DRIVE
TO
Patient-Centered Excellence
32
DRIVE
TO
Patient-Centered Excellence
33
Choosing the way you will feed your new baby is one of
the important decisions you will make in preparing for
your infant’s arrival.
Doctors agree that for most women breastfeeding is the safest and
most healthy choice. It is your right to be informed about the benefits
of breastfeeding and have your health care provider and maternal health
care facility encourage and support breastfeeding.
You have the right to make your own choice about breastfeeding.
Whether you choose to breastfeed or not you have the following basic
rights regardless of your race, creed, national origin, sexual orientation,
gender identity or expression, or source of payment for your health care.
Maternal health care facilities have a responsibility to ensure that you
understand these rights. They must provide this information clearly for
you and must provide an interpreter if necessary. These rights may only
be limited in cases where your health or the health of your baby requires
it. If any of the following things are not medically right for you or your
baby, you should be fully informed of the facts and be consulted.
1.
Before You Deliver:
If you attend prenatal childbirth education
classes provided by the maternal health care facility and all hospital
clinics and diagnostic and treatment centers providing prenatal
services in accordance with article 28 of the public health law
you must receive the Breastfeeding Mothers’ Bill of Rights. Each
maternal health care facility shall provide the maternity information
leaflet, including the Breastfeeding Mothers’ Bill
of Rights, in accordance with section twenty-eight hundred
three-i of this chapter to each patient or to the appointed personal
representative at the time of prebooking or time of admission to
a maternal health care facility. Each maternal health care provider
shall give a copy of the Breastfeeding Mothers’ Bill of Rights to
each patient at or prior to the medically appropriate time.
You have the right to complete information about the benefits of
breastfeeding for yourself and your baby. This will help you make an
informed choice on how to feed your baby.
Breastfeeding Mothers’ Bill of Rights
You have the right to receive information that is free of commercial
interests and includes:
• How breastfeeding benefits you and your baby nutritionally,
medically and emotionally;
• How to prepare yourself for breastfeeding;
• How to understand some of the problems you may face
and how to solve them.
2.
In The Maternal Health Care Facility:
• You have the right to have your baby stay with you right after birth
whether you deliver vaginally or by cesarean section. You have
the right to begin breastfeeding within one hour after birth.
• You have the right to have someone trained to help you in
breastfeeding give you information and help you when you
need it. “Breastfeeding Mothers’ Bill of Rights” 2028 New
York State Department of Health 4/10
• You have the right to have your baby not receive any bottle
feeding or pacifiers.
• You have the right to know about and refuse any drugs that
may dry up your milk.
• You have the right to have your baby in your room with you
24 hours a day.
• You have the right to breastfeed your baby at any time of day
or night.
• You have the right to know if your doctor or your baby’s
pediatrician is advising against breastfeeding before any
feeding decisions are made.
• You have the right to have a sign on your baby’s crib clearly
stating that your baby is breastfeeding and that no bottle
feeding of any type is to be offered.
• You have the right to receive full information about how you
are doing with breastfeeding and get help on how to improve.
• You have the right to breastfeed your baby in the neonatal
intensive care unit. If nursing is not possible, every attempt
will be made to have your baby receive your pumped or
expressed milk.
