At 4:27 pm +0000 6/11/00, Magda Sachs wrote:
>
>I seem to remember that when I had my American babies here in the UK there
>were some hospitals which had input output type charts at the foot the bed
>(tho not in the hospital where I gave birth to my son, and certainly not in
>my home where I gave birth to my daughter).  I remember that the unofficial
>advice about these charts given in the mother-to-mother support group I went
>to was: lie.

You're right - 'feeding charts' were present in some hospitals (by no
mans all)  up until a few years ago, for breast and formula feeding
women. They were indeed something to tell lies on....because the
tendency was for them to be interpreted by professionals as evidence
bf wasn't enough. I haven't heard of them recently. If they were to
be re-introduced in any form, I think they would be seen as 'alien' -
but I'd be all for an RCT, with the outcomes measured in terms of
mother satisfaction, length of time bf, numbers of supps.

  But you didn't have to chart the number of nappies, just tick PU
(passed urine) and write in the colour of the stools.  I suspect
their use faded away with the trend towards early discharge. There
would be little point in gving them to mothers who would be at home
between 6 and 48 hours after birth. I have never heard of them being
used at home after discharge.

You're right about temperature in the UK - I have never taken my own
or any of my kids' temps! We don't even have a thermometer in the
house : )  I am not unusual I don't think.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK

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