Hello all -

I had an interesting experience today.  I attended our Pediatric Committee
meeting (per request from our very supportive director of Womens/Childrens
Services).  She had discovered that today's agenda contained a statement that
the Peds needed to discuss LCs and the fact that there are more readmitted
babies to the nursery because of hyperbilirubinemia and dehydration.  I had
the opportunity to review a list of the babies that were readmitted (one had
been exclusively bottle fed all along!) for jaundice.  According to the head
nursery nurse, this is occurring because the LCs are telling new moms that in
most cases, term babies need no supplements.  Our LCs do discuss with new
moms, how to tell if baby is getting enough.  I remember from an earlier post
that there is someone out that with a refrigerator check-off sheet (?) to
reinforce this concept.  Anyone have that info?  I'd also appreciate any good
references related to dehydration in newborns.

Overall, the meeting was less hostile than I expected with one exception.
 One pediatrician who demands that all of his babies are supplemented stated
that 90 percent of the babies in the world (excluding babies in the U.S.) do
not nurse for the first 3-4 days.  They are fed by wet nurses, he states,
until mom has milk.  This statement peaked my interest.  I've never seen this
90 percent thing.  Any comments?

Thanks for being such a good resource.

Janet Radford Bergeson, RN, MS, IBCLC