Dear Lactnetters:  Hope you can help me with this one.  Had my first meeting
with the head of obstetrics and head of pediatrics and both decided that they
did not want a consent form for supplementation/pacifiers (eventhough I wrote
a very patient friendly one).  They liked the information part of the form
(informed consent), but just didn't like the having the patient sign, yadda,
yadda, yadda.  I could see I was going to lose this one.  They agreed to a
"card" placed on the baby's crib indicating that this was a breastfeeding baby
and that "please give me no bottles, pacificers, or formula" unless medically
indicated.  Well, is that the best I can do?  How do I get the nurses on night
shift to QUIT feeding these babies formula when they get fussy?  We have a
policy and procedure for breastfeeding that states "no formula, water, or
bottles" unless medically indicated or mother's requests.  They get around it
by offering the formula to the new, inexperienced mother who says "Oh, ok"
when the baby wants to eat so frequently at night.  Any other suggestions what
could go on this card on the baby's crib would be appreciated.  BTW, the same
day this happened my boss told me she wasn't going to stop giving
breastfeeding support "discharge packs" (have formula in them), UNLESS the
majority of the staff wish it so.  Well, that is a losing battle right there,
because we have so many level II, level III nursery nurses who have come to
our facility (level I) and where they worked all the babies got formula and it
didn't hurt them.  I cried all the way home.  Loni Denman, RN, IBCLC