Howdy
Was chatting to friend who had her baby in the same hospital I had DS. We were chatting about bf and how even though it is "baby friendly" in reality there is sweet f.a. support and they are about as supportive in practice as if a formula company ran the place.
I have posted a bit about my experience, DS wouldn't latch after meconium/heavy suctioning issues. Mws dumped me on postnatal ward without having done first feed, nobody would come and help even when I called. Mws would not come and help me feed during the night because they were busy bottle feeding other women's babies so they could sleep. Lactation consultant berated me for feeding lying down (was only way I could get DS to sometimes latch), told me to try get him latched in cradle hold for an hour (he was screaming and hungry), said she would come back and we'd try something else if he hadn't latched, she never came back. I would buzz for mws whenever he wouldn't latch up and it would take them 30mins + to come to my bed. I saw the assistant who made the bottles more often, she would pop in a few times a day and ask if I needed bottles to be made up.
The most happy he looked in the whole time in hospital was when I gave him a bottle of formula before going home. We had to agree to ff to get out of the hospital (they didn't want me to leave as bf not established, but I was hysterical by day 3 and needed to get out of there and home for family to care for me).
After chatting to my friend today I am very cross and want to nark them to the WHO. They make a big song and dance about bf but are not helpful at all in practice. Apparently they get advance notice of inspections for certification and make it look all hunky dory.
Had been thoroughly determined to bf, so I was devastated at the time (but I'm fine now, happily FF!). I had truckloads of support to bf at home including my DMIL staying with us who used to be a LLL leader..