Review Article
Deborah Busch, Leila Nassar an
Abstract
The purpose of this pilot-project was to evaluate the effectiveness of a breastfeeding program designed to improve maternal and agency support and subsequently increase breastfeeding rates in a primary care practice. . The practice is located in a U.S. suburban site that employs two pediatricians and two Certified Lactation Consultants (CLC), of which one is a medical-assistant and one is a pediatric nurse practitioner. The local hospital’s annual birth rate averaged approximately 4,500-5,000 births a year and the practice saw three to five newborns weekly. The general population of the study site consisted of middle to low-income families of Caucasian, Latino, Asian, and African American decent, The study population (N of 50) included both married and single healthy mothers who had recently given birth to a healthy full term baby (37-40 weeks gestation) and who wished to breastfeed their infant within the early postpartum period. Infant feeding patterns were identified as breastfed (at the breast or bottle fed breast milk) exclusively, breastfed partially (some formula), and formula fed. The foundation for the pilot project incorporated the three core interventions of the Tri-Core model 1) improving lactation support, 2) enhancing maternal and staff lactation education, and 3) fostering maternal confidence in their ability to breastfeed (self-efficacy). Project outcomes were measured by the assessment of breastfeeding rates, durations, and reported maternal self-efficacy levels at the newborn, one month, and two month visit. Significant gains in all breastfeeding rates were reported compared to previous rates, especially in the rates of exclusive breastfeeding. Demonstrating that initiating a targeted Tri-Core strategy can positively improve breastfeeding rates, duration, and maternal self-efficacy within the early postpartum period.