Ann Calandro suggested that moms who wish not to breastfeed should bring
their own milk to the hospital....

It is a great idea but you first have to convince the hospital
administrators not to accept the free milk from the companies and all
the goodies that come with it....but...there is a hospital in Quebec,
near Montreal, the Brome-Missiquoi-Perkins hospital, the one ready to be
evaluated for Baby-friendly-initiative, who kind of started this type of
movement....

They now ask the mothers to bring their own bottles at the hospital; the
first demonstration of preparing artificial milk from powder is given by
the perinatal nurse. Then, the parents have the responsibility to
prepare them themselves during their hospital stay...They have very few
deliveries per year (around 400) so it was easier than with huge
perinatal wards mind you, but still...it is a start....

Good side effects of this experience?
1.Mothers having to do this sometimes decide to breastfeed since it
seems so easy for the breastfeeding mothers....
2.No more already prepared bottles in hospital so impossible to offer
'gifts' to parents in case bf doesn't work...
3. Less advertisement since the powdered milk is bought in big boxes and
kept at the nursing station rather than in the mothers' rooms...
4. Word is clear from the administrators and the nurses and the doctors
that bf is preferred...
5. Community health nurses report less problems of dehydration or
ill-prepared milk with bottlefed babies...

So, Ann, I agree with you, next step should be to ask parents to bring
their own milk!
Sincerely, Louise

Louise Dumas, R.N., M.S.N., PhD
Professor-researcher in Nursing Sciences
University of Quebec in Hull
(Western Quebec)

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