Category: *Top Blogs

U.S. Study Shows Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative Does Not Work

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by Christie del Castillo-Hegyi, M.D.

On October 14, 2019, the Journal of Pediatrics published astonishing findings regarding the effects of the Baby-Friendly hospital certification on sustained breastfeeding rates as defined by the 2020 Healthy People Goals of: 

  1. any breastfeeding at 6 and 12 months
  2. exclusive breastfeeding at 3 and 6 months. 

They did so by measuring the relationship between statewide breastfeeding initiation rates data and the above breastfeeding rates. They then measured the contribution of Baby-Friendly hospital designation on these same breastfeeding outcomes.

According to the study authors, the increase in hospital designation in the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) began in 2011 when the U.S. Surgeon General issued a call to action for maternity care practices throughout the U.S. to support breastfeeding. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) became involved in promoting the BFHI policies in hospitals and health facilities, as breastfeeding was thought to be associated with lower rates of childhood obesity. The assumption was that by increasing breastfeeding rates through the BFHI, there would be a concomitant decline in childhood obesity. Upon initiation of this program, the CDC initiated surveillance of state-specific data on breastfeeding outcomes after discharge including BFHI designation rates. This data is made available to the public through the CDC Breastfeeding Report Card, which provides annual reports from 2007 through 2014 and biennial reports from 2014.

As expected, they found that states with higher breastfeeding initiation rates had higher rates of these sustained breastfeeding outcomes. You cannot have high breastfeeding rates unless mothers are given education and successfully initiate breastfeeding. However, when they measured the effects of Baby-Friendly certification, this is what they found.

“Baby-Friendly designation did not demonstrate a significant association with any post-discharge breastfeeding outcome (Figures 1, B and 2, B). There was no association between Baby-Friendly designation and breastfeeding initiation rates.” Continue reading →

National Women’s Health Advocate Describes How A Baby-Friendly Hospital Starved Her Baby

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Sarah Christopherson is a mother and the Policy Advocacy Director at the National Women’s Health Network, a non-profit advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. She talks about her breastfeeding experiences and her recent experience in a Baby-Friendly hospital where her child became severely dehydrated and lost 15% of her birth weight while in the hospital. She discusses how policies can negatively affect patient health and how systemic change is needed to support positive patient health outcomes and prevent patient coercion.

Two Physicians Describe How Their Baby-Friendly Hospital Put Their Newborn in Danger

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John and Kristen are both surgical residents who recently had their first child. This is their story.

By John and Kristen Waters

Let me start by saying we are one of the lucky ones. Our first-born was born at term on July 25th, 2019 at 9:43 p.m., a healthy 7 lb, and 10oz. My wife – a general surgery resident – was planning on beginning to breastfeed right after birth. My wife had undergone a bilateral breast reduction about 15 years ago, so issues with breastfeeding were on our radar. Immediately after birth, we were taken from the delivery room to the postpartum unit, where at 2 a.m. my wife and I were given a pile of paperwork and instructions on breastfeeding practices. All the while both of us were seeing double from the long day and night of laboring and delivery.

Over the course of the next 12-24 hours, our baby attempted to latch and breastfeed, continuing to have issues with falling asleep while on the breast. We spoke with a lactation consultant and multiple nurses who stated that things were going fine and that everything was normal. Over this time the rate of wet diapers continued to decrease and our baby did not have a bowel movement.

As we got into our second night of life, our child began to cry hysterically.

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We Were Awarded A Malpractice Financial Settlement Because My Baby Suffered From Starvation In A BFHI Hospital

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By A Mother from the Fed is Best Community who wishes to remain anonymous

This is my baby girl in NICU. She developed a high fever, jaundice, and dehydration with a 10.1% weight loss 56 hours after birth while exclusively breastfeeding in a ‘Baby-Friendly’ hospital.

During our stay, the hospital pediatrician saw my baby twice a day but he failed to inform us she had a 7.2% weight loss in the 30th hour of life. Hence, we were not given the information to decide if we should supplement with formula.

According to a review published in the Journal Of Family Practice in June 2018, “exclusive breastfeeding at discharge from the hospital is likely the single greatest risk factor for hospital readmission in newborns. Term infants who are exclusively breastfed are more likely to be hospitalized compared to formula-fed or mixed-fed infants, due to hyperbilirubinemia, dehydration, hypernatremia, and weight loss.” They estimated that for every 71 infants that are exclusively breastfed, one is hospitalized for serious feeding complications.

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A Fully Fed Baby is the Biological Ideal

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Abridged Comment Presented on July 11, 2019 at the USDA Dietary Guidelines Committee Meeting in Washington, DC

My name is Dr. Christie del Castillo-Hegyi, Co-Founders of the Fed is Best Foundation, a non-profit organization of health professionals and parents whose mission is to research and advocate for safe breastfeeding practices. We do this to prevent the complications of infant dehydration, excessive jaundice, and hypoglycemia from insufficient feeding, all known causes of brain injury, disability and rare deaths. I have come here representing over 700,000 supporters to raise awareness regarding these complications for the DGA committee as they prepare the infant nutrition guidelines.

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