Kathy, when you first posted your question about training the folks
at your hospital, I guessed it was Fairfax by the size of it.  I had
three babies there and am really glad to have a receptive audience to
pass along my comments.

I found the nursing staff assigned to care for me and my baby to be so
anti-breastfeeding I was just appalled. The nurses kept trying to take
my baby from me "you need your rest", "why not let me take the baby", etc
I was told by one nurse that I would not be able to exclusively breast-
feed such a large baby.  And here's a rehash of a conversation I had with
another:

Nurse:  Why don't you let me take your baby so you can get some rest.
Me:  No, I'd rather keep him so that I may feed him.
Nurse:  I will give him a bottle for you
Me:  No, I don't want him to have any formula at all, ever
Nurse:  But I can give him sugar water.  then you can rest
Me:  No, I dont'want him to become nipple confused
Nurse:  that's just a myth.  He will be fine
Me:  No, it's not a myth and I will keep him!

I had to literally fight the woman off.  I would not let anyone take
him from me because I did not trust them at all.  I did report this
to the hospital administrator and also the LCs there.  It made me
so sad.  I know that patients who weren't so pro-breastfeeding will
fall prey to this type of "care"...  She was so adamant and forceful
and to think that this hospital delivers so many kids....

It seems that you have a long uphill battle.  I felt that there was
a huge formula is equal type attitude.  Not necessarily in the policy
area, although a "breastfeeding pack" was pushed on me (I even fought
about that), but down in the trenches.  I wish you the best.

Wendy Funk

PS, I did have one nurse who was great about breastfeeding, it was just
the other two who were not!