Lack of Breastfeeding Support in Hospitals

While breastfeeding is almost universally recommended, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that in the US breastfeeding is not well supported. A 2009 Center for Disease Control Report gave the US a grade of 74 for supporting breastfeeding. Oklahoma only got a 66, but was higher than Ohio (59), Arkansas (62) and Louisiana (lowest at 49).

This is distressing as since 1991, the World Health Organization has promoted 10 simple steps that hospitals and health care providers can take to support breastfeeding. This Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative has been shown to increase both the number of women who begin breastfeeding and the duration of breastfeeding. The Initiative has accredited over 15,000 hospitals and birthing centers world-wide. However, in the US, there are only 89 centers that are accredited! (See list).

Even if a hospital cannot implement all 10 of the “baby friendly” steps, there are four important ones that can make a big difference. The first two encourage the hospital to have a policy outlining how they will support breastfeeding and require that all staff who interact with breastfeeding moms are aware of the benefits of breastfeeding. This gets everyone on the same page, assures that it is not just the lactation consultant who knows how to support new moms, and makes sure that even the maintenance workers know the benefits of breastfeeding. My research group did a small survey a few years ago and found that many hospitals in Oklahoma did not have a written policy or provide comprehensive training.

Next, it is very important that a baby be allowed to nurse in the first hour after birth. A survey of maternity nurses in Oklahoma found that just over half of nurses knew that the best time for an infant to start breastfeeding was in the first hour after birth.

Finally, community support is very helpful in maintaining breastfeeding. Oklahoma has only 1.6 lactation consultants per 1000 births, while Alaska, which has the highest breastfeeding score, has 9.3! Stillwater is lucky enough to have a La Leche group, however. If you are not familiar with La Leche, it is a group of women who get together to support each other while breastfeeding. The national organization supports a wonderful hotline which answers any and all breastfeeding questions: 1-877-452-5324.

So what can you do to make a difference? Ask your Ob/Gyns about their support for a hospital policy for breastfeeding. When you take a tour of the maternity ward, ask to see a copy of the hospital’s breastfeeding policy. Check out La Leche – it is a great way to get the word out about the importance of breastfeeding!