This is an article on a Califronia study regarding hospital practices and
rates of breastfeeding in the hospital. Orange County ranked 44 out of 50.
Sadly, I am not shocked.
The mothers I speak with who are hesitant to breastfeed exclusively come
from two different ends of the spectrum. Very low-income, often immigrant
mothers who must return to work soon after the birth of a new baby, many
of whom see formula as "modern" and "American." These mothers often work
in jobs where they may be uncomfortable asserting their rights to have a
clean place to pump. I also speak with very, very wealthy mothers who are
concerned about how brestfeeding will "tie them to their babies." They
prefer to be able to crash diet to fit into their clothes as soon as
possible, go to the gym for a couple of hours a day, They normally have
baby nurses and later, nannies to actually parent thier children while
they are out shopping, volunteering, and such. Perhaps breastfeeding
reminds them that they actually have a huge responsibility, not just a
neat new doll to dress up. (ok, that was a bit of a rant, but trust me,
it's not uncalled for!).
Since I am an LLL Leader, you may wonder how in the world I hear from
these women. The low-income mothers will sometimes call me to ask about
early weaning, or in a better scenario, combining breastfeeding and
formula feeding. The high income mothers are often women I know
personally. They are either friends, wives of my hubby's friends, or women
I run into at the park who see me nursing my toddler. For some reason,
they feel the need to explain themselves to me from time to time. By the
way, I am NOT wealthy, but I live right next to a very affluent
neighborhood. I have a newer car, and my mother-in-law supplies me with a
steady stream of nice clothes (thanks, Carolyn!). Usually, the mothers
send the children to the park with the nannies. Sometimes, they will
actually show up for a while. They see me there and think that I am "like
them" and sit down to chat. Then, my 2-year-old will run up to me and
nurse, and they explain why they chose not to breastfeed.
Occasionally, I am pleasantly surprised to see a mother at the park alone
with her children. Even more occasionally, I get to see these mothers
breastfeed, or at least use EBM in a bottle (they ALWAYS tell me if it's
EBM after seeing me nurse my daughter!).
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1235859.php
Here's an excerpt:
"A new study of breast-feeding patterns at hospitals statewide found more
than 90 percent of babies born at Anaheim Memorial Medical Center, Garden
Grove Hospital and Fountain Valley Regional Medical Center receive formula
instead of, or in addition to, breast milk while still in the hospital."
For those of us who assist new mothers, this will not come as a surprise.
Still, the article also highlights a couple of hospitals that seem to be
getting things right.
In Marin County, almost 100% of infants leave the hospital exclusively
breastfed. If anyone on this list is a hopital-based LC in that county,
kudos to you!
--Kellie Whitney, LLLL
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