"baby friendly" hospitals?!?

i like to read some of the articles on medscape. i like to think that i keep up with current trends in the healthcare industry. so, i couldn't help but be intrigued when i saw the headline, "baby friendly hospitals boost breastfeeding rates."

i'll bet you're thinking that all hospitals are already "baby friendly." you know...a lot of times women go there to like, have their babies. of course, you have the birthing centers and home birth trends, but still - a majority of women choose to give birth in a hospital. and most hospitals don't abuse the babies in some way or neglect them or do some kind of other "baby unfriendly" stuff. so what makes a hospital certifiably "baby friendly," you ask?

they have to do 10 things, "which include helping all new mothers start breastfeeding within one hour of delivery, allowing mothers and infants to stay in the same room at all times, and giving newborns no food other than breast milk, unless medically necessary." fine. good. we all know that "breast is best." now, what if, say, i were to give birth and needed to take my anti-anxiety medication immediately? or if i found out that my nipples were malformed and it wasn't physically possible to breastfeed? i'd have to add to my hospital bill because "...baby-friendly hospitals do not, as a matter of policy, provide free formula or bottles to parents, they must pay for the formula they keep on hand."

and so, i'd have to break the "baby friendly" rules, which would make me feel like i was being "baby unfriendly," which no new mother would want to be, which would make me feel extremely guilty, which would make me feel like a failure as a mother...and i haven't even left the hospital yet!

perhaps this program is just for hospital staff to be aware of. perhaps they don't advertise themselves as "baby friendly," but i would bet they do. i don't think the world health organization and the united nations, who are spearheading this project, picked a very good name for their effort. those two little words could be the source of unnecessary misery for a lot of families. think about it. they sure didn't.