Hi there. In the original message, Barbara Berges wrote: "NYS Code for Hospitals says we are not allowed to give (formula discharge packs) out to BF moms unless they specifically request them or the MD writes an order." This leads to one of my pet peeves: physicians writing orders that have nothing to do with medical practice. In fact, if I may be so bold, "ordering" the giving of a formula discharge pack to a breastfeeding mother can cause harm (to the breastfeeding and therefore to the well-being of both mother and baby). It reminds me of a "discussion" I had with a pediatrician where I used to work. The issue was getting rid of pacifiers, and his stance was, "Fine, don't hand them out; but if I write an order for giving one, you'll have to give one." I said something like, "Well, if you write an order for a medication I'm not sure about, as a nurse I need to talk with you about the order before giving it to the patient. If I'm not sure about the benefits of the pacifier for a particular breastfeeding baby (read: any of your breastfeeding babies!), I'll need to talk with you about that before I hand it to the mother. And, if we treat the pacifier order like a medication order, we have to educate the patient about its purpose, intended effects, side effects, etc. And just like with a medication, she has the right to refuse it." It took the wind out of his sails. Briefly. Wanda Mertick, RN, MN, IBCLC Port Matilda, PA *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html