Every drop counts: Providing lactation support to breastfeeding surgical patients

ABSTRACT

Over half of surgeries in the US are conducted in physician-owned ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). While ASCs provide cost-effective and quality healthcare comparable to inpatient hospitals, they often lack robust support services, including lactation support. This article presents key information on breastfeeding benefits, early weaning risks, and strategies for nurses in ASCs to educate and support patients who are breastfeeding.

ABM Clinical Protocol #35: Supporting Breastfeeding During Maternal or Child Hospitalization

A central goal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine is the development of clinical protocols for managing common medical problems that may impact breastfeeding success. These protocols serve only as guidelines for the care of breastfeeding mothers and infants and do not delineate an exclusive course of treatment or serve as standards of medical care. Variations in treatment may be appropriate according to the needs of an individual patient. The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine recognizes that not all lactating individuals identify as female. Using gender-inclusive language, however, is not possible in all languages and all countries and for all readers. The position of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (https://doi.org/10.1089/bfm.2021.29188.abm) is to interpret clinical protocols within the framework of inclusivity of all breastfeeding, chestfeeding, and human milk-feeding individuals.

Resuming Breastfeeding After Surgery: Influencing Practice Recommendations

PURPOSE

Mothers often request guidance on when it is safe to resume breastfeeding after surgery. At our institution, this guidance was inconsistent and not well-grounded in current research. This project sought to bring recommendations to patients in line with current evidence about when to recommend resumption of breastfeeding after surgery.

DESIGN

A local practice guideline was developed based on our systematic review, then staff were educated about the guideline.

METHODS

Transfer to clinical practice was measured by reported practice recommendations. A repeated measures design measured change in provider knowledge, recommendations, and confidence in these recommendations. A follow-up assessment was conducted at 2 years to measure long-term impact.

FINDINGS

After the educational session, there was a two-fold increase in the number of perianesthesia staff who recommended resumption of breastfeeding as soon as the mother had recovered from anesthesia.

CONCLUSIONS

This evidence-based practice project standardized delivery of breastfeeding recommendations by perioperative staff.