1 Department of Pediatrics, William Beaumont Hospital, 3601 W Thirteen Mile Rd, Royal Oak, MI 48072-2793
In Reply.
I have no doubt that Drs Fleiss and Jelliffe are correct in their assertion that certain hospital practices interfere with breast-feeding, but whether these practices contributed to our findings is difficult to determine. The vast majority of our breast-feeding mothers roomed-in with their infants (continuously if they so desired), were unmedicated, and were given both verbal and written instructions about breast-feeding techniques. No routine supplements of any kind were provided and the data on the 1,260 breast-fed infants referred to fully breast-fed, unsupplemented babies.