Journey Through the Preparatory Phases to Baby-Friendly Designation in an Urban Community Hospital

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that breastmilk has nutrients, minerals, and antibodies that reduce the risk of acquiring common illnesses in children during the first five years of life. According to the World Health Organization, globally, 36% of infants, ages 0 to 6 months are exclusively breastfed. {World Health Organization January, 2016} In Addition, undernutrition was associated with 45% of child deaths. Over 800,000 children’s lives could be saved every year among children under 5 if all children 0-23 months were optimally breastfed. {World Health Organization January, 2016} The exclusive breastfeeding rates from delivery to discharge at an urban community hospital (Woodhull Medical Center) in Brooklyn, New York are low. In order to increase exclusive breastfeeding rates at this community hospital (Woodhull), they entered the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative recommends specific maternal and child healthcare practices that promote the most current evidenced based standard of care for infants and mothers with primary focus on skin to skin, rooming-in, and breastfeeding education and practice. A Mixed-Methods research study design was conducted to document the impact of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative designation process on an urban community hospital’s skin to skin and rooming-in practices, as well as breastfeeding initiation rates from April 2015 to October 30th 2015. The study used audit tool interviews designed by Baby-Friendly USA, to document the impact of the Baby-Friendly Designation process in both the prenatal and postpartum setting where the combined sample size was 297, (N=297). The results from the audit tool interviews indicated the following: Prenatal: 80% of patients interviewed indicated that someone in the prenatal setting (hospital clinic) spoke to them about breastfeeding 39.7% of patients interviewed indicated that no one provided written materials about breastfeeding 56.55% of patients interviewed indicated that no one provided education on skin to skin 76% of patients interviewed indicated that no one provided education on rooming-in. Postpartum 90% of all Normal Spontaneous Vaginal Delivery observed indicated that they experienced skin to skin immediately after delivery 17% of all Cesarean deliveries observed indicated that they experienced skin to skin as soon as they felt able. Three out of the six measures reached the Baby-Friendly recommendation rate of 80% or above. Presentation: 27:1