Date of Award
Fall 2024
Document Type
Project – Full Written
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Committee Chair
Abby Garlock
Abstract
Mothers face important decisions regarding how to feed their infants, and successful breastfeeding requires commitment, support, and education. The numerous health benefits of breastfeeding for both mothers and infants are well-documented throughout the literature, and experts recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first year of life. Healthcare teams play a crucial role in supporting breastfeeding success by providing education, guidance, and troubleshooting assistance when complications arise. Reassurance from healthcare providers can also influence mothers' overall experiences with breastfeeding. The facility where participants deliver assists most mothers in initiating breastfeeding within 1 to 2 hours after delivery, with approximately 75% meeting this goal. However, only 30% continue to exclusively feed breastmilk at discharge. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to increase the initiation and duration rates of breastfeeding in mothers by providing breastfeeding education to pregnant mothers during their scheduled centering OB visits. Seven participants attended the first class, with two participants completing both classes. Four weeks postpartum, participants were surveyed about their breastfeeding experiences. At the end of 4 weeks, 50% were able to breastfeed within the first 1 to 2 hours, all supplemented with formula during the hospitalization, 50% of participants continued breastfeeding, and 50% switched to formula feeding based on post-delivery recommendations from the facility. This project highlights the importance of education and facility support to assist mothers with establishing and maintaining breastfeeding after delivery.
Recommended Citation
Coffey, Rhonda, "Remodeling Breastfeeding Education" (2024). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 118.
https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/nursing-dnp/118
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License