but taking home that formula meant, if not for me, then for some unsuspecting mom who gets frustrated with bf early on, that she may just give up and go with formula. Of course, this is the whole point with sending home the bags to everyone. To get more customers, not give freebies away to customers who are already guaranteed.

I think it's very unfortunate that formula companies can't give away stuff to formula moms. I am glad that there is now a formula free bag. I do not have any strong feelings about which shampoo is best, so I am not really concerned with who wants to give me their free samples of shampoo.

Why in the world can there not be both?

Why does breastfeeding friendly have to be so family/baby unfriendly? That smacks of dogmatism.

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Specializes in MICU, neuro, orthotrauma.
What? I'd have smacked a nurse if they tried to "supplement" formula to my breastfed newborn because she was "hungry." Seriously, I would have smacked her.

Pretty much. I'm not one for being physical, but I would be pretty damn upset if someone made that choice for me. "for the good of the baby!" ugh.

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Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.
We are in the beginning stages of initiation of the WHO baby friendly initiative. Just wondering if anyone else has received the accreditation or is in the process. I am having difficulty with it really. Not that I am against breastfeeding. I really just don't want to discriminate against a bottlefeeding woman. Would love to hear your thought!!

My thoughts...here is the typical conversation that I have witnessed in my facility after a birth:

Nurse: Mom...have you decided to breast or bottle feeding?

Patient: Oh gosh...I'm not sure...I guess I'll bottle feed.

Nurse: Ok...are you on WIC?

Patient: No (or yes)...ok...I'll see what the Pediatrician wants to feed the baby. We'll bring out your baby in a jiffy!

That it. No education. No benefits explained. No asking mother reasons behind her decision. No encouraging her to even try.

Who suffers: The baby...who can receive significant benefits...even if Mom just breastfeeds for just a few weeks...just the collostrum would be a plus!!!!

I don't believe a mother should be made to feel guilty for not breastfeeding...but I don't think that we as nurses are doing our jobs if we don't throw Mom some encouragement and education behind it when asking her what her preference is.

Want to get women to breastfeed? I always through the WEIGHT LOSS factor in there...they jump at that!!! Most women are not aware that their postpartum weight can drop faster and in some cases, even dramatically vs Mom's that don't breast feed.

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Specializes in see above.

I want to add that coercing mothers into breastfeeding can set them up for disappointment. When I had my last child, 8 years ago, before going into nursing, the nurses made me feel terrible that I was not going to breastfeed. I explained that I had had breast cancer, and had a bilateral mastectomy with reconstructive surgery. One nurse did not believe me and actually called in a lactation consultant. I told the lactation consultant that I had pacifiers for breasts and the baby wasn't gong to get any milk.

As a nurse in a very small rural hospital, I support whatever decision my patient makes whether I agree with it or not. We don't always know underlying circumstances.

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Specializes in Nurse Manager, Labor and Delivery.

again, the initiative dictates you cannot have any formula advertising. so, you can't give bottle feeding moms the formula bags.

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Specializes in see above.
again, the initiative dictates you cannot have any formula advertising. so, you can't give bottle feeding moms the formula bags.

Apparently we do not have that initiative in my facility, and for that I am very happy. My hospital caters to very low income women and teens. They can't afford to go out and get formula until their WIC appointment.

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Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.
I want to add that coercing mothers into breastfeeding can set them up for disappointment. When I had my last child, 8 years ago, before going into nursing, the nurses made me feel terrible that I was not going to breastfeed. I explained that I had had breast cancer, and had a bilateral mastectomy with reconstructive surgery. One nurse did not believe me and actually called in a lactation consultant. I told the lactation consultant that I had pacifiers for breasts and the baby wasn't gong to get any milk.

As a nurse in a very small rural hospital, I support whatever decision my patient makes whether I agree with it or not. We don't always know underlying circumstances.

Yes, but you cannot hold all nurses to blame because one nurse refused to believe that you had cancer.

I would have absolutely lost it with that idiot.

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Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.
Apparently we do not have that initiative in my facility, and for that I am very happy. My hospital caters to very low income women and teens. They can't afford to go out and get formula until their WIC appointment.

We don't either. We hand out the formula bags and the bottles that they bring breast milk back in are made my Good Start and has the logo on all of the bottles.

We do not accept breast milk in bags from mothers because of the instance of leakage in both the storage and thawing....they are told this on discharge and provided the bottles for free.

We have so few mothers that breastfeed (sadly...b/c none of the staff encourage it) that the supply is never a problem.

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Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.

If they (the new moms) aren't willing to fork out $10-$20 for a diaper bag of their own, then why the heck did they have a child? I don't see people saying, "I decided to gestate for 40 weeks and raise a kid for 18+ years just so I could get a cheap diaper bag for free."

Does the hospital send home food for the new moms who are breastfeeding? If not, why should the hospital send home food for bottle-fed babies?

When I had my son, I had already purchased diapers, wipes, clothing, a crib, a breast pump, bottles, a corificeat, etc. My home was stocked with the things I would need when I brought my baby home. By saying that the hospital should send home formula for bottle-fed babies, that's like saying the parents who choose to bottle feed are too stupid to know how to properly care for a baby... in which case, why wouldn't you also call social services to have the baby placed in foster care?

If someone really hasn't given a single solitary thought to how they plan to feed their baby after it's born, and if someone really isn't capable of going out and buying bottles and formula if they choose not to breastfeed, then why are we letting them take a defenseless neonate home in the first place?

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Specializes in see above.
Yes, but you cannot hold all nurses to blame because one nurse refused to believe that you had cancer.

I would have absolutely lost it with that idiot.

I don't hold all nurses to blame. Quite the opposite actually. This is why I feel it is best not to question the patient's decision and not to force breastfeeding. I did breastfeed my first two by the way. I feel that the patient has made a personal decision and we should be supporting that decision whether we agree with it or not.

Where will it stop? Will we stop supporting patients' religious backgrounds in what they can or cannot eat? How their religion effects their continuity of care? No, of course not. So why should we stop supporting and assisting a patient when she decides that she doesn't want to breastfeed? Why not help her if she doesn't have the money to buy the formula when she is discharged?

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Actually, my oldest daughter had a baby in Juy...she got a pro breastfeeding bag form the local breastfeeding consortium, with breast pads, some personal care items...even a battery powered breast pump.:yeah:

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