Nanny State now wants to push nursing

[Kirch]

Bloomberg strikes again:

 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/07/29/nyc-mayor-wants-hospitals-to-lock-up-baby-formula-to-encourage-breast-feeding/?test=latestnews

 

I'm all for breastfeeding and encouraging new moms to nurse. I nursed both of my boys and I plan to nurse this one who's on the way. I think it's good for medical staff to make sure new moms know their options and how to get started nursing if they want to nurse. I think it's probably ok to even ask a new mom if she's considered bf'ing and offer help if she wants to try. But giving moms who choose to formula-feed a "talking to" and locking up formula like a controlled substance?? Requiring documentation of a medical reason for every bottle a newborn receives?

 

Making hospitals and staff more bf'ing friendly, making sure they're trained to help new moms who need assistance with bf'ing, even cutting down on the formula marketing in hospitals--those are great ideas. But this is ridiculous. Bottom line is that IT IS THE MOTHER'S CHOICE, period, and it's not their place to guilt her or pressure her to change her mind. If I were a New Yorker, I'd have two words for Bloomberg et al: BUTT OUT!!

[Mabeline]

I agree with you. I don't know why everything has to be forced. I think we all would be better off having more options and the freedoms to choose from them.

[clarkacademy]

I think alot of it has to do with the WIC program that pays for formula. I am sure that is quite expensive but I still think it should be a moms choice.

[EJCMom]

It's not the government's business how a new mom decides to feed her children.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

It's not the government's business, however, hospitals should be more helpful and mothers should be encouraged to at least try. With dd i given about 10 minutes to try breastfeeding before a nurse whisked her away, annoyed and said she needed a bottle.

[Kirch]

It's not the government's business, however, hospitals should be more helpful and mothers should be encouraged to at least try. With dd i given about 10 minutes to try breastfeeding before a nurse whisked her away, annoyed and said she needed a bottle.

 

That would make me angry!! I do agree (like I said) about hospitals needing to be more supportive of nursing mothers--I had some difficulty getting started with my oldest because of the nursing staff's lack of knowledge or willingness to work harder at helping (not sure which, but my ped chewed them out either way :D). But trying to pressure a mom to nurse who doesn't want to for whatever reason is beyond the pale.

[Mama Geek]

In my case the ped was the problem. I had a great ob/gyn with a nurse that had worked in a birthing center for years. If it hadn't been for those to people I wouldn't have been able to tell the ped in the hospital to stick it.

 

I do think things in general are over marketed to hospitals and doctors but governments should keep their noses out of bfing.

[Crimson Wife]

"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."

 

Can you imagine how ticked off you'd be if you had a medical reason to FF and you had to keep explaining it over and over again as the shifts change? :glare:

[Impish]

And who, pray tell, decides what constitutes a 'medical need'? I nursed 4 babies, and had to FF #5, due to RSD, meds, etc.

 

I would have been HOT if someone decided to lecture me every time I needed formula.

 

I knew a first time mom that was so brain washed by Bf Nazis that they tried EVERYTHING, incl spoon feeding b/c the baby wouldn't latch...and baby ended up admitted to the NICU for dehydration and weight loss, b/c formula was EVIL.

 

Ppl are ridiculous.

[Perry]

I have no problem with it.

Article

Almost 40 per cent of new mothers leave the hospital with free infant formula, a recipe for spoiled breastfeeding according to a new Toronto Public Health report.

Women who didn’t receive the free samples were 3.5 times more likely to be breastfeeding exclusively after 2 weeks, said Breastfeeding in Toronto, Promoting Supportive Environments, released Tuesday.

The study, conducted in 2007 and 2008, found that of 1,500 first-time mothers surveyed, 39 per cent were given formula at hospital discharge. As a result, many of these women stopped breastfeeding sooner than those women who weren’t given formula.

“A substantial proportion of hospitals are still doing this,†said Dr. David McKeown, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health. “There are some incentives for hospitals to do this (promote formula)...and that is really not in the interest of infants and mothers.â€

McKeown said hospitals should have a “comprehensive breastfeeding policy, help for mothers to initiate breastfeeding within a half-hour of birth, and ensure newborns are not given food or drink other than breast milk unless medically indicated.â€

The World Health Organization (WHO), Health Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and Toronto Public Health support exclusive breastfeeding to six months of age as the best nutritional choice for babies. At six months, they recommend solid food and continued breastfeeding until age two and beyond.

The Breastfeeding Committee for Canada, which promotes breastfeeding, notes that aggressive formula marketing has plagued hospitals since the 1940s.

“The provision of free formula in hospital, free educational materials for new parents and educational donations for staff has been taken for granted as a convenient way to provide patient and staff education,†the committee says on its website. “Strains on health care budgets have led health care facilities to depend on formula company donations as though there are no alternatives.â€

The aggressive marketing of formula to new mothers is sickening.

[SKL]

Interesting. I guess I'd have to know how heavy-handed they are going to be when they "talk to" new mothers about breastfeeding. Considering that moms only stay in the hospital for about a day nowadays (normally), it should not be that big of a burden.

 

Also, could a mom not bring her own newborn formula if she'd already decided that formula was her choice for feeding her baby? I mean, you bring the clothes to dress your baby in etc., why not the formula if you're not planning to breastfeed?

 

Could this be a measure to offset the hospitals' historical lack of enthusiasm for breasfeeding, which often leads to frustration for moms who actually do want to nurse?

 

As far as WIC goes - if it is related, and maybe it is - I can kind of see that too. I know that some kids can't breastfeed for a lot of reasons, but a high percentage of moms receiving WIC formula could breastfeed. In those cases, formula is a luxury which is not the point of the WIC program. There are many people of modest means who consider formula-feeding an unnecessary expense except in certain cases.

 

And I know the next argument is going to be "but nobody should have to be singled out because of their poverty or physical issue." But people get singled out all the time for all kinds of things. I mean, shoot, you just had a baby in front of a roomful of strangers; now you're going to get concerned about privacy?

 

I'd put it in the same category as me being told that I ought to have a PAP test. "Thanks, next question?"

 

But what's disturbing to me is that this is the mayor of New York. The policy itself does not bother me but what is he doing telling hospitals what to do? What's next? Sterilization recommendations? (That's jumping a few steps, but the thought process is similar.)

[Perry]

I have no problem with it.

Article

 

The aggressive marketing of formula to new mothers is sickening.

 

Also, it's Fox News. :001_rolleyes: I'd like to see what kind of "talking to" they actually have in mind.

[Perry]

 

Could this be a measure to offset the hospitals' historical lack of enthusiasm for breasfeeding, which often leads to frustration for moms who actually do want to nurse?

No, it's an effort to counteract the aggressive marketing by the formula companies.

[Hedgehog]

Also, could a mom not bring her own newborn formula if she'd already decided that formula was her choice for feeding her baby? I mean, you bring the clothes to dress your baby in etc., why not the formula if you're not planning to breastfeed?

 

Here in the UK, as far as I am aware, none of the NHS hospitals provide free formula. If you choose to FF your baby, then you buy it and take it in with everything else you need.

[VeganCupcake]

I'd be curious to see how this will differ from the Baby Friendly Hospital initiative, which also involves getting rid of formula samples and the assumption that a mother will breastfeed unless there is some medical reason not to, but includes more extensive training for nurses and other staff. I don't think there's any "talking to" (as in tongue-lashing) that goes on in baby-friendly hospitals, though--it's more about instruction, support, and help.

[MrsBasil]

At the hospital I gave birth in, once I said I wanted to nurse I was offered no samples and was given a lactation consultant.

 

For my second birth I was on WIC and had opted to breastfeed because it made more financial sense. The food package for nursing mothers is very generous. I was given a lot of support through WIC as well and the hospital made sure I had a peer counselor through WIC.

 

I'm off WIC as of last month! DD was breastfed excursively until 2 weeks ago. I attempted to breastfeed ds and did so for 4 months, but he did not do well. He thrived on formula.

 

I understand encouraging mothers to breastfeed, but requiring a medical reason for every bottle for a mother in the hospital is going too far. I was in the hospital for 4 days post c-section with both kids. If I had someone questioning my choices that aren't harmful to my child I would have been a mess!

 

Here's a similiar article from the NY Post. I also see that it's a voluntary program for the hospitals.

 

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mayor_knows_breast_WqU1iYRQvwbEkDuvn0vb1H

[Spy Car]

Gimme a break! It is Fox "News" at their old game of manipulating the easy outraged.

 

How many times are y'all going to fall for it before you wise up?

 

Sheez.

 

Bill

[Kirch]

I have no problem with limiting (or eliminating) aggressive formula marketing. I think that's a good thing. I think the point of encouraging moms to nurse is a good thing. But if a mom chooses to use formula instead, it's not anyone's place to pressure her in whatever form to do otherwise.

 

I did, however, look up the site for the actual initiative: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/ms/latchonnyc.shtml

 

In the FAQ pdf, it seems pretty clear that the focus is to encourage and help moms who choose to bf and to counteract formula marketing. They do specifically state that hospital staff need to respect a mom's choice if she chooses to ff. I didn't see anywhere in the actual literature from the initiative about trying to pressure or change a mom's mind if she chooses to ff. As described on the site, it sounds like a good program focused on making breastfeeding the "normal" choice rather than promoting formula feeding as the (even unintentionally) norm by default due to formula marketing and lack of training for hospital staff.

 

So I don't know if the impression of interfering with mom's choice is from Fox News or if that's how the person who gave the info came across, but it does seem overblown.

[justasque]

A whole lotta spin in that article.

 

As usual, it's worth a look at the source.

 

From here:

Latch On NYC is a citywide initiative to support mothers who choose to breastfeed and limit practices that interfere with that choice. It involves both a hospital commitment to limit infant formula promotion and a public awareness campaign on the benefits of breast milk.

 

Hospitals joining Latch On NYC have agreed to:

--Enforce the New York State hospital regulation to not supplement breastfeeding infants with formula unless medically indicated and documented on the infant’s medical chart

--Limit access to infant formula by hospital staff

--Discontinue the distribution of promotional or free infant formula

--Prohibit the display and distribution of infant formula advertising or promotional materials in any hospital location

 

Additionally, the Health Department is launching a subway and hospital poster campaign highlighting the benefits of breast milk, such as reducing the risk of ear infections, diarrhea and pneumonia.

 

Why the need for these policies?

This link from the department of health explains it.

While New York State (NYS) regulations state that breastfeeding infants should not be supplemented with formula feedings in the hospital unless medically indicated, 93% of NYC births occur in hospitals where healthy breastfed infants are supplemented with infant formula. In a nationwide ranking of states, NYS ranks next to worst in breastfed infants receiving supplementary formula in the hospital.

 

Basically, it sounds to me like they need these regs because the hospital staff are (without permission?) giving formula to babies whose mothers have chosen to breastfeed.

[Spy Car]

I have no problem with limiting (or eliminating) aggressive formula marketing. I think that's a good thing. I think the point of encouraging moms to nurse is a good thing. But if a mom chooses to use formula instead, it's not anyone's place to pressure her in whatever form to do otherwise.

 

I did, however, look up the site for the actual initiative: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/ms/latchonnyc.shtml

 

In the FAQ pdf, it seems pretty clear that the focus is to encourage and help moms who choose to bf and to counteract formula marketing. They do specifically state that hospital staff need to respect a mom's choice if she chooses to ff. I didn't see anywhere in the actual literature from the initiative about trying to pressure or change a mom's mind if she chooses to ff. As described on the site, it sounds like a good program focused on making breastfeeding the "normal" choice rather than promoting formula feeding as the (even unintentionally) norm by default due to formula marketing and lack of training for hospital staff.

 

So I don't know if the impression of interfering with mom's choice is from Fox News or if that's how the person who gave the info came across, but it does seem overblown.

 

Why would you believe FOX "News"? They lie and distort constantly. Promoting anger is their game, they do it well (if one takes them at face value as a purveyor of truthful journalism). But they are no such thing.

 

Burned again.

 

Bill

[LibraryLover]

FoxNews. Way to make something decent look sinsister.

Edited July 31, 2012 by LibraryLover

[MrsBasil]

Why would you believe FOX "News"? They lie and distort constantly. Promoting anger is their game, they do it well (if one takes them at face value as a purveyor of truthful journalism). But they are no such thing.

 

Burned again.

 

Bill

 

The article was posted on the Fox website, but it was originally published by the NY Post. Fox is only reprinting it from another source.

 

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mayor_knows_breast_WqU1iYRQvwbEkDuvn0vb1H

[Spy Car]

The article was posted on the Fox website, but it was originally published by the NY Post. Fox is only reprinting it from another source.

 

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mayor_knows_breast_WqU1iYRQvwbEkDuvn0vb1H

 

The NY Post is owned by the same slimy corporation (Rupert Murdoch's "News" Corp) that owns FOX. The standards of "journalism" are just as low at the NY Post as they are at FOX "News."

 

Bill

[LibraryLover]

New York Post, you say?

 

Wow, that makes me feel *so* much better. :tongue_smilie:

 

Fox v. NYP 'news'. lol That should be a drinking We're Biased game. Everyone will be dead drunk in like 10 minutes. (Depending on how fast you read...or if you can read at all. NYP is a 'newspaper'. ) Reading should get a player one Vodka/drink of choice pass. Those depending on Fox TV news have to take an extra gulp of drink of choice.

 

The language used in these reports is not unbiased.

Edited July 30, 2012 by LibraryLover

[justasque]

From the Post article:

 

Some of the hospitals already operate under the formula lockdown.

“New York City is definitely ahead of the curve,†said Eileen DiFrisco, of NYU Langone Medical Center, where the breast-feeding rate has surged from 39 to 68 percent under the program.

[Embassy]

At least pushing nursing would be better than the pushing formula that often goes on in hospitals. If a mother isn't already determined to breastfeed it is so easy to succumb to the pressure.

[mommymilkies]

I have no problem with it.

Article

 

The aggressive marketing of formula to new mothers is sickening.

 

I agree. Ask Pauline has great info on it, too. Formula rates here are sky high and breast feeding is almost unheard of. If you want a good reason the govt should step in and control the distribution of formula, look at the death and illness rates from formula. 2 of my kids had a medical need for it, so don't flame me for my opinion. I've btdt.

[LibraryLover]

From the Post article:

 

Some of the hospitals already operate under the formula lockdown.

“New York City is definitely ahead of the curve,†said Eileen DiFrisco, of NYU Langone Medical Center, where the breast-feeding rate has surged from 39 to 68 percent under the program.

 

 

How terrible!

[MrsBasil]

The NY Post is owned by the same slimy corporation (Rupert Murdoch's "News" Corp) that owns FOX. The standards of "journalism" are just as low at the NY Post as they are at FOX "News."

 

Bill

 

New York Post, you say?

 

Wow, that makes me feel *so* much better. :tongue_smilie:

 

Fox v. NYP. lol That should be a drinking game.

 

:001_rolleyes:

 

Whatever. I don't read the Post(not sure I've even heard of it before) or Fox. I get my news from other sources. But I did check to see if the news was being carried elsewhere and shared that. Thanks so much for "educating" me. :rolleyes:

[bolt.]

I'd be concerned if people in medical professions weren't encouraging parents to make the healthiest-that-they-can choices for their infants.

 

I understand that sometimes breastfeeding doesn't work out. That's not something that I'm trying to make sound like a big deal. I also understand that formula is not an equally healthy alternative. Formula is less ideal than breastmilk. Every can of it is required to say so, so why shouldn't nurses and doctors say so too?

 

I suppose I'm used to it. I'm in Canada, and our health system regularly encourages healthy choices for everyone. Just like they tell us that fruits, veggies, exercise and regular check-ups are good for all of us, human milk is best for infants. No big deal. All doctors and nurses presume, assume and encourage breastfeeding unless there's a reason not to. (Breastfeeding not going well and mom/baby not doing well *is* considered a reason to consider formula as an option.)

 

I can't imagine marketing being permitted through hospitals at all, much less 'aggressive' marketing.

[edelweiss]

:001_rolleyes:

 

Whatever. I don't read the Post(not sure I've even heard of it before) or Fox. I get my news from other sources. But I did check to see if the news was being carried elsewhere and shared that. Thanks so much for "educating" me. :rolleyes:

 

My thoughts exactly. :iagree: Such anger and bitterness from their side.

[Mama2Many4]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/29/free-infant-formula_n_1119042.html

 

Rhode Island was actually the first state to start this. I'm Bipolar and fortunately I'm done having children partly because of it, but I would be irate as a mother being told how I should feed MY children. Should I feed my children all organic now? I can't afford it! If the government wants to pay for organic food, then heck, yes!

 

I formula fed all 3 of my kids who are super healthy and by gosh, still alive! The formula didn't turn them into chud children or freaks of nature. Being on medication prohibited me from breast feeding. But even if a mother has other reasons, they shouldn't be made to feel like horrible mothers that aren't willing to do all they can for their children.

[Supertechmom]

...... but requiring a medical reason for every bottle for a mother in the hospital is going too far. .....

 

 

Based on my experience, i didn't know what my babies were given when they were removed from my room. Each baby I had, despite rooming in, was given a bottle of either sugar water or formula and I had 4 babies in 3 different hospitals. I was very pro breast feeding, it was marked everywhere, my babies roomed in, lactation consultants each time and still the nursery staff gave my newborns bottles when they took them back to the nursery for rounds. A medical reason would have maybe kept them from plopping a bottle in their mouth without getting my permission. I certainly support requiring that every bottle be documented and require a medical reason. (which if the mom has chosen to FF than the medical reason would be lack of nutrition meeting body needs or something to that effect, .. so there would be a medical reason to document on the chart.) Locking it up and treating it like medicine means nurses can't just grab a can and do what they want because hospital protocols allow them to make those decisions and not me the mom. they have to justify it and perhaps even charge it to their room. Procedures would be in place and those procedures would have to be followed. I do believe if such policies were in place, perhaps bottles would not have been given to my children just because. Somebody would have had to ask me first and not tell me later after the fact. the original doc sounds more like a slap against hospitals and their pro bottle agenda than against FF moms who are choosing to do so.

[MrsBasil]

Based on my experience, i didn't know what my babies were given when they were removed from my room. Each baby I had, despite rooming in, was given a bottle of either sugar water or formula and I had 4 babies in 3 different hospitals. I was very pro breast feeding, it was marked everywhere, my babies roomed in, lactation consultants each time and still the nursery staff gave my newborns bottles when they took them back to the nursery for rounds. A medical reason would have maybe kept them from plopping a bottle in their mouth without getting my permission. I certainly support requiring that every bottle be documented and require a medical reason. (which if the mom has chosen to FF than the medical reason would be lack of nutrition meeting body needs or something to that effect, .. so there would be a medical reason to document on the chart.) Locking it up and treating it like medicine means nurses can't just grab a can and do what they want because hospital protocols allow them to make those decisions and not me the mom. they have to justify it and perhaps even charge it to their room. Procedures would be in place and those procedures would have to be followed. I do believe if such policies were in place, perhaps bottles would not have been given to my children just because. Somebody would have had to ask me first and not tell me later after the fact. the original doc sounds more like a slap against hospitals and their pro bottle agenda than against FF moms who are choosing to do so.

 

OK, I can see that. That wasn't my experience at all, so I was looking at it from my perspective. Bottom line for me is that nothing should be done to undermine a mother's choice, so once she's said, "I want to formula feed." that should be the end of it.

 

Once I said I was breastfeeding all I heard was encouragement, support, they had DH accompany them whenever the baby left the room, and the only person who fed the baby was me.

[Supertechmom]

OK, I can see that. That wasn't my experience at all, so I was looking at it from my perspective. Bottom line for me is that nothing should be done to undermine a mother's choice, so once she's said, "I want to formula feed." that should be the end of it.

 

Once I said I was breastfeeding all I heard was encouragement, support, they had DH accompany them whenever the baby left the room, and the only person who fed the baby was me.

 

 

All i heard was encouragment too until the baby came back and they just said "oh by the way, he was acting hungry so we fed him a bottle " as they ran out the room. :glare: And it 's not like they were ever gone for more than an hour or two. I think they just wanted to rock and feed babies! Going with baby was always highly discouraged. So that never worked either. Some places/areas are just not mom friendly.

[duckens]

For starters, I'm probably one of the biggest nipple nazis you'll ever meet.

 

Basically, it sounds to me like they need these regs because the hospital staff are (without permission?) giving formula to babies whose mothers have chosen to breastfeed.

Things are not always black and white.

 

I made it clear during both deliveries that I wanted to bf each of my babies.

 

With the first delivery, something went wrong with my spinal block. I could feel the cutting of the C-section. So the anesthesiologist knocked me out quick!

 

After the baby was born, her glucose levels started to fall, and she needed nutrition. (This was after she had been clean up and checked and properly apgarred.) I was still knocked out. The nurses were concerned for our baby girl.

 

They sent Loverboy up to recovery to check one.more.time. if I was awake. At that moment, I did awaken and asked the attending nurse to if I could nurse the baby. She hotfooted it to the phone, and the nurses in the nursery sent Loverboy to recovery with our beautiful baby girl.

 

Dd5 has nursed ever since. (Yes, I'm one of THEM.)

 

------------------------------------

For baby #2, she lost weight while in the hospital. For whatever reason, she was not getting enough breastmilk.

 

The hospital sent us home with their free sample can of formula to supplement through the Thanksgiving holiday (bf first, then formula). I was grateful for it. They also sent home an industrial strength breastmilk pump.

 

Formula helped us through those first weeks until our baby girl gained weight properly.

 

We were lucky in another way. I'm crazy enough to tandem nurse, so dd(4 at the time) kept my milk supply full and gave her little sister all the time she needed (a couple of months) to learn how to nurse effectively.

 

***Note: Dd4 did not nurse while I was in the hospital birthing her little sister.

[Lily_Grace]

I'll say I think it's okay for the hospital to document a medical need for formula they give out. If it's a choice, and not a need, then the parent should pay for the choice and plan to keep some in their bag. If it's a need, the hospital should cover the feeding.

[Audrey]

And who, pray tell, decides what constitutes a 'medical need'? I nursed 4 babies, and had to FF #5, due to RSD, meds, etc.

 

I would have been HOT if someone decided to lecture me every time I needed formula.

 

I knew a first time mom that was so brain washed by Bf Nazis that they tried EVERYTHING, incl spoon feeding b/c the baby wouldn't latch...and baby ended up admitted to the NICU for dehydration and weight loss, b/c formula was EVIL.

 

Ppl are ridiculous.

 

 

That was like it was for me. I had nothing. NOTHING. to offer my ds when he was born and not for a full 4 days afterward. I mean nothing, not even a single drop of colostrum. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

 

Yet the nurses kept pushing me to bf. I finally told dh to go out and buy some pre-mix formula and a bottle. A dear sil went with him and they smuggled it in to me. I told the nurse who tried to confiscate it that she could go f*** herself because I wasn't going to sit there and let my baby starve.

 

2 days after I went home, my milk finally came in and I pumped what little I had for him, but he got it in a bottle.

 

I hate the LLL gestapo and their bf at all costs agenda.

[Slartibartfast]

From the Post article:

 

Some of the hospitals already operate under the formula lockdown.

“New York City is definitely ahead of the curve,†said Eileen DiFrisco, of NYU Langone Medical Center, where the breast-feeding rate has surged from 39 to 68 percent under the program.

 

Wow!

 

I don't know what this "Nanny state" is that people are railing against but it looks like it works! Increasing breastfeeding rates will reduce healthcare costs for all of us. Hooray!

[Slartibartfast]

I'll say I think it's okay for the hospital to document a medical need for formula they give out. If it's a choice, and not a need, then the parent should pay for the choice and plan to keep some in their bag. If it's a need, the hospital should cover the feeding.

 

I think it is something they need to know. It will only help solve problems to have all the information.

 

It's science people, I think most of us have explained the basic process to our kids.

[MinivanMom]

A whole lotta spin in that article.

 

As usual, it's worth a look at the source.

 

From here:

Latch On NYC is a citywide initiative to support mothers who choose to breastfeed and limit practices that interfere with that choice. It involves both a hospital commitment to limit infant formula promotion and a public awareness campaign on the benefits of breast milk.

 

Hospitals joining Latch On NYC have agreed to:

--Enforce the New York State hospital regulation to not supplement breastfeeding infants with formula unless medically indicated and documented on the infant’s medical chart

--Limit access to infant formula by hospital staff

--Discontinue the distribution of promotional or free infant formula

--Prohibit the display and distribution of infant formula advertising or promotional materials in any hospital location

 

Additionally, the Health Department is launching a subway and hospital poster campaign highlighting the benefits of breast milk, such as reducing the risk of ear infections, diarrhea and pneumonia.

 

Why the need for these policies?

This link from the department of health explains it.

While New York State (NYS) regulations state that breastfeeding infants should not be supplemented with formula feedings in the hospital unless medically indicated, 93% of NYC births occur in hospitals where healthy breastfed infants are supplemented with infant formula. In a nationwide ranking of states, NYS ranks next to worst in breastfed infants receiving supplementary formula in the hospital.

 

Basically, it sounds to me like they need these regs because the hospital staff are (without permission?) giving formula to babies whose mothers have chosen to breastfeed.

 

:iagree:

 

My understanding is that these regulations are for nurses, not for mothers. If a mother is choosing to formula feed, then no big deal. Formula feeding will be marked on the chart and bottles will be given. However, if the mother is choosing to breastfeed then the nurses must provide medical documentation for giving a supplementary bottle to the breastfed babies. Basically, it prevents nurses from giving supplementary bottles to breastfed babies without the mothers' permission or knowledge. This changes nothing for formula fed babies, but it protects breastfeeding mommies and babies. Keeping the formula locked up is just a way to make the nurses accountable. Since they have to document formula used, they can't grab a bottle and give it to a breastfed baby without a documented medical reason. Formula fed moms will not have to provide a medical reason for why they are formula feeding. It is nurses who will be required to provide a medical reason for giving breastfed babies a bottle.

 

The rest of the stuff about formula marketing is just common sense. When I gave birth to my first baby I was given a free diaper bag with Enfamil stamped across it. The bag was filled with free formula, formula coupons, and breastfeeding advice helpfully prepared for new mothers by . . . Enfamil (bad advice - big surprise:glare:). There's absolutely no reason for hospitals to be running marketing campaigns for formula companies.

[JoLuRu]

My understanding is that these regulations are for nurses, not for mothers. If a mother is choosing to formula feed, then no big deal. Formula feeding will be marked on the chart and bottles will be given. However, if the mother is choosing to breastfeed then the nurses must provide medical documentation for giving a supplementary bottle to the breastfed babies. Basically, it prevents nurses from giving supplementary bottles to breastfed babies without the mothers' permission or knowledge. This changes nothing for formula fed babies, but it protects breastfeeding mommies and babies. Keeping the formula locked up is just a way to make the nurses accountable. Since they have to document formula used, they can't grab a bottle and give it to a breastfed baby without a documented medical reason. Formula fed moms will not have to provide a medical reason for why they are formula feeding. It is nurses who will be required to provide a medical reason for giving breastfed babies a bottle.

 

The rest of the stuff about formula marketing is just common sense. When I gave birth to my first baby I was given a free diaper bag with Enfamil stamped across it. The bag was filled with free formula, formula coupons, and breastfeeding advice helpfully prepared for new mothers by . . . Enfamil (bad advice - big surprise:glare:). There's absolutely no reason for hospitals to be running marketing campaigns for formula companies.

 

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree:

This is about protecting moms, not a "nanny state" interjecting itself on moms' choices.

[EthiopianFood]

I'd be concerned if people in medical professions weren't encouraging parents to make the healthiest-that-they-can choices for their infants.

 

I understand that sometimes breastfeeding doesn't work out. That's not something that I'm trying to make sound like a big deal. I also understand that formula is not an equally healthy alternative. Formula is less ideal than breastmilk. Every can of it is required to say so, so why shouldn't nurses and doctors say so too?

 

Because someone will feel judged. I don't understand why saying McDonalds isn't healthful isn't also considered judgemental to overweight people (of which I am one, FTR). This isn't how it is in Canada? Talking about the benefits of breastfeeding produces comments on how "it isn't anyone else's business how I raise my child, how dare you judge me."

[EthiopianFood]

The rest of the stuff about formula marketing is just common sense. When I gave birth to my first baby I was given a free diaper bag with Enfamil stamped across it. The bag was filled with free formula, formula coupons, and breastfeeding advice helpfully prepared for new mothers by . . . Enfamil (bad advice - big surprise:glare:). There's absolutely no reason for hospitals to be running marketing campaigns for formula companies.

 

I was offered this as well... at my MIDWIFERY clinic. :001_huh::confused::glare:

[BakersDozen]

Also, could a mom not bring her own newborn formula if she'd already decided that formula was her choice for feeding her baby? I mean, you bring the clothes to dress your baby in etc., why not the formula if you're not planning to breastfeed?

Love this idea!

 

The rest of the stuff about formula marketing is just common sense. When I gave birth to my first baby I was given a free diaper bag with Enfamil stamped across it. The bag was filled with free formula, formula coupons, and breastfeeding advice helpfully prepared for new mothers by . . . Enfamil (bad advice - big surprise:glare:). There's absolutely no reason for hospitals to be running marketing campaigns for formula companies.

Having that free can of formula undermined my determination to make nursing work with #1. I was overwhelmed and it was just there, ready to use, easy to use...so I used it. I never took home anything free from the hospital, especially formula.

[at the beach]

I'd be concerned if people in medical professions weren't encouraging parents to make the healthiest-that-they-can choices for their infants.

 

I understand that sometimes breastfeeding doesn't work out. That's not something that I'm trying to make sound like a big deal. I also understand that formula is not an equally healthy alternative. Formula is less ideal than breastmilk. Every can of it is required to say so, so why shouldn't nurses and doctors say so too?

 

I suppose I'm used to it. I'm in Canada, and our health system regularly encourages healthy choices for everyone. Just like they tell us that fruits, veggies, exercise and regular check-ups are good for all of us, human milk is best for infants. No big deal. All doctors and nurses presume, assume and encourage breastfeeding unless there's a reason not to. (Breastfeeding not going well and mom/baby not doing well *is* considered a reason to consider formula as an option.)

 

I can't imagine marketing being permitted through hospitals at all, much less 'aggressive' marketing.

 

Well said.:001_smile:

 

A very good book on this subject is Milk, Money, and Madness: The Culture and Politics of Breastfeeding (Baumslag, Michels).

Edited July 30, 2012 by Violet

[Lizzie in Ma]

Why would you believe FOX "News"? They lie and distort constantly. Promoting anger is their game, they do it well (if one takes them at face value as a purveyor of truthful journalism). But they are no such thing.

 

Burned again.

 

Bill

 

Yup, at it again

[Cammie]

I find it interesting that when the government wants to encourage certain healthful behaviors it is a "nanny state" but that there is no protest against business interests using underhanded, sneaky methods to encourage product loyalty from the onset. Where is the outrage?

[Night Elf]

No, it's an effort to counteract the aggressive marketing by the formula companies.

 

Am I the only person here who received free formula during prenatal care? I got it with all 3 babies, just during the course of checkups at the ob/gyn office. I'm assuming that formula isn't free in a hospital, they just probably don't tell you how it is being billed. You know, how like 2 Tylenol tablets are over $5.00. In fact, when my first was born, my hospital charged for a circumcision and my baby was a girl.

[Mommyfaithe]

Problem is two-fold...

1. If NY does not have the money for formula.....then people who want to bottle feed need to buy the formula themselves. Stop giving out "samples " in the hospital and provide breastfeeding support and instruction. Formula is expensive. If there is a medical reason mom can not breastfeed....write a script....NEVER gonna happen here!! There are way too many people dependent on WIC, Medicare , social services, etc. it is more a way of life than a safety net here in NY.

 

2. The pendulum always has to swing into the area of ridiculous! When I had my oldest, the nursing staf tried to guilt me, trick me, and stealth feed my baby because I couldn't possibly exclusively breastfeed. It was a battle. By the time I had last ds there was a breastfeeding specialist on staff, and every nursing mom had 2 visits before she went home....and the diaperbag they sent home with me had nursing pads, burp cloths and a coupon for vitamins....no formula. Bottle feeding Mammas got a different bag of goodies.

 

 

Personally, I do not think it is anyone's business how I feed my babies as long as baby is thriving. However, when government is paying for the nutrition, and study after study proves bf' ing is not only healthier, but way cheaper....Government then needs to do what is financially healthier for those PAYING the costs. It doesn't, but it should.

 

The issue is just more complicated than "Don't tell me how to feed my baby". The issue has to do with health care costs and tax monies being spent.

Edited July 30, 2012 by Mommyfaithe