I had to pass on a few small breastfeeding victories.  I'm a nurse
midwife practicing in a small community hospital about 45 minutes away
from Baltimore, MD.  When I first began practicing here, all babies
received pacifiers in their "starter packs".  It took me about two
years, but finally persistence paid off and they were removed.  The
parents obtain them on request.  The breastfeeding moms are now educated
on the hazards of use early in the breastfeeding relationship.  Today I
went to work to find an e-mail from one of the staff nurses requesting I
provide her with documentation on why they should not be offered to
breastfed newborns.  It seems that a father of a less than one hour old
infant had come to the nurse's desk to request a pacifier and a new
employee had become irate when another staff nurse did not give him
one.  It seems that where she practiced previously "they did it all the
time" and she could not understand.  So my mission tonight is to find
those references.

Next story, after I read the post about the 'bear' breastfeeding starter
diaper bags I went to work and "opened the lock" to see for myself what
was contained inside.  In doing so, a staff nurse told me about a
patient that had said she received a formula diaper bag from a local
radiology clinic when she went for her 20 week ultrasound.  I called the
radiology clinic, and sure enough, the formula rep had left a supply of
bags for the patients to be given.  I explained my point of view to the
supervisor, and after some thought, and looking through a bag herself
said, "I never thought about it from that perspective.  It's a done
deal.  I will no longer allow them to be given out."

It's been a good day!!!

Sherry Hartenbower CNM

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