Hospital support for
breastfeeding has improved since 2007, according to the latest U.S. CDC
Vital Signs report released early October. The percentage of U.S. hospitals
using a majority of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, the global
standard for hospital care to support breastfeeding, increased from
approximately 29 percent in 2007 to 54 percent in 2013, a nearly two-fold
increase over six years. Hospitals in Maine that have implemented the majority
of the Ten Steps increased from 72 percent in 2007 to 83 percent in 2013.
Improved hospital care could
increase rates of breastfeeding both in Maine and nationally, contributing to
healthier children. According to U.S. CDC’s 2014 Breastfeeding Report
Card, approximately 28 percent of babies in Maine were born in baby-friendly
hospitals, a rate topped only by New Hampshire and Connecticut. The
Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) was established by the World Health
Organization and UNICEF and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The
core of the BFHI is the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, which include:
- Educating all pregnant women about the benefits and
management of breastfeeding.
- Helping mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour
of birth.
- Keeping mothers and babies together throughout the entire
hospital stay.
- Providing mothers with information about breastfeeding
support groups and refer mothers to these groups upon discharge from the
hospital.
Maine has implemented “6 for ME,”
a health care and quality improvement initiative focused on providing
assistance and support to health care professionals, focusing on six of the Ten
Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. Maine CDC, Let's Go!, MaineHealth and
the Maine State Breastfeeding Coalition all link resources to offer technical
assistance and educational opportunities to health care professionals caring
for mothers and babies.
For more information about U.S.
CDC’s work to improve hospital practices to support breastfeeding, visit www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding or Maine’s 6 for ME: Maine takes 6 steps to improve breastfeeding.
