What can obgyn's and post-natal nurses do to better educate about breastfeeding?

Question

isn't it crazy that money will keep someone from advocating the best choice? And a free one at that?

Answer 1

I was reading an article yesterday that stated that most doctors only spend about an hour and a half on breastfeeding. Only an hour and a half!!! in eight years of school! Breastfeeding and breastfeeding support should at least be a class for a semester for nurses and M.D.s. Like the other poster said, most doctors and nurses do not know enough about breastfeeding these days to educate their patients.

Also, the pediatricians need to be informed as well. It was my child's pediatrician who consistently tried to hand off formula to me and told me that my son's jaundice meant that I could not breastfeed. If I only  knew then what I knew now.

So, more education for the doctors and less free formula from the people who make it and want to sell it.  

Answer 2

Educate them selves!!!!!! Most but not all are completely clueless about the details of breast feeding and usually give horrible advice.

Answer 3

Tell them to be more encouraging. They can act really bored with it if you aren't getting the hang of it. I had all great nurses (except one) and a lactation consultant come by to help me. They should give praise! Really, you just want to be told you are doing a good job with your baby a few words of encouragement can do wonders immediately after delivery.

Answer 4

first off, they need to stop taking free samples of formula. my opinion is that if you are going to be formula feeding, you need to pay for it. If all the women on WIC would breastfeed for one year, the government would save   over $2,000,000

my drs are very pro breastfeeding, but they still have similac pins on their scrubs! women need to know that breastfeeding doesnt always come naturally. they need support and encouragement not "oh its too hard, heres some formula to make your life easier!"

Answer 5

Don't shove formula down my newborns throat or tell me they need it b/c they have lost a ton of weight, when in all actuality it wasn't a TON of weight but the norm..  Stop making new moms scared w/ that!!  

Answer 6

Do the hospitals and Dr. offices get a kickback for every diaper bag of formula they give away? If so, that could be why.

That being said, my doctor and the nurses where I delivered were wonderful and very pro-breastfeeding. I was not expecting them to be as helpful as they were. One of the nurses told me that 65% of the staff were certified lactation consultants.

Edited to add:

I totally forgot to link this back to your question. I meant to, I just got trigger happy and jumped the gun! I think that all of the education in the world about breastfeeding to the staff will not make a l**k of difference if the politics of the hospital is that however much money the formula companies will give them for kickbacks are what rules whether they push breastfeeding or formula feeding. I think if a nurse is truly pro-breastfeeding to the point of being a lactivist, that nurse will need to seek out a hospital that is very pro-breastfeeding. It's really sad if it has to work that way.

Answer 7

Just even opening their mouths on the subject at all! Have pamphlets about it in their office.. When I went to my appointments, there were loads of things for formula ads. Breastmilk is free, but formula is not.. so people don't go scouting doctor's offices offering free samples and information.

Answer 8

The main thing is for the OBs to take the time to talk to the women about it. (Not just ASK "Do you plan to breast or formula feed", but to educate the woman about the ramifiations of her decision.)  By the time the woman arrives at the hospital in labor, she has usually made up her mind, and all the efforts in the world from the post-partum staff and pediatrician are unlikely to do ANY good. [Rather, they are likely to be viewed as 'harrassment.']

But it's the job of the doctor to educate the patient about good health decisions, and make sure she understands what can happen if she opts for a less desirable choice. Which means too that the doctor needs to be educated himself.

Once the woman has given birth, and has already decided to breastfeed, of course the hospital staff (and the pediatrician)  need to be helpful and encouraging, STRONGLY discourage formula supplementation unless clearly needed, and offer practical HELP for problems, rather than just a pat on the head and "You gave it a good shot -- here's some formula to get you started."

EDIT: Yes, I would LOVE to see changes in WIC that would make breastfeeding more attractive. While WIC, at least in theory, promotes breastfeeding, women on WIC are far LESS likely to breastfeed than women with similar incomes and socio-economic status who do not receive benefits.  While some of the reasons for not breastfeeding have nothing to do with WIC (i.e., mothers who need to work in jobs where pumping may not be possible), I'm sure that the idea that formula is 'free' makes it that much easier to not bother -- or to wean early.  I mean, really -- if you breastfeed you get a few cans of tuna fish. If you formula feed, you get all the formula you need.  Which is the more attractive benefit?  I think breastfeeding moms should get some additional benefits -- maybe cash, (equal to the value of the formula), or maybe even something like entry into a monthly lottery where they could win various prizes. (Money, gadgets, gift certificates, etc.) And every month they continue to breastfeed, their odds of winning a prize in the lottery goes up.

Answer 9

True, but at the same time - respect a mother's decision NOT to breast feed. We have 3 kids and my wife has to literally go through an onslaught of people trying to convince her that breastfeeding is best.

I understand the benefits, but there are also benefits to bottle feeding. I know exactly how much my baby eats every meal. Lack of appetite is one of the first indicators of a serious illness, so it's nice to know exactly what's going in. Also, my babies get exactly the same thing every time they eat. If my wife wants Mexican food one night...I don't have to worry about the baby having an upset stomach from the subsequent breast milk.

Also, I'm able to help out with feeding the baby because I can give the baby a bottle and let my wife sleep in. Anyway, not trying to knock breastfeeding, but it should be an option and not a guilt trip. My wife literally had to sign something saying that she had been advised by the nurses about breastfeeding, but had decided not to. Like some sort of medical waiver or something?!?!