As the owner of the first breasfeeding boutique in nyc, I, Karen Paperno, am requesting, on behalf of all women, that Methodist hospital adopt the BFHI. BOING BOING was created in order to help moms get off to a great start, but after more than a decade of counseling women, the same problems remain. The factors that influence success and failure at breastfeeding are easilhy identified. It is essential that a woman get the support she needs from the start. This can only happen if the hospital staff is informed, and consistently educated about the benefits of breastfeeding and skin to skin contact. Women in New York are breastfeediing at an all time high rate; yet they are choosing hospitals and birthing centers far from their neighborhood in order to accomodate their wishes. Methodist Hospital has reached out to the community before, and has a wonderful birthing center and lactation staff. I beseech you to adopt the BFHI in order to keep Park Slope women in their own community.

http://www.babyfriendlyusa.org/eng/10steps.html http://www.unicef.org/programme/breastfeeding/baby.htm http://www.unicef.org/programme/breastfeeding/innocenti.htmhttp://www.waba.org.my/innocentideclaration.htm www.cdc.gov www.hrsa.gov