The thread about c-sections made me think about making progress in changing
"the way things are" to "the way things ought to be". A hospital I work at
was changing the way they were handling some of the c-sections and I
wouldn't have even recognized the opportunity to make it a "breastfeeding
positive" event had it not been for the c-section thread. It's so easy to
see the stuff that's wrong that you can miss what's actually going right.

My letter to the nurse manager is below.
Gail S. Hertz, MD, IBCLC
[log in to unmask]

Dear Ms. Newport,

In this past month the c-sections I attended had a change in procedure that
I was very glad to see.  The practice of having the c-section moms recover
in their own rooms with their new baby is wonderful. It keeps the family
together at a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Recovery in the room takes
advantage of the special awake time that the newborn has right after birth
and doesn't isolate the mom from the baby.  This is especially important as
it enables the baby to begin breastfeeding shortly after birth, an
occurrence found to correlate with longer duration of breastfeeding.

At a time when so many hospitals have procedures that separate moms and
their new babies, it is so nice to be associated with a hospital that takes
an extra step to keep families together. I would like to commend you and
your nursing staff for all the things you do to keep moms and babies
together and facilitate breastfeeding.

Sincerely,


Gail S. Hertz, MD, IBCLC

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