At 7:05 PM -0500 4/5/02, Maureen Haley wrote:

>Hi. I am NOT an LC yet, but i will be eventually :)    As a newborn
>nursery/post partum nurse here is what I do with those bags. Our hospital
>stocks nursing and not nursing bags, the only difference being the amount of
>formula in the bag and the tag on the handle.

But these are all sponsored by the formula companies, right?  Do we
really trust them to give out accurate breastfeeding info?  I got one
5.5 months ago when I had baby #2 that said "Breastfeeding Support Kit"
and yet it had formula in it!!  The nerve of these companies to put
that on their bags and include formula as if it supports breastfeeding
in any way!  And the nurse who brought it to me was sadly mistaken
or snowed because I told her "that bag has formula in it, I don't
want it" and she said "oh no, it's for breastfeeding moms" and left
it in my room anyway.  And it was well known in the ward that I was
a LLL Leader because my doula told everyone (argh)...  You've got
to be a tad ignorant to give formula to a LLL Leader, no???

A fellow Leader and I opened it to see what was in it... no surprise.
I left the formula in the room and the coupons in the trash.  I
don't know why I brought the bag home because I won't use it.  I
know it was sponsored by a formula company so I'm embarrassed to
carry it in public.  It also contained milk storage bottles and
an insulated bag, I believe.

I think there are some cases of nurses/staff just not knowing what
the harm is in giving these out.  I mean, it's "free" right?  What's
the harm?  Well, we all know the harm, and they aren't really free,
all things considered...

I'm just pretty cynical about this topic.  I honestly don't feel we
have much of a chance against the almighty dollar of the formula
companies, no matter who we try to educate on the subject...


Maren

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Eli (3/99): http://ohww.norman.ok.us/eli
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