The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Washington

Many US hospitals, particularly in the South, have maternity practices that are detrimental to breast-feeding, such as giving free baby formula samples to new mothers, health officials said on Thursday. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted its first-ever review of practices by hospitals and specialty birth centers in terms of promoting breast-feeding.

Health experts strongly encourage women to breast-feed their babies rather than give them bottles of formula, saying breast milk provides a range of health benefits to the infant.

CDC epidemiologist Dr. Deborah Dee, who led the study, said she was surprised so many facilities do things that may undermine breast-feeding.

For example, 70 percent of the 2,546 hospitals and 121 birth centers that provided data to the CDC included free infant formula samples in gift packages given to women when they are discharged from the facility after giving birth.

"By providing formula, it's almost an implicit endorsement of that product," Dee said.

In addition, 24 percent of the facilities said they give more than half of their healthy, full-term newborns who are being breast-fed by their mothers supplemental feedings of formula or something else other than breast milk. The CDC said this is detrimental to breast-feeding. The facilities also were faulted for policies that separate newborns from their mothers during the hospital stay.

"The main thing that we'd want to emphasize is that there really is a need for improvement in maternity practices to better support breast-feeding," Dee said. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that women who do not have health problems exclusively breast-feed their infants for the first six months, continuing at least through the first year and longer if possible as other foods are introduced.