I'm Sooooooo excited, I have to share some quotes from our newspaper (The
Dayton Daily News, not exactly covered on the internet, but its what we have)

Today, our paper had a big article entitled "Labor Pains" about the early
discharge from the hospital.  Listen to this quote from ACOG:   ACOG has come
out against "arbitrary time limits on hospital stays" calling the practice "a
large, uncontrolled, uninformed experiment that may potentially affect the
health of American women and babies."  The article goes on to say that AAP
reportedly is releasing guidelines later this month to head off problems in
infants whose mothers are discharged early from the hospital.

Who, out there in readerland can think of something else that the ACOG quote
could apply to?  Hint, Hint? In fact, it sounds remarkably like Maureen
Minchen's article in Birth about formula a few years ago (1989??).

In a related article, the  "Talking it Over" column  by Hillary Rodham
Clinton, (the title is "Health of the new mom, baby should be top priority,
first lady says."),  she tells of breastfeeding Chelsea after her C-section.
She discusses the problems of getting adequate follow up care at home after
the baby is born.  In one comment a friend was hospitalized for several days
following delivery, but the baby was sent home.  The rationale is that the
baby is considered independent of its mother.  (The father of the baby said:
"Do you expect the baby to walk down to the parking lot and drive himself
home?")  The result was it made it impossible for the mother to nurse the
baby (I'm quoting here, not analyzing) and much more difficult for the mother
and baby to bond.
Isn't it  good news that at least Hillary understands????

I thought you'd all enjoy the HMO view on this.  The director of the largest
HMO in Dayton is quoted about longer maternity stays, especially in the case
where the mother has no help or support at home...... "If you keep people in
the hospital for social reasons, you're in deep trouble" with the employers
who ultimately pay the hospital bill.  "Certainly, if you have a battered
child, you're not going to send that child home.  But the fact that the baby
sitter isn't going to arrive for two days, does that justify another hospital
day?  I don't think it does."

Sensitive guy, huh? Sounds like he has a real grasp of the issues (heavy
sarcasm here).

The final part of the article states that both the hospitals and doctors
agree that they do not want legislators getting involved in this frey.

Remember, you heard it first from Dayton, Ohio!!

Martha Brower RD LD IBCLC