title: Maternity care practices that support breastfeeding: CDC efforts to encourage quality improvement.
abstract: Breastfeeding has important consequences for women's health, including lower risk of breast and ovarian cancers as well as type 2 diabetes. Although most pregnant women want to breastfeed, a majority encounter difficulties and are not able to breastfeed as long as they want. Routine maternity care practices can pose significant barriers to successful breastfeeding. To address these practices, CDC has taken on a number of initiatives to promote hospital quality improvements in how new mothers are supported to start breastfeeding. The CDC survey on Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care is a tool to educate hospitals on how their current practices compare to recommended standards. The Best Fed Beginnings program is working with 90 hospitals across the United States to achieve optimal care and create tools for future hospital changes. CDC-funded programs in numerous state health departments have created programs to instigate improvements across the state. These efforts have begun to show success, with significant hospital quality score increases seen between 2009 and 2011. In 2011, more hospitals were designated as Baby-Friendly than in any previous year.
authors: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA. lxg8@cdc.gov
authors: Laurence M
authors: LM
authors: Grummer-Strawn
authors: Katherine R
authors: KR
authors: Shealy
authors: Cria G
authors: CG
authors: Perrine
authors: Carol
authors: C
authors: MacGowan
authors: Daurice A
authors: DA
authors: Grossniklaus
authors: Kelley S
authors: KS
authors: Scanlon
authors: Paulette E
authors: PE
authors: Murphy
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006293:Health Promotion; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011181:Postnatal Care / Q000592:standards*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011247:Pregnancy; D058996:Quality Improvement; D014481:United States