How Mother/Baby Friendly are Canadian Hospitals

Four hundred and fifty Canadian hospitals have estimated the percentage of women breastfeeding at the time of discharge from hospital. The mean rate was 74 per cent. There were wide variations among provinces: the breastfeeding rates were higher in the West and dropped off east from Quebec. (Exception: rates in Newfoundland are continuing to rise)

Almost half the responding hospitals reported that they usually gave breastfed babies other drinks such as water, glucose or formula. There were wide variations among provinces inthei practice, from a high of 79 per cent in Manitoba to a low of 30 per ce nt in Quebec.

Fourteen per cent of responding hospitals reported that they had a lactation consultant on staff. Large hospitals were more likely to have one thatn were small hospitals.

Fifty-eight per cent of hospitals had a written policy on breastfeeding; this too was more likely to be found in large hospitals. Twenty-eight per cent of responding hospitals reported that they had a policy based on the WHO/UNICEF Ten Steps and the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.

Twenty-four per cent of responding hospitals routinely gave breastfeeding mothers sample packs containing formula. There were large provincial variations, from a high in Quebec of 57 per cent to a low of eight per cent in Ontario. Sixty-one per cent of the responding hospitals routinely gave samples to mothers who were feeding formula.

Eighty-two per cent of responding hospitals had an exclusive contract with a formula company.

REFERENCES

Hanvey, L. , Levitt, C. Survey of routine matarnity care and practices in Canadian hospitals, CICH and Health Canada, 1995

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