Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content
Navigate Up
Sign In

A - Z Index | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

MCH : hospital-bf-policy

Draft Hospital Breastfeeding Policy Recommendations

Background: 

Extensive scientific evidence shows that breast milk is the optimal food for infants.  Early infant feeding practices can affect growth and development in children, while significantly reducing risk for infections and chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, and obesity.  Remarkably, breastfeeding can also provide health benefits to the mother. Unfortunately, mothers who want to breastfeed may have a hard time doing so without timely support given in the early days and weeks after birth. The success rate among breastfeeding mothers is greatly improved through active support from clinicians, medical personnel, families, friends, communities, health care leaders, employers and policy makers.   Since most babies in Maryland are born in a hospital, this setting provides a clear opportunity for personnel to impact and enhance the initiation and continued success of breastfeeding. 

Public Comment via Survey

Every two years, the federal CDC administers the national Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) survey to all hospitals and birth centers in the U.S. that provide maternity care.  The 2009 mPINC surveyshowed both strengths and areas for improvement related to breastfeeding support in Maryland hospitals.  Based on these results, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) formed a workgroup to review current hospital policies and compose breastfeeding policy recommendations in an effort to strengthen and improve maternity care practices in Maryland hospitals.   A stakeholder’s meeting was held to present these recommendations and obtain initial feedback.  Subsequently, this feedback was incorporated in a draft Model Hospital Breastfeeding Policy.  DHMH is requesting public comment before a Model Hospital Breastfeeding Policy is finalized.  DHMH is reviewing public comments that have been received before a Model Hospital Breastfeeding Policy is finalized.

Next Steps

After comments have been reviewed, a final Model Hospital Breastfeeding Policy will be developed and publicly released.  All delivery hospitals will be invited to join a quality improvement initiative by adopting the Model Hospital Breastfeeding Policy.   After a period for review and action, DHMH will request copies of each hospital’s breastfeeding policy.  The policies will be compared with the Model Hospital Breastfeeding Policy and the results of that comparison will be publicly released. DHMH will subsequently evaluate the success of this voluntary approach to statewide adoption of the Model Hospital Breastfeeding Policy.

 Maryland Hospital Breastfeeding Policy Recommendations