[How to support breast-feeding after delivery. results of an inquiry at 641 maternity hospitals in west germany (author's transl)].
Human milk is unique and impossible to imitate; psychologically, breast-feeding is an essential part of the natural mother-baby-relationship. Therefore available possibilities of encouraging breast-feeding should be fully used. To define these possibilities, in the autumn of 1977 a questionnaire was sent to all West German maternity wards in order to find out about incidence of breast-feeding as well as the external nursing conditions during the neonatal period. The results of this inquiry showed interesting correlations: Higher breast-feeding rates were reported by hospitals which encouraged all mothers very much to breast-feed, which allowed the mothers to nurse their neonates shortly after birth and which later gave the mothers th opportunity to nurse long and often. The best breast-feeding results were obtained by those hospitals that allowed rooming-in and self demand feeding. From these results - in accordance with several other studies - it was concluded, that these external factors seem to have a positive effect on successful breast-feeding.
D001942:Breast Feeding; D005260:Female; D005860:Germany, West; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity; D006782:Hospitals, Special; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012386:Rooming-in Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Wie stillfreundlich sind unsere Geburtskliniken? Ergebnisse einer Umfrage an 641 Kliniken der Bundersrepublik Deutschland.