I have 2 tactics I use when addressing this issue in both my prenatal classes and when I'm conducting a maternity floor tour. First, I point out that the warmers in the delivery room aren't attached to the crib. I explain that moms are usually cold after delivery, too, and that the perfect solution is for mom to hold baby and have the warmer over both of them! I then explain that many times the delivery nurse is trying to do 3 things at once, and may not offer this option. Then I make a point to tell the Dads that THEIR job after delivery is to see that mom & baby get together, and suggest that he be the one to ask the nurse for this setup. Secondly, I point out that during labor the laboring couple often gets into a kind of "dependent" role, relying on the delivery nurse/doctor for instructions on what to do next. This often carries over into the postpartum period, where new parents often feel they must have "permission" to do ANYTHING. I then explain (again) that the delivery nurse may be focusing on things other than breastfeeding as priorities in the recovery period (I don't agree that this is right, it's just reality at present :-( ) and may not actually suggest or "give permission" to breastfeed. THEN I do a mock "magic wand wave", saying, "You are hereby officially given permission by a maternity nurse (me) to breastfeed your baby immediately after delivery." NOW, I tell them, you don't have to "wait for permission"--you already have it! I feel this approach empowers the couple to take the first steps in breastfeeding, & doesn't ruffle any feathers with the L&D staff. Because it is done with humor, it's not "high-pressure", and they tend to remember it better--several say they've recalled the exact scene from my class when they're in the delivery room! Carol Schlef, RNC, MSW, IBCLC holed up in St. Louis with 2 kids and a father in -30 degree windchill!