Maternity Care Practices

Following evidence-based maternity care practices influences breastfeeding exclusivity and duration rates in Oregon

Most births in Oregon occur in a hospital. Maternity care practices influence a mother’s decision to begin breastfeeding and her success in continuing to breastfeed after she leaves the hospital. 

Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) is a national survey of maternity care practices and policies, administered to all hospitals and birth centers by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Data indicate that hospitals have opportunities to implement practices in labor, delivery, postpartum care and hospital discharge planning that support mothers who want to breastfeed.

• Read Oregon's mPINC State Report: This report summarizes strengths in breastfeeding support and areas in need of improvement for Oregon to better protect, promote and support breastfeeding mothers and infants.

Evidence-based maternity care practices

• Strategies for Providing Lactation Services (pdf) 

  Read about 5 key strategies for increasing breastfeeding rates in Oregon. These evidence-based strategies will help Coordinated Care Organizations meet the Affordable Care Act and Oregon Health Evidence Review Commission requirements for lactation services.

• The CDC Guide to Strategies to Support Breastfeeding Mothers and Babies showcases evidence-based interventions for improving maternity care practices (pdf), including intrapartum care and immediate postpartum care.

• The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The program encourages and recognizes hospitals and birthing centers that provide a set of maternity care practices, known as the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, that result in better breastfeeding outcomes. Hospitals and birthing centers that have made a commitment to following these steps can apply for the Baby-Friendly designation through Baby-Friendly USA.

  See Oregon hospitals and birthing centers that have achieved the Baby-Friendly designation.

• The Joint Commission accredits and certifies health care organizations in the U.S. Their Perinatal Care measures include an exclusive breast milk feeding measure. 

Implementation resources for health care facilities

• U.S. Breastfeeding Committee: Implementing The Joint Commission Perinatal Care Core Measure on Exclusive Breast Milk Feeding 
• Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine: Clinical Protocols, including infant formula supplementation and model hospital policy
• Hospital Actions Affect Breastfeeding (CDC)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding, 2011.
• Safe Sleep and Skin-to-Skin Care in the Neonatal Period for Healthy Term Newborns. Pediatrics. 2016;138(3)

See Also:

• Staff Training