For our nation to achieve its child health goals, it is critical that health care professionals, maternity care facilities, and organizations act consistently on the basis of the best available evidence to create environments that will promote achievement of these goals. Policy should not be aimed at exceptions; therefore, we are responding to a recent Pediatrics commentary, “Regulatory Monitoring of Feeding During the Birth Hospitalization.”1 Although they initially stated agreement on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for health outcomes, Drs Flaherman and Newman argue from personal experience (“we have seen”)1 that an indicator to measure exclusive breastfeeding during the hospital stay might cause harm and has not been shown to increase exclusive breastfeeding rates. To the contrary, substantial published research data have shown that supplementation with formula on day 1 of life is predictive of shorter breastfeeding duration.2,–,4 A study of a national...
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November 2011
Letters to the Editor|
November 01 2011
In Reply
Miriam Labbok, MD, MPH, IBCLC;
Miriam Labbok, MD, MPH, IBCLC
Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute Gillings School of Global Public Health University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC 27599
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Kathleen A. Marinelli, MD, IBCLC;
Kathleen A. Marinelli, MD, IBCLC
Neonatology and Lactation Services Connecticut Children's Medical Center Hartford, CT 06106 Department of Pediatrics University of Connecticut School of Medicine Farmington, CT 06030 Connecticut Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics Hartford, CT 06106
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Melissa Bartick, MD, MSc;
Melissa Bartick, MD, MSc
Department of Medicine Cambridge Hospital and Harvard Medical School Boston, MA 02115
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Gerald Calnen, MD;
Gerald Calnen, MD
Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine New Rochelle, NY 10801
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Lawrence M. Gartner, MD;
Lawrence M. Gartner, MD
Departments of Pediatrics and Obstetrics/Gynecology University of Chicago Chicago, IL 60637
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Ruth A. Lawrence, MD;
Ruth A. Lawrence, MD
Departments of Pediatrics and Obstetrics/Gynecology University of Rochester School of Medicine Rochester, NY 14642
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Joan Younger Meek, MD, MS, RD, IBCLC;
Joan Younger Meek, MD, MS, RD, IBCLC
Department of Pediatrics Orlando Health/Arnold Palmer Medical Center Florida State University College of Medicine Orlando, FL 32806
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Jose J. Gorrin-Peralta, MD, MPH;
Jose J. Gorrin-Peralta, MD, MPH
University of Puerto Rico San Juan, PR 00936
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Ana M. Parrilla-Rodriguez, MD, MPH;
Ana M. Parrilla-Rodriguez, MD, MPH
Maternal and Child Health Program Graduate School of Public Health- Medical Sciences Campus University of Puerto Rico San Juan, PR 00936
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Nancy G. Powers, MD
Nancy G. Powers, MD
University of Kansas School of Medicine–Wichita Wichita, KS 67028
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Pediatrics (2011) 128 (5): e1311–e1314.
Citation
Miriam Labbok, Kathleen A. Marinelli, Melissa Bartick, Gerald Calnen, Lawrence M. Gartner, Ruth A. Lawrence, Joan Younger Meek, Jose J. Gorrin-Peralta, Ana M. Parrilla-Rodriguez, Nancy G. Powers; In Reply. Pediatrics November 2011; 128 (5): e1311–e1314. 10.1542/peds.2011-2698B
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