It can save a family hundreds of dollars in the infant's first year, even with the added cost of breast pumps that allow working mothers to draw milk throughout the day. And it saves money for insurers and employers by cutting down on doctor visits and sick days. Yet, in spite of the benefits, many women get the opposite message. Friends, relatives, and partners may believe formula is better or be embarrassed by breast-feeding. Formula companies, while stating that breast milk is best, offer free formula and diaper bags to mothers in the hospital.
Few workplaces offer on-site day care or facilities for breast pumping.
Many hospitals are trying to change that, reeducating their staff and hiring lactation consultants and peer counselors to promote breast-feeding in culturally appropriate ways. Yesterday, South County Hospital became the first in Rhode Island to meet the World Health Organization's breast-feeding standards. The only Massachusetts hospital so designated is Boston Medical Center, where doctors and nurses led by pediatrician Barbara L. Philipp fought to eliminate free formula and reconfigure the delivery floor so that babies were kept with their mothers to allow for breast-feeding on demand.