I can't remember how long we've been trying to emphasize looking at BOTH
wetting and stooling as indicators of adequate intake.  Unfortunately, I
also can't remember where the first evidence (recent) of this was
published.  We still have many docs who tell moms it's OK for babies to
skip days on stools even in the first month!  Meanshile the LCs are
telling them to look for at least 3-4/day in the first month to six
weeks and after that it may not be a concern if they skip a few days.
Now I find that our new computer-generated discharge instruction sheet
only says to look for the number of wet diapers.  The extensive notebook
they get, however, does talk about the minimum number of stools.  When I
challenged the new discharge instructions, the response was that this is
what the docs are saying.  This from one of the nurses who (as were all
the OB nurses) recently either attended my intensive inservice or
watched the video and passed the very inclusive 25 question test.
What I need now, and I will keep looking for myself, but maybe one of
you has it at your fingertips, is a reference (preferable a journal and
less than 3 years old) that points out the importance of counting stools
as well as wet diapers.  It seems like educating staff is always a case
of two steps forward, one step back!

Winnie

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