Re: Barbara's bad day and shut down babies:

What the H**L were these babies doing discharged when they can't eat???  The
AAP/ACOG 1991 Guidelines for Perinatal Care, page 108 lists the criteria for
infant discharge: "The infant should be delivered at term, be of appropriate
birth weight, and found normal by examination. The infant should be able to
maintain thermal homeostasis as well as suck and swallow normally. A
physician-directed course of continuing medical care for both mother and baby
should be indentified and arrangments made for the baby to be examined within
48 hours of discharge."  The Guidelines stands up in court as the standard of
care for maternity hospitals. Discharging a baby who cannot eat violates our
state hospital maternity licensing regulations and is immoral at best, IMHO!

The inability to breastfeed is the tip of the iceberg for these babies and
their mothers, too. They need more care than LCs can provide alone (here
comes my "team approach" speech again).

A better question is "Why are babies in this bad shape showing up our
offices?"

Linda Smith, convinced that this is a system problem BIGTIME.
Private practice, Dayton OH