Using the law of battery to protect and support breastfeeding.

Hospital practices can interfere with the successful initiation of breastfeeding. This article describes two cases in which parents sought legal advice in relation to supplemental feedings and artificial nipples. The authors recommend that parents send a letter of direction to their health care providers prior to their infant's delivery, and a sample is provided. In many jurisdictions, if the parents' directions are not followed, the provider may be liable under the legal theory known as civil battery.