I am mostly, but not entirely, not a fan.
Things I like or am fine with:
-Locking formula up. It’s going to be with the rest of the medicine, including the Advil, so it just makes formula treated like every other medicine in a hospital.
-Writing down when the baby ate, and how much. They have to do that when the baby breastfeeds as well, so again, it just seems in line with hospital procedures.
Things I don’t like:
-Why exactly do women need a talking-to? Isn’t there a way to educate anyone who might not actually know about the benefits of breastmilk (and it seems like a fairly small portion of the population who are unaware, especially if NYC has a 90% initial breastfeeding rate) without talking down to and shaming the rest? And if mothers have to be “educated” not just the once, but every time they request formula, that ends up being several times a day, over many days. That’s just flat-out coercion. It also leaves hospitals open for charges of violating HIPAA if a mother is forced to give a reason she is not comfortable sharing with everyone else in the room.
-Having to give a reason. Who is in charge of what’s a good reason, and what’s not? Having HIV will probably be considered a good reason, and needing to go back on your bipolar meds might be, but will “because my nipples are cracked and bleeding, and I’m resenting my kid every time I have to feed her”? If new mothers have a confidence problem, the way to fix that is not to force them to justify their minor and largely trivial parenting decisions to total strangers.
-It mistakes making it harder for formula feeders with providing actual support for breastfeeders. If they want to support breastfeeders, include nipple shields and breastfeeding pillows and some free and discounted appointments with lactation consultants. Or, get with the rest of the world and require workplaces to provide paid and extended maturity leave, which would make more sense, since with a 90% initial latch rate, the problem isn’t in the initial few days of an infant’s life, it’s right about the time most mothers have to go back to work.