Dear Netters,
        I can't believe what I just saw on my local TV news report in the health
segment. They have been promoting this segment all day as a way to get
premies home from the hospital sooner. It aired on a CBS station from West
Palm Beach, Fl.
        It is a program from Cincinatti Childrens's Hospital. It did not give any
names of researchers or program director. Basically what it said is that
they are trying to transition premies to (first it said bottle feeds and
then used the term "nipple feeds")sooner. They encourage the nurses to
watch for subtle feeding i.e. moving around ,quiet sucking etc. They said
this was unlike the term baby that gets red and screams as its feeding
cues. The nurses are then to "nipple feed" the baby. They start with one
feeding a day and if the baby tolerates that, shows a weight gain etc.,
they add feedings from that. they encourage pacifier use and showed a
premie sucking on a pacifier with a feeding tube in place.
        No mention of transition to breastfeeding. No mention of skin to skin
contact or Kangeroo care to strengthen the baby and shorten the hospital
stay and no mention of breastfeeding is best or use of expressed breastmilk.
        Does anyone know of this program? What can we do?
I have been encouraging nurses to transition premies directly from tube
feedings to breastfeedings. The old thinking of having to be able to
tolerate a measured amount of fluid from a bottle before the baby is ready
to go the breast is still very prevalent in our small Level II NICU. I am
afraid that parents will see this and be led to believe that the baby will
be better off if it learns to bottle feed and then transition to the breast
or worse learn to bottle feed and never learn to breastfeed.
        It really makes me upset to have this as part of a health segment and to
say that it will shorten hospital stays and decrease medical costs. I am
wondering if anyone else saw this? I keep hoping that I am wrong at how I
interpretted this report. I will step down from this very tall soapbox now.
Sorry this is so long. I am soooo frustrated!!
Thanks all for listening to my rant. I will gladly accept any suggestions.
        Jodi Smart RN, IBCLC
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