Ten Steps for Successful Breastfeeding, has increased to nearly 17 percent.
If you’re not familiar with the Ten Steps for Successful Breastfeeding, they include the following:
- Within one hour of birth, health care staff should help mothers begin breastfeeding
- Mothers aren’t able to use pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding newborns
- Unless medically required, give newborns no food or drink other than breast milk
- Require skin-to-skin contact with the mother and infant directly following birth until the first breastfeeding has ended.
These are just a few rules that participating hospitals need to follow to promote, protect and support breastfeeding, according to Healthy Places. Most evidence has found that baby-friendly hospitals are known to be positive for both the mother and child, however, a recent article written and published by select pediatricians in JAMA Pediatrics states that baby-friendly hospitals raise certain areas of concern for both the mothers and their newborns. When the mother and child initially have skin-to-skin contact, they are left unsupervised at this time. XX Factor reports that studies show an increased risk of Sudden Unexpected Postnatal Collapse is associated with the lack of supervision during this time. Pediatricians Joel L. Bass, Tina Gartley and Ronald Kleinman also believe that the ban on pacifiers can confuse infants and discourage breastfeeding. The JAMA paper also states that pacifiers have been associated with a reduced risk of sudden infant death syndrome, thus making the pacifier ban irrational.
One final area of concern involves the 24-hour rooming-in rule, even when the mother is sedated or simply exhausted.
This rule requires newborns to stay with their mother, and in some cases it has resulted in hospitals closing down their nurseries completely. The pediatricians believe this rule can potentially lead to unsafe situations for the child, and harmful sleeping arrangements for the mother that she might utilize at home. Babies can be dropped accidentally out of bed if the mother falls asleep, or worse. There are many more areas of concern with baby-friendly hospitals, so the question to ask is, “are these participating hospitals really implementing safe and baby-friendly breastfeeding strategies?” You can read the whole article here. If there’s one thing we can ensure the safety of in this blog, it is our hospital bassinets. Novum Medical Equipment provides hospitals and medical facilities with safe, reliable furnishings, including stainless steel, wood front and maternity bassinets. For more information, browse our selection online or call us at 800-274-2742.