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NYC Stance on Breastfeeding vs Formula
  • Emmie
    Posts: 277Member

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

     

    Mayor Bloomberg is pushing hospitals to hide their baby formula behind locked doors so more new mothers will breast-feed.

    Starting Sept. 3, the city will keep tabs on the number of bottles that participating hospitals stock and use — the most restrictive pro-breast-milk program in the nation.

    Under the city Health Department’s voluntary Latch On NYC initiative, 27 of the city’s 40 hospitals have also agreed to give up swag bags sporting formula-company logos, toss out formula-branded tchotchkes like lanyards and mugs, and document a medical reason for every bottle that a newborn receives.

     

    While breast-feeding activists applaud the move, bottle-feeding moms are bristling at the latest lactation lecture.

    “If they put pressure on me, I would get annoyed,” said Lynn Sidnam, a Staten Island mother of two formula-fed girls, ages 4 months and 9 years. “It’s for me to choose.”

    Under Latch On NYC, new mothers who want formula won’t be denied it, but hospitals will keep infant formula in out-of-the-way secure storerooms or in locked boxes like those used to dispense and track medications.

    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.

    “It’s the patient’s choice,” said Allison Walsh, of Beth Israel Medical Center. “But it’s our job to educate them on the best option.”

    Lisa Paladino, of Staten Island University Hospital, said: “The key to getting more moms to breast-feed is making the formula less accessible. This way, the RN has to sign out the formula like any other medication. The nurse’s aide can’t just go grab another bottle.”



    Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mayor_knows_breast_WqU1iYRQvwbEkDuvn0vb1H#ixzz224X1RMD1

  • Emmie
    Posts: 277Member

    I am definitely pro-breastfeeding, having breastfed all 4 of my kids for about a year each.  But to limit the formula given to Mom's of newborns at the hospital?!?  How about the really poor Mom's, who try to stash a couple of extra bottles to take home?  If the nurses have to sign out each bottle, they won't be able to help stock up those poor families.

    And education is one thing, but a lecture with each bottle is harassment.

    Even getting rid of the little diaper bags given out by the formula companies?  How do you think all of us breastfeeding Mom's carried our stuff?  I always used those free bags for a long time.

    I'm so glad that I don't live in NYC!  What is your opinion?

  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,139Member
    I voiced my opinion on another thread.  This is STUPID.  No way do hospitals advocate one form over another...if anything they discourage formula feeding.  It never even occurred to me to BUY any formula even for an emergency because I was going to breast feed, but I was glad they gave me some to take home with me, my dd would have starved had I not been able to supplement her with formula and thank God here you see your peds 2 days after you get the baby home, because I didn't deliver anywhere near where I lived and my pediatrician didn't see her in the hospital, or he would have given me the o.k. and told me how much to give her as a supplement before I even left the hospital.  
    Bite me, cupcake!
  • Rawrchu
    Posts: 516Member
    Wow, this is just wrong. I don't see how they can do that. Can you imagine getting lectured with each bottle?  Not all women choose to bottle feed. Some women can not nurse for various reasons. Grrrrr. 
  • Charlotte_SometimesCharlotte_Sometimes
    Posts: 1,756Member
    I'm not commenting one way or the other on the article, but just pointing out that MOST really poor moms can get formula via WIC and I wanted to say that I hope most hospitals are now promoting breastfeeding but I am sure there are plenty out there who aer not doing what they should be.  And sometimes it's just one bad nurse or hother hospital staff that can mess things up.  

    I hope things have changed a lot since I had babies though, with regard to how hospitals "handle" breastfeeding overall.

    Sorry, I was too lazy to read the whole article at the moment.
    "But a lesson must be lived
    In order to be learned"

    Ani DiFranco, Manhole
  • LLB
    Posts: 3,275Member
    Yes @charlotte_sometimes you can apply for wic but there is a waiting period! I planned on exclusively breast feeding my twins but had multiple issues with breastfeeding and ended up having to supplement so my children didn't starve.

    I applied for wic but had to wait a couple weeks before I got my appointment. I was pumping and feeding my babies all the BM I could but still needed formula. I was never able to produce enough to feed my babies. If I didn't have the samples sent home with me from the hospital I don't know what I would have done for that 2 week waiting period!
  • Charlotte_SometimesCharlotte_Sometimes
    Posts: 1,756Member
    @Llb   Is it the same if you are on it during pregnancy?  I was getting WIC during pregnancy both times (but I never got formula through them) so I don't know how that works.
    "But a lesson must be lived
    In order to be learned"

    Ani DiFranco, Manhole
  • AnonUser33
    Posts: 743Guest
    I never even attempted to breastfeed. It wasn't something I wanted to do and I would have been pissed had the hospital harassed me every time I wanted a bottle for my children. It was bad enough that I was shamed by the lactation nurse and another mom. Frankly, it is no ones choice but the moms.
  • LLB
    Posts: 3,275Member
    @charlotte_sometimes I'm not sure as I did not receive wic while I was pregnant. I had planned on breastfeeding but when I realized I couldn't do that exclusively i freaked out wondering how the hell we were going to be able to afford formula! That stuff is expensive! My drs at the hospital sent me home with a packet including The info to call wic. When I called I had to wait 2 weeks for an appointment.
  • Charlotte_SometimesCharlotte_Sometimes
    Posts: 1,756Member
    @Llb  Yeah I have no clue because my "babies" are 14 and 20 ;)  But back then I got WIC during pregnancy and then after he was born I got the "breastfeeding package" which was extra foods for nursing moms plus they paid for a lactation consultant to come to my house which was my primary motivation for signing up (I was afraid of problems with DS2 after my experience with DS1).   I don't remember any of the details from DS1, honestly, I know that when he was weaned early at 5 months, I bought formula with food stamps because I didn't like the formula WIC offered, it didn't work well for him at all. 
    "But a lesson must be lived
    In order to be learned"

    Ani DiFranco, Manhole
  • SassySassy
    Posts: 2,430Member
    Does WIC advocate breastfeeding before even offering formula?
  • Mommyliciousx4Mommyliciousx4
    Posts: 1,769Member
    @Sassy The WIC office I go to does. They have the posters in every room.
  • mommydeliriousmommydelirious
    Posts: 3,217Member
    Its too bad someone couldn't just hand a woman a brochure at a prenatal visit and trust that she's smart enough to make her own decision
    8-|
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  • KiinuKiinu
    Posts: 1,159Member
    WIC advocates breastfeeding during and after pregnancy, they have lactation consultants they can send to your house or that you can go see. They offer little BFing classes before you have you baby and they give you a free manual pump at the end. They gave me checks for food while I was Bfing and when we switched to formula they gave me checks for that.

    They made sure I had an appt. before my due date and had me sign paperwork saying my SO at the time could come pick up the next set of checks if I couldn't go there after DS's birth. So I imagine that if you had WIC during your pregnancy that you would have formula right away if you needed it.
  • CanadianMamaCanadianMama
    Posts: 9,617Administrator, Moderator
    I'm wondering what sort of strain this is going to put on the hospital staff. Do the nurses have the time to sign out formula every time a baby needs it? Do they have the time to give the lecture? I know that here this would drive the nurses insane. They are already overworked and understaffed, there's no way this would fly.

    community-manager


  • GingersnapGingersnap
    Posts: 7,282Member
    Wow. Color me stupid today.

    @kiinu said: WIC advocates breast feeding during and after pregnancy.

    I had to read it twice to understand they aren't encouraging mothers to nurse fetuses. DERP. I'm going AFK to do something safe for the day that doesn't involve sharp objects.
    image
  • KiinuKiinu
    Posts: 1,159Member
    @Gingersnap LOL! I should have re-read that before I posted it. Oops lol
  • fantasticalmamafantasticalmama
    Posts: 139Member
    When hospitals and government get involved with something as personal and emotionally daunting as breastfeeding they seem to use scare tactics and bullying. The amount of new mothers that come into an ER with underfed/ dehydrated babies is what bothers me and when I was doing their case work info (this is considered neglect under the law) they were scared into only breastfeeding and even though they knew their baby wasn't getting enough fluids and nutrients they didn't want to "fail" as a mommy by supplementing. I have personally written up 2 of our 3 LC's for not noticing or providing the mother with the signs of dehydration and illness. The best part is the LC's blame it on the pediatrician and the pediatrician's always assume the LC is fully aware of the child's milk intake and nutritional status. I bf my dd and am not anti-bf, but the line should be decided by the mother... no one else. 
  • SassySassy
    Posts: 2,430Member
    Kiinu said:

    WIC advocates breastfeeding during and after pregnancy, they have lactation consultants they can send to your house or that you can go see. They offer little BFing classes before you have you baby and they give you a free manual pump at the end. They gave me checks for food while I was Bfing and when we switched to formula they gave me checks for that.

    They made sure I had an appt. before my due date and had me sign paperwork saying my SO at the time could come pick up the next set of checks if I couldn't go there after DS's birth. So I imagine that if you had WIC during your pregnancy that you would have formula right away if you needed it.



    That's great! I wasn't aware.
  • BugsMomma
    Posts: 174Member
    I was on wic while pregnant and had to set up an appointment after dd was born to change my package. I initially did a "partial package" that included 6 cans of formula a month. I struggled trying to get the hang of nursing so that's why I supplemented. Finally nailed it at around 3 months! :)When I told the wic person I planned to bf, it was a case of "good for you and here's a can of formula." once dd was 6 weeks old, I went back to get a breast pump. Luckily they gave those away. I ended up with an Ameda electric double pump but still there didn't seem like much support from wic to nurse. A lc was never mentioned. As dd is older, formula has been switched to rice cereal and 32 jars of baby food a month. I'm happy I never gave up breast feeding and I put forth a shit ton of effort to make it work. But I feel like if I had more support in the beginning (none at the hospital) then I wouldn't have had to supplement.
  • cheesehead4ever
    Posts: 673Member
    I had breast reduction surgery at 17. Both nipples were removed and reattached. Believe me, nothing was hooked up for breast feeding when I had DD nine years later! I didn't even have an increase in size. I would have been pretty pissed off if we had to go through a nurse every time she was crying and needed a bottle at the hospital. Hopefully they wouldn't have had to lecture me with each bottle we received!

    I am all for breast feeding if one can make it work for them, but I think this might be going a little too far. Plus what a burden on the nurses who already have enough to do!
  • chaosmomchaosmom
    Posts: 3,846Member
    In my area, the hospitals & WIC office all push breastfeeding but LC's are not readily available to help & the nurses can't be bothered. When ds7 was born, I started trying to latch him on moments after birth & kept trying. I was drinking tons of water, eating what my family brought me b/c the hospital sure didn't give me the extra calories & I struggled the whole time. I sent ds7 to the nursery so I could take a 20 minute walk around the floor just to settle down because I was so upset that bf wasn't working. I had asked for a LC already but was told they would be there when they could. The nurses bitched me out for about 30 minutes for starving my baby & told me he was going to die if I didn't try to bf hard enough. I gave up & asked for formula (in tears) & got bitched out for that for a few hours. The LC came in 10 minutes before I was discharged :-/ a lot of good that did.

    If hospitals want to fully support breastfeeding then they need to make sure support is in place to help it be successful. But they don't need to give new parents a guilt trip over opting for formula if that is what works for them. And it definitely does not need to be locked up & dispensed as medication. It is food ffs!!
  • 456Imamom
    Posts: 538Member
    I was brain washed by a friend into breastfeeding (with the help of the internet and prenatal class). So when I had difficulty (DS was tongue tied and it shredded my nipples, which became infected with thrush) I went through HELL to try and make it work. I was paranoid about even bringing formula into the house. I didn't know that formula companies gave out goodie bags, etc. I had more than enough milk (an oversupply with engorgement and over active letdown was tons of fun on tops of the other issues). We eventually bought a Madella 2phase double electric pump which saved the breastfeeding, although the issues remained. After 2 months of battling it, I started to develop PPD. By 8 months I was having suicidal thoughts, but still breast-feeding! I finally got help, started an SSRI, and at 9 months weened my son.......With baby#2 on the way, I don't know what I would do if it all started to go down hill and the nurse had to lecture me if I asked for a bottle of formula to feed my baby and save my sanity (literally!)  ~X(
  • fatchickonabikefatchickonabike
    Posts: 5,489Member
    How about if you trust women to do what's best for themselves and their babies and stay the fuck out of it? This smacks of condescending paternalistic bullshit.
    "The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shock-proof bullshit detector.” - Ernest Hemingway
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