Feeding Preterm Infants

This multi-hospital collaborative originated in California, and studied eleven NICUs (Lee, MD,MS, et al., 2012). The Eleven NICUs were a part of the California Perinatal Quality of Care Collaborative to increase NICU breast milk feeding rates (Lee, MD,MS, et al., 2012). The hospitals that were not participating in this research were used as a control population, and included in the research. The research compared the feeding rates of

Two authors independently evaluated each article for relevant using a predefined set of criteria. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were specified and were appropriate for the review. The researchers were concerned with the effect education and support for the mothers had on the exclusive breastfeeding rates of healthy newborns. Inclusion criteria included randomized controlled trials (RCT) or quasi-experimental trails. The types of articles included are those that discussed interventions through education or support given to the mother prenatal/postnatal, or a combination. All delivery types were included. For

The neonatal unit is a unit that is designed to take care of premature infants. The nurses are not only taking care of the infants but also the parents. While parents have children in the neonatal unit their stress level is much higher. When a mother gives birth to her and her spouse’s child, she is experiencing

Prematurity is the primary cause of increasing infants’ serious illnesses and deaths in the United States (CDC, December 2014).Preterm infants are more likely to have developmental delays, impaired cognitive growth, and behavioral problems as compared to their normal counterparts. Also, the expenditure for the care of premature babies is constantly increasing due to their extended stay in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Previous studies have estimated that the Average daily expense of NICU stay is over $ 3000 for each preterm infant (Muraskas& Parsi 2008). The longer the stay, more will be the cost. The length of NICU stay depends upon the gestational age and complications associated with prematurity. The

Take a second to imagine you are a father, who has an infant admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for the first time. How are you feeling? Afraid? Confused, even? If your baby is admitted to the NICU, your first question probably will be: What is this place? With equipment intended for infants and medical staff specially qualified in newborn care, the NICU is an intensive care unit created for sick newborns who require specialized treatment. A common example for parent’s

McGrath, J. (2004). State of the science: Feeding readiness in the preterm infant. Journal of

Soon to be parents dream of having the perfect pregnancy. A pregnancy that is free of making difficult decisions for mom and baby, no complications with their pregnancy and free from any worries about the health of their newborn baby. All soon to be parents hope that ultimately the will give birth that result in a healthy newborn baby that they will take home to nurture and love. For far too many families this dream is shattered in the delivery room after giving birth. Their awful reality of this situation is suddenly something mommy and daddy have to try and comprehend and accept, because they are going to become a part of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) parents.

Evidence from high quality systematic reviews show that the strategies most likely to increase breastfeeding initiation incorporate mainly antenatal interventions. These include antenatal breastfeeding education and antenatal peer support programs as well as the postnatal intervention of promoting an increase in duration of early mother-infant contact (Amir et al., 2010; Brand et al., 2011). One of the main factors is maternal intention to breastfeed (Forster & McLachlan, 2007). Mothers with prenatal intention to breastfeed were more likely to have a longer duration of breastfeeding (Kervin et al., 2010). Research suggests that the decision to breastfeed is often made before falling pregnant or during the early stages of pregnancy (Forster & McLachlan, 2007). The role of the midwife at these points is to discuss the woman’s desire and intention to breastfeed and positively influence this decision by showing the benefits of breastfeeding (BFHI number 3) (Amir et al., 2010; Apostolakis-Kyrus, Valentine & DeFranco, 2013; Forster et al., 2006; Forster & McLachlan, 2007). Hospital education that includes hands on problem solving activities involving the partner and support network is evidenced to be more beneficial than pamphlets (Amir et al., 2010; Forster & McLachlan, 2007; Hunter & Cattelona, 2014). Despite the evidence of the importance of the role of the midwife in

Kangaroo mother care was first started in Colombia in 1978. This practice involves an infant being placed skin-to-skin with a parent, early breastfeeding and discharge as well as follow up care (Conde-Aguelo, Belizan & Diaz-Rossello, 2012). Evidence has shown that this practice compared to the use of an incubator for infants with low birth weight has significantly decreased infant mortality. The benefits that this practice provides are stabilization of newborn temperature, lowered risk of infection, increase in newborn growth, and shorter hospital stay (Conde-Aguelo, Belizan & Diaz-Rossello, 2012). Although there are numerous benefits to kangaroo care, it’s implementation in neonatal intensive units has been limited. According to 129 neonatal

In a study conducted in the United Kingdom by Brown, Raynor, and Lee (2011), their aim was to examine healthcare professionals’ and mothers’ ideas about what exactly effects decisions to either breastfeed or formula feed their child. The participants included in the study were twenty healthcare professionals and twenty-three mothers. The professionals were recruited by opportunity sampling or naturally occurring groups and the mothers were recruited using posters that were placed in local nurseries and different community centers. Theses community centers were located in a variety of places with “varying degrees of social deprivation.” Both groups engaged in interviews but the questions were different. Some of the questions that they asked the healthcare professionals wanted to gauge their experience with mothers and why they believed that the breastfeeding rate was low in the UK and the questions that they asked the mothers had to do with their experience with breastfeeding or formula feeding. Prior to the interview, the mothers gave information regarding their educational background, income, marital status, their infants’ birth weight and gestational age at birth. If the child was born prematurely, with low birth weight, or with serious health issues, then the interview wasn’t conducted. Additionally, the mothers gave information on the length of time that

The health benefits of breastfeeding are established, but low breastfeeding rates remain a U.S. public health concern. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) designed Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding (Ten Steps) as a guideline to increase breastfeeding rates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established the Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) biennial survey in 2007 to monitor U.S. maternity care facilities on the basis of the Ten Steps guideline.1 Researchers have used the mPINC data in multiple studies identifying practices in U.S. maternity care facilities that can guide public health initiatives to improve breastfeeding outcomes in the U.S.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) 500,000 infants are affected by preterm births each year. A preterm infant is born prior to 37 weeks’ of their gestational age (Smith, 2012) and can be classified as very premature (less than 32 weeks’ gestation), premature (born between 32 and 34 weeks’ gestation) or late premature (born between 34 and 37 weeks’ gestation) (Durham & Chapman, 2010). Despite the widespread advances in hospital policies and extensive research, the preterm birthrate continues to rise (Witt et al., 2014). Between 1990 and 2010 the number

The nurse must be mindful of each intervention initiated and the possible benefits of the intervention against its potential harmful effects for both mother and fetus. Not providing basic comfort measures for the mother can cause serious physical and emotional problems and could lead to possible fatigue and feelings of failure from the mother. The priority of this nursing intervention is to provide the mother and fetus with the least discomfort as possible and

Health Systems. The availability of existing lactation services is somewhat limited. Public health does have a lactation nurse available but her time is usually spent following up with and doing home visits with new moms discharged from the hospital. That makes her availability after the first three to four weeks postpartum pretty limited. There is also a breastfeeding class offered to expecting moms, however the moms interviewed did not feel like there was enough education provided in this class. The local hospital also has a full time lactation consultant for inpatient moms, and several of the OB nurses are certified lactation consultants. Again, the moms interviewed did not feel that the education provided in the hospital was enough to promote breastfeeding to six months. Many of the moms interviewed were not aware of the above services, so there is again a lack of education and advertising. The town has one hospital, one walk in clinic, several doctor offices. It has providers in the specialty areas of cardiology, endocrinology, pediatrics, neurology, dermatology, nephrology, and family practice. There is an ambulance service also. Accessibility of services for lactation services are also limited. There is nothing offered in the evenings or weekends for lactation services. The location of public health is centrally located adding convenience. The cost of the public health services and the breastfeeding classes are free. The inpatient hospital lactation provider does charge a fee for a consultation. Among the women interviewed these services were all underutilized, usually

Breastfeeding is a source of food for babies and also a supporting intervention that can be encouraged by nurses to maximize physical contact between mothers and their infants (Kearvell, 2008). Hence, nurses should endeavour to encourage new mothers to