Dear Lacnetters,

I am a LLL Leader in Connecticut and a labor support doula at a local
hospital. Judy Holtzer Knopf posted on Lacnet, April 17th requesting research
and references concerning hospital protocol in caring for HBW neonates. I
have been following the replies to her original post and I would like to find
some research and references that support allowing the mothers to breastfeed
before resorting to supplementing with glucose and formula if the baby's
glucose is low.

I would like very much to be able to change the hospital's present policy
which is to give supplements to any baby over 9lbs 3oz (they say they only
supplement if glucose is low but that doesn't seem to be the case, as I know
of a few babies who had good heel sticks and were supplemented anyway) and
maybe even find some references or research that will support the use of
other feeding methods besides a bottle. They are pretty adamant about using
those artificial nipples! At our (Doula department) monthly inservice which
was given by the head of neonatology, they pretty much pooh-poohed the idea
of nipple confusion because of "just one bottle" and made it seem as if the
babies would be critically ill if supplements were not administered right
away.


TIA,

Susan Pszenitzki
LLL Leader and Labor Support Doula