---- Nan Jolly <[log in to unmask]> wrote: 
> From what I've read as a foreigner, it seems that American medical practice 
> is largely determined by the fear of litigation.

Exactly right. That's the focus of every US hospital Risk Management Dept.
 
> Perhaps there might be a change if health care professionals knew they could 
> be sued when the baby had a poor outcome (asthma, necrotising enterocolitis) 
> because her risk had been significantly increased by supplementing with 
> formula.

And the attorneys will say PROVE IT that THIS baby has these results solely because of being fed formula. In the US, formula is perceived as "normal" food for babies. It is believed that babies just get ear aches. It's just because they are babies. It has nothing to do with formula.
  
> <<Supplementation of breastfed babies in some hospitals is now up to 50%. 
> Why can't these babies be exclusively breastfed in hospital? What's 
> contributing to such high amounts of supplementation? What can we be doing 
> to reverse this problem?
> Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
> Weston, MA>>

Got'cha beat!   :-/
Two years ago when I last had the opportunity to count statistics, we could show a great Breast Initiation Rate: 75% to 85%, depending on the  months. But if you count all the Breast Only, Vaginal Births, Level I babies, where mom didn't "change her mind" any time during her stay, I counted 20 of them in one month. Guess how many were actually exclusively breast fed at discharge? ONE!
So I looked at Formula Initiation Rate: generally 100% Given the one exclusively BF'd baby above, maybe it could be as low as 98.8% Formula Initiation Rate. They still say "It's Cultural!"
I say, "It's US health care culture, not Hispanic culture."

Phyllis  
... awaiting retirement ...

--
Phyllis Adamson, IBCLC, RLC
Glendale, AZ.
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