Why are we sending mothers and babies home before a baby can breastfeed
adequately - ie. enough to sustain its nutritional needs and grow.  The
baby and mother both indicate that they want to achieve this by
*breastfeeding*, yet they are discharged before this is achieved just
because ANY milk can be *got into* the baby by ANY other method.

Being able to breastfeed adequately must be the absolute minimum criteria
that needs to be met before that baby is discharged from the system.  Is
there no way you can prolong the stay? I know it all comes down to funding
and here in Australia I think the standards are a lot more lenient then
they appear to be in the States.  A diagnosis we can use to prolong the
stay and still get funded is 'cracked nipples' - and I'm sure there are
more, i jsut haven't investigated.
Anyone in Aus able to add more to this?

What is the situation in other countries - and please enlighten me
regarding the States, too.
Thanks
Denise
****************************************************
Denise Fisher, BN, RM, IBCLC
BreastEd Online Lactation Studies Course
http://www.breasted.com.au
mailto:[log in to unmask]
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