Babies, Parenting, Child Health, Infant Nutrition

Baby Development – CDC Report Finds Hospital Do Not Do Enough to Promote Breastfeeding

06.17.2008 | 7:06:17 pm | Posted by mummums

By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist

baby dvelopment, breastfeeding More and more research is proving the just how beneficial breastfeeding is for both mother and baby. Yet it seems that little is being done to promote the practice of breastfeeding, which has also been shown in previous studies. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) just released the first ever hospital assessment on just how much birthing facilities are recommending new mothers breastfeed.

The survey found, upon observation of hospitals and birthing centers across the country, that the majority were breastfeeding “unfriendly”. Breastfeeding is something the CDC openly endorses stating it provides optimal infant nutrition by reducing the risk of infant and maternal morbidity. A CDC spokesperson said the survey results are “disappointing” and hopes it demonstrates the need to improve the way hospitals promote and support breastfeeding.

Published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the study analyzes 2007 survey responses from 2,690 hospitals and birthing centers. Each facility was given a score from 0 to 100, with the average score being 63. New England and West Coast states ranked higher while Vermont and New Hampshire topped the list. The Southern states did the poorest with Arkansas coming in last.

The study also gave scores on 7 different aspects of maternity care including breastfeeding assistance and support, postpartum feeding, and organizational structure. The scores for individual locations have not been released yet, but will be given to the hospitals and birthing centers next month as well as to local health departments.

Not only did the study find hospitals and birthing centers did not promote breastfeeding, the CDC found that many actually engage in practices that interfere with successful breastfeeding. These practices include giving pacifiers, limiting suckling duration, and providing new mothers with infant formula gift bags- as many as 70% . In addition, one quarter of hospitals reported giving formula or supplemental feeding to more than half of the healthy, full-term infants. According to Baby Friendly USA, it is not that hospitals purposely shun breastfeeding; it is just that the formula industry has deep roots in hospital settings.

Permalink

Email this article

Printer-friendly version

Baby Development –US News and World Report Finds 8 Smart Ways to Afford a Baby
— in MumMums blog posted 22 weeks ago
By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kids Nutrition Specialist Preparing to have a baby takes a lot of planning, and financial planning is becoming a major component of baby prep. One of the main reasons women nowadays are having babies later is life i

Mum Mum's Blog Report: 3 Month Old Infants are Sensitive to Emotional Cues Referring to Objects in the World; US News and World Report Finds 8 Smart Ways to Afford a Baby; Humor Shown to Be Fundamental to Our Success as a Species
— in MumMums blog posted 22 weeks ago
3 Month Old Infants are Sensitive to Emotional Cues Referring to Objects in the World Babies may smile back at you when you giving them a loving smile, but there may be a lot more going on inside their heads than previously thought. The post explain

Baby Development – FDA Steps Up Advisories to Protect Expecting Women and Babies
— in MumMums blog posted 23 weeks ago
By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kids Nutrition Specialist Perhaps the result of recent criticism regarding the handling of the plastic baby bottle safety issue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stepped up its game last week. First proposed was

About this Blog:

The Baby Mum-Mum blog discusses everything to do with babies and parenting with a focus on child health and child development. Baby Mum-Mum is a healthy, easy to digest baby rice snack that is enjoyed by babies and mothers around the world for its portability, gluten free ingredients and great taste. Baby Mum-Mum is a division of Want-Want Holdings, a manufacturer of healthy snack foods, beverages and related products since 1962.

Syndicate this Blog: