Also available as PDF (figures and tables appear in the PDF).
Breastfeeding is unique to a woman, and as many women’s issues, has been relegated to the unrecognized and largely unsupported “women’s work” by our United States health care system and society. Breastfeeding is an important indicator and promoter of health status for both mother and child. Breastfeeding’s potency as a health indicator and protector of health makes it deserving of accurate and comprehensive assessment, documentation, and monitoring. Increasing breastfeeding continuation rates for greater dose-related benefits is part of our national Healthy People 2030 goals
Keywords: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
These surveys are small, retrospective, use different definitions of breastfeeding and, with regards to WIC, easily manipulated because they are attached to a benefits package. These breastfeeding assessment tools do not address the need for real time, accurate, comprehensive and continuing breastfeeding statistics that are needed to document and monitor the breastfeeding status of all American mothers and babies!
Breastfeeding is too important a public health measure to not have real time, accurate, comprehensive, and ongoing data on it. Therefore, it is recommended for breastfeeding data to be assessed on every baby at every well-baby medical appointment, then documented on the medical chart as a good solution to improve breastfeeding data collection and documentation.
Recommendation for real time, accurate and comprehensive BF Stats Since breastfeeding is a “Mom made” immunization and since man made immunizations are assessed in a systemic and accurate manner at all well-baby visits, I am recommending that breastfeeding statistics also be assessed at ALL well-baby visits by 4 simple questions: • How many times in a 24-hour period does the baby go to the breast for a breastfeed?
• How many ounces of expressed breastmilk is the baby receiving per 24-hours?
• How many ounces of formula is the baby receiving per 24-hours? • At what age were solid foods introduced and how many times is the baby fed solid foods per 24-hours?
These four questions would give exclusive, partial and continued breastfeeding statistics on every baby in the well-baby care system and could easily be compiled by states and the CDC for accurate and comprehensive breastfeeding statistics, used for comprehensive research related to breastfeeding benefits, used to move from assessment to adequate breastfeeding services needed, used to support the reasons for more Lactation Professionals, and the need for a National Paid Family Leave in America. It all starts with an accurate, real-time, comprehensive assessment and docu mentation of breastfeeding statistics.11 How these Real Times, Comprehensive and Accurate Breast - Feeding Data could be Used Policy • To accurately and comprehensively measure progress towards the national and state breastfeeding goals.
• To plan and review programs/policies aimed at increasing breastfeeding rates and duration.
• To increase breastfeeding support resources where needed. • To document the need for more Lactation Professionals and funding to support their training.
• To guide insurance companies in recognizing the need for reimbursement for Lactation services.
• To document the work mothers are doing to breastfeed their babies.
• To support the need, expected cost savings and wisdom for paid family leave in USA.
Survey (NIS) Started 2001, performed by CDC every 2-years, survey of parents of 19-35 month old babies, population based with random sampling, used for Breastfeeding Report Card Data specific to continuation rates.
T oo small. too late and not dedicated to breastfeeding: Survey of <1% of population, retrospective complicated by inaccurate recall after 19-35 months when assessment performed, only 4 breastfeeding questions added to a large man-made immunization survey, changed over the years causing interpretation difficulties.
Care (mPINC) Started 2007, performed by CDC every 2-years of all hospitals in USA that do births. Good survey of breastfeeding support in hospital only, used for Breastfeeding Report Card Data specific to breastfeeding initiation rates only.
Does not include any breastfeeding continuation statistics, rather it only reflect the hospital breastfeeding data.
Clinical • To identify breastfeeding problems earlier and facilitate early referrals to a Lactation Professional if needed before an earlier than intended weaning occurs.
• To increase attention to the importance and clinical significance of breastfeeding--the question that gets asked get attention by both client and health care provider!
To investigate breastfeeding as it relates to health and illness issues in maternal/infant health and facilitate breastfeeding research.