Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Hospital Practices Affect Long-term Breastfeeding Success

ScienceDaily: Hospital Practices Affect Long-term Breastfeeding Success: "A new study in Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care suggests that implementing 5 breastfeeding-friendly practices in hospitals following birth can significantly improve long-term breastfeeding success. Nearly two-thirds of mothers who engaged in all 5 supportive practices were still breastfeeding 4 months after going home. The specific hospital practices include:

Initiating breastfeeding within 1 hour of delivery
Keeping infants in the mother’s hospital room
Feeding infants only breast milk in the hospital; no supplementation of water or formula
Prohibiting pacifier use in the hospital
Providing a telephone number to call for breastfeeding help after hospital discharge"

No comments: