Hospital support for breastfeeding has improved since 2007, according to the latest CDC Vital Signs report released today.

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. The hope, said CDC officials, is that improved hospital support will lead to improved breastfeeding rates nationwide.

New Jersey has already made significant progress in improving breastfeeding rates, including the rate of infants breastfed exclusively for six months, which jumped from 14 percent in 2009 to 22.3 percent in 2011, according to the N.J. Department of Health.

NJHA has worked closely with DOH to support hospitals in developing programs for breastfeeding families. In 2010, work began to support maternity hospitals as they pursued designation as “Baby-Friendly.” Evaluation results from the first cohort suggested that collaboration among the hospitals allowed for sharing resources, experiences and lessons learned from adopting the WHO/UNICEF’s Ten Steps toward a breastfeeding-friendly hospital environment.

In October 2014, NJHA’s Health Research and Educational Trust received CDC funding aimed at fostering an environment in New Jersey hospitals that would promote exclusive and sustained breastfeeding. This could be achieved by increasing the number of maternity hospitals achieving implementation of all of the WHO’s Ten Steps, or achieving Baby-Friendly designation. The funding also aims to support increased total composite quality scores from the CDC’s biennial Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care survey, or mPINC, which was conducted during the third quarter of 2015. In a Webinar hosted by NJHA, CDC Survey of Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care, CDC’s Katherin Shealy educated hospitals on aspects of the mPINC survey and the importance of participation.

Of the nearly 4 million babies born each year in the United States, 14 percent are born in Baby-Friendly hospitals, according to CDC.

"What happens in the hospital can determine whether a mom starts and continues to breastfeed, and we know that many moms – 60 percent – stop breastfeeding earlier than they’d like," said Cria Perrine, PhD, epidemiologist in CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity.

The Vital Signs report examined data from CDC’s 2013 mPINC survey. It found that hospital staff provided high levels of breastfeeding education (93 percent in 2013) and teaching mothers breastfeeding techniques (92 percent.) It also found that early initiation of breastfeeding increased from approximately 44 percent in 2007 to nearly 65 percent in 2013.

However, other findings showed the need for additional attention. They include:

• Just 26 percent of hospitals ensured that only breast milk was given to healthy, breastfeeding infants who did not need infant formula for a medical reason.
• 45 percent of hospitals kept mothers and babies together throughout the entire hospital stay, which provides opportunities to breastfeed and helps mothers learn feeding cues.
• 32 percent of hospitals provided enough support for breastfeeding mothers when they left the hospital, including a follow-up visit and phone call, and referrals for additional support.