It's in the Bag

Hospital Gifts That
Encourage Breastfeeding

By Teri Brown

The idea is so simple it's hard to believe it has been overlooked for so long. In hospitals around the country, new mothers go home with a bag of goodies provided by companies whose sole purpose is to sell their product formula. Breastfeeding advocates have long decried these goody bags whose tempting wares are often the breastfeeding undoing of many an exhausted mother. A small group of women were inspired to come up with bags of their own, bags that encourage breastfeeding, not bottle feeding!

Sally L. Gartner, RNC, IBCLC, is the in-patient obstetric nurse and breastfeeding coordinator for the birthing center at Coshocton County Memorial Hospital in Coshocton, Ohio. Her interest in breastfeeding was both personal and professional, and her deep-seeded belief is that breast truly is best.

"I know that breast milk is the optimum nutrition for a baby," she says. "It is not only species specific but 50 percent genetically specific to the particular child. Thus a baby has less risk of developing allergies. Breast milk also has many infection-fighting properties."

Gartner goes on to list other breastfeeding advantages, the psychological closeness, the health benefits for premature babies and the benefits for mothers, such as a decreased risk of breast cancer and a possible decrease in post menopausal osteoporosis. In the immediate postpartum period, breastfeeding decreases postpartum hemorrhage and also helps the mother get back to her pre-pregnancy weight.

"These are just a few of the many advantages of breastfeeding," Gartner says. "It is very important for the public in general to be aware of these advantages. It is also important for health care workers to have a good understanding of the advantages of breastfeeding."

Gartner and Anita Timmons, the breastfeeding coordinator for WIC of Coshocton County, formed The Breastfeeding Coalition of Coshocton County a couple of years ago. "It was and has been a long-term goal of the coalition to somehow provide a take home bag to the breastfeeding mothers that would replace the gift bag they currently get from a formula company," says Gartner. "It has long been established through studies that when a mother is sent home with formula samples or a formula gift bag, the longevity of breastfeeding is decreased."

Because of her job with WIC, Anita Timmons was in the perfect position to plug new mothers into the coalition and the idea. "I felt it was a wonderful idea, as I feel very strongly that giving a breastfeeding mom formula leaves them with the impression that they are not going to be successful with breastfeeding," she says. "Giving them a breastfeeding gift bag with breastfeeding items is a positive reinforcement to a superior product, breast milk, over formula! As a health professional, I feel it is my duty and obligation to promote the best possible products to promote the best possible health for both Mom and Child. Once a mom has chosen to breastfeed, we need to give her every tool possible to make her successful, and giving formula does not do that."

Want to see more?

• Lactivism 101: 5 Ways to Support Breastfeeding
• From Mother to Mother: 6 Simple and Subtle Ways to Promote Breastfeeding
• The Next Generation: Passing on the Importance of Breastfeeding
• Talk about it!