Breastfeeding/supplementation

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Question
Dear Sally, thanks for your quick response. Is there any more information you can give me about this topic. Is obtaining a consent for formula something new?  Can you share with me which hospitals are considering using a consent and was there something in particular that prompted this action?  Any information you can share with me is appreciated. Currently our consent has nothing about infant feeding in it, is this a way of the future? Thanks very much!          Kay Poulin RNC-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
Hi Sally, I am a staff nurse in an OB unit and have heard that giving formula to a breastfed infant without parental consent could be considered a form of battery. Have you ever heard of this? I appreciate your help in answering this question.
Answer -
Dear Kay,

The two experts that I consulted about your question told me that while they had not heard of any action specifically stated as "battery," there are apparently a number of hospitals that either currently have or are hoping to have consent forms for formula use. If parents opt to use formula, they have to sign a release form that states that they have been informed about the side effects of this choice. Is this what you are referring to?

Sally Wendkos Olds

Answer
Dear Kay,

I'm sorry but I don't have answers to your latest questions about hospital policies. You might want to contact La Leche League International for information. You can phone 847-519-7730, fax to 847-519-0035 or email: LLLHQ@LLLI.ORG.

Good luck!

Sally

Breastfeeding

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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