At a conference recently, I spoke with hundreds of IBCLCs. Most were nurses in hospitals, but that’s about the only generalization I can make about the diverse group. Some were young, some older. There were those from urban and rural settings. Some had been in their jobs for a few Read more…
Everyone thinks they understand Step One of the Ten Steps, which reads “Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.” Baby-Friendly committee members know they must write the policy. But they often overlook the “communicating” part of that step. Even those who have written a fairly good Read more…
I’ve warned against writing long-winded, rambling policies. I’ve tackled the “bare bones” of what you need to include in your policy statement. But what is the “fat” that’s often included in such policies, that needs to be trimmed? What do you need to leave out? Read on for suggestions about what your Read more…
“We’re planning to submit our hospital’s breastfeeding policy to Baby-Friendly USA,” I often hear. “If they don’t like it, they’ll help us fix it, right?” Although I used to be the president of Baby-Friendly USA’s Board of Directors, I am no longer affiliated with the organization, so I don’t have Read more…
At Breastfeeding Outlook, we get many calls from hospital staff members asking for help with their breastfeeding policy. How many policies have I written single-handedly … helped others to write … reviewed and critiqued since the early 1980s? I have no idea. It’s a lot. But if you haven’t seen as Read more…
The recently-released “clarification” on PC-05a, the controversial performance measure of The Joint Commission (TJC)’s Perinatal Care data element related to “exclusive breast milk feeding” during the hospital stay, has completely puzzled me. I have read the statement several times, and I find no clarification in this statement whatsoever. To the Read more…
The ancient peoples quickly found that one does not pour new wine into old wineskins. If they did, the wine would ferment and burst the skins. (Presumably, if they did not know, the consequences would become abundantly apparent!) Learning from experience, they used new wineskins for new wine. They learned from the Read more…
Yesterday, I was asked a question I’ve heard several times before (and one I expect I’ll hear again): “I am taking care of a baby whose gay parents used a surrogate mother for the pregnancy. They are using donor milk for the baby. Our hospital does not have a policy Read more…