Baby friendly

Buggs · Jan 19, 2003

I am from a Baby-Friendly certified hospital. We have been that way for sometime, so much of the staff knows nothing else. The formula reps have not been allowed on the floor,or near the staff for years. So no perks from them, for the staff or patients. We don't give out any of their"freebies". The patients get the cute diaper bags...from the OB's private offices. The hospital pays for all its formula. Our Lactation Consultant keeps us up to date, and reminds us if we stray from what we are taught at a 2hr annual, mandatory Breastfeeding inservice. We cup feed the breastfeeding babies if they require a supplement or compliment of formula. Sometimes this seems silly, how much proof of "nipple-confusion"is there? All in all being Baby-Friendly is fine, and accepted by the staff.

RNonsense · Jan 19, 2003

My hospital is certified Baby Friendly...I do not work OB/Perinatal but I was a student there when I did Maternity. It worked well, the staff were all great. I guess the best thing in talking to other students/moms at the time was it was "consistant".

NellieNurse · Jan 21, 2003

We looked into going Baby Friendly, but realized it would be difficult due to the cost of formula and you can't even have a pad of paper from one of the reps on it! No more free pens or notepads. Although, I am sure that the cost of the formula was the biggest issue.

Mimi2RN, ASN, RN · Jan 21, 2003

Baby friendly?

It seems to me , that more mothers have nipple confusion than babies, our Hispanic moms say "no leche", may breastfeed or not, but do give bottles, then go home and breast feed without any trouble. The "educated" parents fear nipple confusion so much that they set themselves up for failure. We have babies in the nursery who are tube fed, then nipple fed and go to breast before going home. Term babies are sometimes with us for several days, and are happy to take food whichever way it comes-will breast feed whenever mom comes to visit, and take pumped mothers milk or formula when she isn't around. Then we have mothers who insist no bottles, no pacifiers, have upset babies, and then have breastfeeding difficulties-the babies sense the stress in mom, who also has problems because her baby is hospitalized.

We have mothers very upset by the attitude of lactation nurses, who are very critical when mom wants to give a bottle, and will reprimand the mother for allowing it, or giving it.

My grandbaby was breast fed from the beginning, went home on a 107 degree day. She latched on well, nursed for hours, gradually became fussier, pulling her head back from the nipple. Her mouth was dry, she wouldn't sleep for very long.

Finally they decided to give her some formula, with less than 10cc, she fell into an exhausted sleep. So did her mom. After that she was supplemented with a bottle until mom's milk came in...........NO PROBLEMS..........She has been breast and bottle fed since then, is now being weaned at six mos, as mom has been back at work for three, and it's been difficult pumping.

You don't want to know what I think about cup feeding....................

.

mother/babyRN, RN · Jan 27, 2003

We're baby friendly....That is, we love babies, and we try to follow as closely as possible, all the newest stuff with breast feeding. But, buying our own formula? Not hardly....They won't even buy us pencils or pens.....There was even talk awhile ago about making the patients pay for formula.....We lost patients due to that one.....I don't see our formula reps leaving anytime soon, especially since one of our perks is free formula supplied for a year, to the staff if bottle feeding. They will even drive to wherever you are to drop it off....

mother/babyRN, RN · Jan 27, 2003

I know this isn't popular but I am with you Mimi...I am so sure that out on the prairie, no baby was awakened every two hours to breast feed.....And, it is the culture of the Hispanic moms to do it that way. Works for them....I say if it isn't broke don't fix it....And I KNOW ( I bet) how you feel about cup feeding..When the nursery is wild, sometimes I want to cup feed the poorly sucking bottle babies...But, we have all been down this road before and I doubt if any of us will change our views. I support what works best for the moms.....

Buggs · Jan 30, 2003

I breast fed all 4 of our children. After #3 and 4, they were starving the first night after marathon feeds. I snuck into the nursery and got a bottle. We all slept fine, and never had any latching trouble. I hid the bottles because I was in no mood for a lecture from the LC. I can only imagine how some of the new moms feel. I try to share my knowledge with them, then support them, no matter what choice they make.

We do not even have pacifiers available at the hospital, again the worry of nipple confusion....

Heather333 · Jan 30, 2003

Working in NICU and not on the floor, thing are a little different. I have seen a micro-preemie go from being gavage fed, to bottle fed, to breastfeeding beautifully w/o any problems. The one's I see that do have BF problems are the one's that have had problems w/ the bottle too.

I have had parent's tell me when they have a baby in NICU that they do not want a pacifier. I think that is cruel. Sometimes a baby just wants to suck as a comfort measure. I don't buy into the nipple confusion sh*t either. I have seen a baby go from having it's pacifier in it's mouth, to latching on to mom's breast and then supplement PC with no problems. It's a shame that the LC make parents feel guilty. I say it's their baby and it's their choice. We should be supportive of the parents either way.

Heather

KRVRN, BSN, RN · Jan 30, 2003

So true Heather333. Should we deny an NPO term baby that can't be cuddled for one reason or another a pacifier and let it cry and scream constantly? No, not when sucking is the only thing that poor baby can use to console himself.

I don't believe in nipple confusion either. Seen much to the contrary. But I also don't think this thread was quite aimed at sick babies in the NICU...

SmilingBluEyes · Jan 30, 2003

how do baby friendly hospitals handle requests to send baby out to a "well nursery" for a night of sleep for moms? Just wondering. oh and I don't believe in nipple confusion either. I believe there are babies who feed poorly for any host of reasons, but I don't buy the concept of nipple confusion as a root cause. My son and dd had NO problem taking milk where they could get it...bottle, breast, cup we did it all. my dd was 9 lb at 37+ weeks. I could not give her enough to eat. She was ravenous from the moment she entered this world screaming... so did I cup and bottle feed her formula in the hospital while I waited the requisite 36-72 hours for milk to come in? YOU BETCHA!!!!! saved hers and my sanity and she breastfed beautifully for 16 months. NO problems here.

fergus51 · Jan 30, 2003

I got some material from the hospital I will be moving to and they have some pacifiers that are meant to be unlike bottles, ubut more like a finger. The reasoning is babies suck on their hands in utero and on their own, so even the breastfeeding nazis don't mind using them.