Breast-feeding: good starts, good outcomes.
Meeting national breast-feeding objectives and mothers' personal breast-feeding goals depends on a number of factors, including the provision of current, consistent, and timely help with breast-feeding. Nurses are in a prime position to guide mothers during their hospital stay and provide community follow-up postdischarge. Mothers and infants need to acquire a set of breast-feeding skills prior to hospital discharge so that a mother goes home confident that she can adequately nourish her infant, initiate and maintain an abundant milk supply, avoid problems, and address them if they occur. This article describes strategies for optimizing breast-feeding during the first 48 hours and delineates what mothers need to know before they leave the hospital.
Walker
Marsha
M
National Alliance for Breast-feeding Advocacy, Weston, MA 02493, USA. Marshalact@aol.com
D001942:Breast Feeding; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018730:Infant Behavior; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D017283:Neonatal Nursing; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011187:Posture; D012944:Social Support; D013391:Sucking Behavior