I have just finished my third morning of taking students into three different institutions for their clinical experience for the Breastfeeding course. It is so clear to me that the practices both in labour and delivery and in the early postpartum period are directly responsible for poor feeding, latch, suck, and sleepy baby syndrome, and of course eventual failure to BF! Mothers have complained about not being allowed to nurse their infant following C/S. A mother with an infant who had hypoglycemia was on an IV being stuffed full of formula Mom had to BF in nursery only, babe not interested in breastfeeding at all and mother waivering about whether this is the route to go. Infants being brought out from the nursery for the first feed at 4 and 5 hours of age, of course they will not wake up and this sends such a discouraging message to the mother. I could go on and on. Not to mention the attitude from some of the nursery nurses who are very threatened by us (I would get rid of all nurseries in level 1 hospitals). These nurses actively sabotage us by taking babies back to the nursery and getting a bottle in the babies mouth so fast it would leave you realing just because "the mother does not have enough milk!". One hospital, the worst, the Manager proudly told me all her nurses were certified in breastfeeding, they had a four hour course and received a nice little certificate, unfortunately she just does not see what is going on at the practice level. One of the mothers we had today had attended a breastfeeding class I had given through the health department. The nurses had given her incorrect information which confused her, fortunately my student was able to reinforce the information I had given her previously, but how many go home totally confused? I will be doing this again next week end so I am sure I will be ventilating again. Susan Moxley IBCLC [log in to unmask]