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In a new clinical study conducted in about 2,700 medical centers revealed that approximately 44% of US hospitals encourage young mothers to breastfeed their newborns. The number of women breastfeeding their infants within an hour after giving birth has increased significantly over the past 6 years.
Breastfeeding awareness, aroused by campaigns all over US, shows that 66% of female patients that gave birth are inclined to breastfeed their infant within its first hour of life. As shown in many a medical journals and treaties, breastfeeding can prevent ear and throat infections, can decrease the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome and can prevent many diseases in later life such as diabetes, poliomyelitis, obesity and cancer.
During the interview, the participants were asked about the implementation of the Ten Steps to successful breastfeeding program. This program was developed by the World Health Organization in conjunction with the UNICEF Baby-Friendly.
Studies revealed that this program has been a great success in many hospitals around the US, showing an increase from 29% in 2007 to 55% in 2013.
Among the hospitals that implemented this new and revolutionary system, about 90% of them taught mothers the techniques necessary for a successful breastfeeding. These techniques include observation and response to certain facial expressions and cues from the infant.
Unfortunately, the situation seems to be somewhat uptight for the rest of the country. The survey shows that out of 289 pediatric hospitals, only a quarter of them chose to teach the Ten Step breastfeeding program to the young mothers.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention tried through this study to raise awareness among young mothers and to decrease the death toll of small infants. The CDC together with the American Association of Pediatrics, recommend babies should be breastfed for at least six months. After the 6 month period, mothers should use baby supplements and continue breastfeeding them for at least another 6 months.
This statement comes from CDC after reviewing the yearly statistics, which showed that less than a quarter of newborn babies receive breast milk in the first six months. Much more dramatic is the fact that mothers choose to discontinue breastfeeding in the firsts months of their infants’ life. Also, more than three quarters of young mothers quit breastfeeding sooner than the recommended time.
Taking a peek at the numbers, we can still see a glitter of hope as, each day, more and more hospitals around the US tend to guide young mothers in the first months of the infant’s life.
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