Hi Sue,
On admit the mothers are asked are you going to breastfeed, bottle feed, or
do both? There's really no discussion or expounding on the options and
reasons. We are working with the nurses to dialogue and interact more with
mom re her feeding decision. There is a person to abstract the feeding info
for The Joint Commission. I am told not to change the wording or the
options "breast, bottle, or both." I was in favor of exclusive, partial,
and no bf.
Even though we recommend exclusive bf, there are quite a few mothers who
want to try bf, they literally just want to try it one feed, and if they
are marked as breast and then give a bottle, often still in delivery room,
it is problematic for Joint Commission purposes. I have been tasked with a
way (not being able to see all of the mothers who admit to labor ward) for
the OB nurse to explain or help mother indicate her feeding choice. It was
suggested possibly a handout with some simple explanations. No one is
trying to dissuade a mother from exclusive breastfeeding, but to get a more
clear picture of what the mother actually plans to do, w/o suggesting to
her to give some formula. This is a complicated issue, really. It may seem
a cop-out, but others in the deep south will understand the culture here.
Our exclusive bf rate is 19% in hospital. Our any bf rate is (last month)
52%, usually around the 50 mark, includes any bf even one attempt.
Laurie Wheeler RN MN IBCLC
Mississippi USA

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