Sundays paper had this article under Your Voice:
Support Lacking for breastfeeding moms by Laurie James
http://search.tribnet.com/archive/archive30/0603b93.html
The birth of a child should be a joyful, exciting time. Unfortunately,
many women have problems initiating brestfeeding. The American Academy
of Pediatrics recommnds solely brestfeeding infants for a minimum of six
months.
I thought I wouldn't have any trouble nursing my daughter Kaylie. I was
wrong. She was sleepy. I was nervous, and the process was difficult.
I worried that she ewasn't getting enough to eat and thought about
supplementing with formula.
Tht's a recipe for disaster, says Sue Knight, nurse and lactation
specialist at Capital Medical Center in Olympia: "Breastfeeding is a
cycle of supply and demand. Women create the supply by nursing
frequently." Feeding even a little formula reduces milk supply.
Lactation consultants like Knight offer support and practical tips for
new moms and women having trouble managing the transition back to work.
My health insurance plan doesn't cover the cost of lactation
consultations or a breast pump, which allowed me to return to work and
continue to breastfeed.
The US Ssurgeon General's goal is for 75 percent of women to breastfeed
their infants when they leave the hospital, and 50 percent to continue
breastfeeding for six months. Current statistics show about two-thirds
of women leave the hospital breastfeeding. Less than 20 percent of
women who return to work full time, as I did, continue it for six
months.
I discovered my insurance company wouldn't pay for breast pump rental
because it deemed my going back to work a "choice." Breast pumps are
not covered, although other preventive services are. I was shocked when
I learned my state employees' plan covered penile implants but wouldn't
pay for the equipment I needed to continue breastfeeding when I returned
to work.
A recent publication by the US Departmet of Agriculture reports a
minimum savings of $3.6 billion a year in this country if breastfeeding
increased from the current levels to the level recommended by the US
Surgeon General. This figure is an underestimation, because the report
only looks at three childhood illnesses, including ear infections.
Another study shows that health plans save about $900 per year for each
child solely breastfed for six months.
Women of all income levels can find the assistance they need to start
and continue brestfeeding through the South Sound Breastfeeding
Network. The network has just published the South Sound Breastfeeding
Network Resource Guide, listing breastfeeding resources for Thurston,
Lewis, Mason, Pierce and Grays Harbor counties. South Sound
Breastfeeding Network is a community coalition encouraging and promoting
breastfeeding by providing a positive support network. For more
information, contact Gwen Marshall at 1-360-786-5581, Ext. 6967.
According to my estimates, over the past eight months the Health Care
Authority spent about $600 in staff time to justify denying making any
payment to me for an appropriate breast pump. Every hour racks up an
additional $217 in staff time. That's a breast pump an hour. That's
your tax dollars at work.
Olympia resident Laurie James works for the Department of Health.
***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
|
