March 29--The choice to nurse a baby has serious implications, starting in the first precious hour.
Babies fed breast milk will have a healthier immune system. And they will be less likely to have a childhood marked by obesity and illness.
The benefits of breast milk are well-understood and indisputable. But what should happen to encourage nursing moms doesn't always happen, and the hospitals in Franklin County want that to change.
At the suggestion of leaders at Columbus Public Health, who are looking to drive down obesity rates, the Central Ohio Hospital Council -- a collaborative group that includes all the Franklin County hospital systems -- has made a pact to follow the same pro-breast-feeding standards.
New moms in Columbus won't go home with free formula samples. They'll get more education about the benefits of mother's milk. And they'll be strongly advised to spend lots of time close to and nursing their babies in the hours and days after birth, a time that can make or break successful breast-feeding throughout infancy.
The official starting date of the agreement is June 1. The hope is that the effort will quickly boost the number of breast-fed infants in and around the city.
A survey by the council last year included 581 moms and aimed to figure out obstacles to breast-feeding.
The top ones included moms' not fully understanding the benefits of breast milk, concern about pain associated with nursing, and difficulties returning to work and maintaining breast-feeding.
To address the last item, the hospitals have pledged to encourage and support their own employees who breast-feed, and they're sharing that pledge with other central Ohio employers in hopes they'll sign on, too.
Jill Beverly, director of perinatal services at Mount Carmel St. Ann's hospital, said all the hospitals have worked in their own ways to promote breast-feeding. But a standardized, systems-wide approach -- based on factors known to improve breast-feeding rates -- is likely to raise the overall rate of new babies getting breast milk and its benefits, she said.
In addition to pledging to the standards, her hospital system is giving 40 nurses additional training in lactation, Beverly said. The system also is talking about encouraging another support person -- Grandma, or maybe a neighbor -- to attend breast-feeding classes with parents.
Uniform standards are important and more likely to improve rates than individual efforts, said Jenny Brehm, nursing director for women and infants at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center.
"It's hard for our community when they go to one hospital and receive information or education in a different way (than at another hospital)."
Connie Garrison-Isler, director of women's health at Riverside Methodist Hospital, said one important aim is to get more breast-feeding information to women before they arrive at a hospital for delivery.
"It's too late when the patient shows up here. The patient's already made her decision," she said. "It's not about mandating breast-feeding. It's about providing education to the patient long before she gets to our doors so she makes the right choice."
Marsha Walker, executive director of the National Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy, applauded the effort in central Ohio.
"These standards will go a long way toward helping moms get off to a good start," Walker said.
Keeping mom and baby close from delivery on is especially important, as is not supplementing feedings with formula unless it's needed, she said. "Non-medically-indicated supplementation, that's a killer to breast-feeding."
mcrane@dispatch.com
@MistiCrane
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