Poster Presentation
Halls C & D (Indiana Convention Center)
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
8:30 AM - 9:15 AM
Halls C & D (Indiana Convention Center)
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
This presentation is part of : Maternal-Child Health Nursing Leadership Academy Poster Presentations
Improving Breastfeeding Outcomes in the Seperated Maternal-Fetal Dyad
Marie M. Essex, MSN, APN, Women's and CHildren's Services, Christiana Care Health Services, Newark, Delaware, DE, USA
Learning Objective #1: The learner will be able to identify and describe the tool utilized to measure the professional and licensed practical nurses attitudes toward breastfeeding.
Learning Objective #2: The observer will be able to discuss the results of pretest/post-test scores administered to the maternal child nursing staff preceding and following the didatic component.

Abstract Background: There are times when mothers who have expressed a desire to breastfeed are separated from their neonates soon after delivery. This disconnection can be related to mother's, the neonate, or both parties requiring higher levels of medical and nursing care than is provided on the traditional postpartum nursing unit. Bedside nurses play an instrumental role in initiating breastfeeding or breastpumping when this seperation occurs. Nurses, for various reasons, are not consistent in promoting breastfeeding and /or breastpumping in this maternal-neonate dyad. When nurses do not establish consistent breastfeeeding and/or breastpumping as a priority, they provide an environment that sets up mothers and their neonates to not be successful with breastfeeding. Objective: This study looks at increasing breastfeeding and/or breastpumping frequency and consistency while the client and/or neonate remains hospitalized with the goal of improving the longevity of breastfeeding in this cohort Method: This is a non-experimental retrospective study. A pre-test, post-test is utilized to assess nursing knowledge. Nursing staff will be provided with a didactic component that is twofold, a self-learning packet and an inservice which will be provided electronically. A change in how the bedside nurse documents breastfeeding/breastpumping frequency and assessment of observed breastfeeding utilizing the LATCH assessment tool will be incorporated. Setting and Sample: This study takes place in a tertiary care center that has over 7,000 births annually and has a Level III Labor, Delivery, and Recovery (LDR) and a Level III Special Care Nursery (SCN). Charts will be reviewed at 4 week intervals for a 6 month period. Dissemination: Information derived from this study will be presented in a Poster Presentation at the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society's 38th Biennial Convention. Results will also be submitted for publication.