Loretta writes:

The problem is:  we are writing policy.  The very first paragraph comes
directly from other sources that say something about supporting
Bfing,etc.
The head Ob-Gyn is adament about adding a paragraph stating " moms will
not
be forced to breastfeed.  They are not to be made to feel guilty for
formula
feeding.  They will not be coerced into breastfeeding."

I am livid!!!  Never do we force, or make guilty.  We educate!

Some of the other comm. members tried to re-word his paragraph after my
uproar, and came up with "a mothers decision regarding the feeding of
her
infant will be fully supported."

I fully understand your frustration.  How would the dept. head respond
to a statement like, "Breastfeeding mothers will not be forced to give
bottles.  They are not to be made to feel like they are causing more
work for the staff by breastfeeding.  They will not be made to feel they
are going against the grain be breastfeeding.  They will not be coerced
into supplementing or giving up breastfeeding." or,  "Bottle feeding
moms will not be forced to use formula.  They are not to be made to feel
guilty for using regular store-bought cows' milk.  They will not be
coerced into using formula."

Of course, the 10 steps do basically say that, but I wonder if that
person would feel those statements are too strong.  It's such a common
misconception that Baby-Friendly forces moms to breastfeed.  Nothing
could be further from the truth.  What is really does is to "level the
playing field" and get rid of all the attitudes, information, etc. that
made breastfeeding an "extra credit", lifestyle choice rather than a
health choice.

To draw on the satirical approach in that excellent post recently about
sample packs, How about a statement like: "Heart (or pulmonary) patients
will not be forced to avoid smoking.  They will not be made to feel
guilty about smoking.  They will not be coerced into not smoking."  Or
perhaps our nurseries should have a policy stating, "Parents will not be
forced into using a car seat.  They will not be made to feel guilty for
not using a car seat.  They will not be coerced into using a car seat.",
or better yet,  "Bottle feeding moms will not be forced to use formula.
They are not to be made to feel guilty for using regular store-bought
cows' milk.  They will not be coerced into using formula."

It all goes back to a failure to recognize that there are real health
issues involved in infant feeding choices.  The attitudes the dept. head
voiced show that he/she really doesn't believe the evidence that
breastfeeding is a healthy choice and choosing to formula feed is a less
than healthy choice.  Until that point sinks in, I don't see any
changing of these attitudes.

Winnie

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