Gonneke wrote, in a post about formula sample packs,
"How much would the hospital save when more babies (say about the 80% needed
to be a BFH) were exclusively breastfed? On formula, bottles, nipples.
pacifiers, complications, ..."

There is no minimum requirement for the percentage of breastfed babies in a
hospital, to become designated Baby-Friendly.  That isn't where the 80%
comes in.  Even if only 30% of the babies are breastfed, the hospital has to
show that 80% of the staff interviewed can, for example, demonstrate correct
hand expression technique, or that 80% of the mothers have not been told to
use any kind of clock-based feeding schedule, or that 80% of babies were not
disturbed by being removed from their mothers for the first half hour after
birth.

Also, the first step of the evaluation process concerns the BF policy.  Any
hospital seeking designation as Baby-Friendly MUST have a written BF policy
which is available to all staff and which is summarized into simple points
and posted at eye-catching spots around the maternity ward.
If less than 80% of the staff interviewed say they know where the policy is
kept and what it says, it's hard for the institution to get approved.
At no point in the process is it asked what percentage of the babies are
breastfed, though in a baby-friendly hospital, BF rates are likely to be
higher than in a baby-unfriendly one.  The crucial point is the information
mothers are getting, and how the staff treat breastfed babies.

There is a point in the evaluation process about formula promotion.  Group
instruction in formula preparation is expressly forbidden, as this teaching
must be done individually.  Advertising of formula is not permitted, and
acceptance of samples in return for pushing samples on new mothers would
disqualify an institution from even getting the evaluators to come around
and take a look.

Rachel Myr
thinking my unit isn't so bad after all... though they all looked at me
funny when I said 'no, thanks' to the disposable diaper rep who came around
and handed out coffee mugs to all the staff with the company name and
product logo on them.  Who wants to think about diapers when drinking coffee
(or anything else)?  I am a public employee and I am not interested in doing
free or paid product promotion on the side for something in the private
sector.

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