Dear Bobbie:  I can relate to your post on night supplementation.  I swear you
were describing our OB unit.  Fortunately, I am also a teacher of childbirth
education and I know the other teachers and have asked them not only to
discuss rooming in with the moms prenatally but to discuss feeding care plans
and how they fall apart when mom "hits the wall" at 1am.  I put responsibility
on the dad to restrict visitors during the day so mom can sleep and to put a
sign on the door "DO NOT DISTURB.  FAMILY SLEEPING" and to hold all calls.
Our hospital has an open door policy regarding visiting hours, so I suggest
that parents TELL their visitors that they can visit between 11am to 1pm and
5pm-7pm.  That way mom gets company while she is eating her meal, gets to show
off baby, and visitors don't stay all day long and wear her out.  She gets a
nap and has more stamina for those night feedings.  Puttin the baby in bed
with the mom and telling her to go back to sleep with baby at the breast helps
too (non-medicated mom, of course).  I just started this so I don't know if it
will have an impact or not, but reaching them PRENATALLY and stressing
COMMITMENT to baby at least forewarns them.  Good luck.  Don't back down too
much.  Loni Denman, RN, IBCLC