At least as I understand it, the major problem for hospitals in conforming to
the WHO Code and BFHI is not just the cost of buying the formula, but the loss
of revenue from the formula contracts.  Our fairly small hospital (1200
births/year) receives $10,000/year in "education money" from the manufacturer
with whom we have an exclusive contract.  The hospital views this as a cost
savings, despite my impassioned plea to consider the ethical issues last time
the contract was signed.  I am pleased, however, that we did not agree to the
stipulation in the contract that we give a gift pak to every mother.  We agreed
that we would give a gift pak to every bottle-feeding mother and only to
breastfeeding mothers who specifically requested one.  This has been our policy
for the last 3 years and only rarely does a bag go home with a breastfeeding
mother.

Becky Krumwiede, RN, IBCLC
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