I agree that legal action (which is ultimately a financial action) may be
the only thing that gets hospitals changed. However, the concept of "damage"
may prove elusive since the damages of infant formula are now clearly the
NORM.
What about the loss of the bf relationship? Isn't that enough damage? From
recent posts it certainly seems emotionally devastating. What happens in a
hospital setting where negligence causes a hcp to prescribe or administer
the wrong dose of a med? even if no greivous injury is caused, isn't it
sometimes cause for a lawsuit?

It is disgusting to read people's testimonies of hospital practice. If what
happened to Teresa'a DIL can happen to the co-author of one of the best bf
books we have, i shudder to think of what the "average" uninformed new
parent must end up with. If hospital and NICU staff can treat something SO
PHENOMENALLY IMPORTANT as breastfeeding (both to lifelong health as well as
immediate survival) as utter garbage, you have to wonder what else they are
doing wrong! After all, North American infant mortality stats are positively
dismal - it is not hard to imagine why, after hearing these stories.

I would like to collect these stories for an article; I have recently come
to see that some of the problem is that a lot of parents-to-be lately seem
to avoid learning about bf before baby arrives - they think the hospital
will take care of it - i'd like something to hand out to show that that is
NOT a good strategy.

Michelle DePesa

p.s. will only a massive homebirth revolution change bf rates?

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