Hospital Report Cards Poor On The Breastfeeding Front

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that U.S. hospitals are doing poorly when it comes to promoting breastfeeding. In their first national report on the issue, the average hospital scored 63 out of 100. Not good.

Deborah Dee, a CDC epidemiologist who co-authored the report states, "About a quarter of hospitals reported giving formula or some other supplement to more than half of their healthy, full-term newborns. The practice was common even when mothers were able and willing to breast-feed." Part of the issue is that hospitals distribute their special "gift packs" mindlessly; those "gifts" are simply formula promotions and most hospitals are gung-ho to give 'em away because they want them off their shelves. Not good.

When I had my first son, almost 11 years ago, I had taken a prenatal breastfeeding class (I wasn't a lactation consultant at the time), and it was drilled into me to tell the nursing staff that I was breastfeeding and that I did not want the baby having any formula or sugar water. It's all I talked about during my labor and the staff complied. Then I met a bunch of "new mom friends" and I noticed they all had this pastel-colored, vinyl diaper bag. They told me they had received it in the hospital at discharge. Well, did I feel cheated! I never got my present from the hospital! I vowed at that moment that this would not happen with my next baby. Not good.

Fast forward two and a half years later. I'm in labor again and this time all I can talk about is how I didn't get the bag with my first child, blah, blah, blah...So upon discharge they gave me one. I opened it up and realized why they didn't give it to me the first time around. It was packed with formula samples and coupons. My husband looked at me and laughed, "Now don't you realize why you didn't get this thing when you had Zach? All you talked about was how you were going to breastfeed." Interestingly, this was a hospital that was making its attempts at becoming "Baby Friendly". Here was my "a-ha" moment. I had specifically asked for it. Not good.

Fast forward yet again...Three and a half years later, I'm in labor the third time around, my doctors have switched hospitals, and I've been a lactation consultant for a couple of years. I don't ask for any bag and my profession is clearly noted in my chart. Discharge day comes around and the nurse walks in with...THE BAG! I told her I didn't want it, I knew what it was, I'm surprised you're offering it to me, of all people...With a smile, she said, "Just open the bag." In it, she had replaced all of the formula samples and coupons with breastfeeding goods...nursing pads, bottles to use with my pump, samples of Lansinoh. It just took one nurse to think outside of the box and to, truth be told, take a risk.

Great.