For the information of all of you, please be aware that there have been
lawsuits on this point. I do not know the disposition of sam.e

In one case, a mother refused to pay her hospital bill when her baby was
given bottles AGAISNT her express wishes and the baby then refused to
breastfeed and ended up having to be bottle-fed with numberous illnesses
resulting.  \

Mentioning loss of dollars to the asdministrator after one of their staff
so unwisely acted (esp. in view of maternal desires--in writing--not to do
so) seems very pennywise and pound foolish.  This might be something worth
sharing to the bean counters at hospitals that choose not to listen.  You
can bet they will pay attention if they aren't going to get paid.

PS When the hospital sued, the mother sought the help of an attorney to
counter. I believe things are at an impasse at the moment, but it does go
to show that when push comes to shove, hospitals may not always win!




Def. of LC service: "We are all faced with a series of great opportunities
brilliantly disguised as impossible situations."
Kathleen G. Auerbach,PhD, IBCLC (Homewood, IL)- [log in to unmask]
WEB PAGE: http://www.mcs.com/~auerbach/lactation.html