Just reading through your explanation, Heather, points out how disempowering most "giveaway" programs are to people in general, no matter what the situation. They are only temporary solutions for big problems that have deep roots. Having tried to help family members in a far away state who encounter hospital discouragement and downright sabotage for breastfeeding as well as prejudice (mom is Hispanic and therefore we just know she won't care if we give formula, PLEASE!), I am just crazy wishing I could transport through the telephone to help them and string up some hospital employees! This is not to criticize all hospitals, but if there are no consequences for wrong behavior, wrong messages and wrong information, how will they ever get better?
-----Original Message-----
From: Lactation Information and Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of heather
Sent: Monday, September 16, 2013 3:02 AM
Subject: Re: bfhi formula policy
>Does anyone know the exact policy of bfhi regarding formula? Our
>hospital does not give out any gift bags with formula. We have a nice
>gift bag instead, with a water bottle, picture frame, etc. But I still
>have nurses on the unit that every time a mom asks for free formula
>(whether they are bfding or not) they fill up the gift bag with
>formula. The mother usually gives them a sob story about how they don't
>have any money for formula. I'm pretty sure that if we want to achieve
>bfhi some day, that we need to stop giving out any free formula, right?
That's correct. You would be expected to follow the WHO code on the distribution of free formula that is, not to do it, ever.
In the UK, maternity units have not routinely given formula to take home for decades, now, to anyone, so it's not a big deal not to do it, but both BF hospitals and non-BF hospitals will give mothers in a genuine emergency a small amount of formula to keep the family going until they can provide their own, say sufficient for one feed.
It strikes me that the easiest way to resolve this is a *policy*, which would allow you to give a small amount of free formula to a formula feeding mother, if you judge the situation to be an emergency. This would be recorded and signed for.
Any give-away of formula (and filling up a bag with it can never be
right) is a promotion - it is a promotion of formula in general and a promotion of the brand that's given away. It also strikes me as disempowering - the most basic act of parenting is to ensure your offspring have food, and while of course it's caring to give a desperate mother in an emergency a small amount of formula (if she is ff), providing a whole lot of it so she doesn't even have to collect it/arrange for it to be collected is just not necessary.
Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc,tutor, UK
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