Essay Example on Maternal Care & Infant Development: Public Health Goals

Excellent maternal care and infant development are some of the essential objectives of public health in the United States. The well-being of mothers and their children is a significant determinant of good health for the next generations (Holloway, 2017). According to medical research, the cognitive and physical developments of children and infants is significantly influenced by nutrition and the behaviors of mothers during pregnancy and early childhood. According to the World Health Organization, mothers are recommended to breastfeed their children exclusively for up to six months, and then continue breastfeeding them together will solid food afterward up to two years (Zielinska et al., 2017). The Center for Disease Control compiles data regarding breastfeeding patterns in the United States to track the country's progress in achieving its Healthy People 2020 goals and objectives. For instance, according to CDC's data, in 2015, about 83% of infants in the United States began to breastfeed after birth (Feldman-Winter et al., 2020). Out of those, 57.6% were still breastfeeding at six months, and approximately 39% at one year (Holloway, 2017). The rates indicate that mothers want to continue breastfeeding to the desired term, but they do not get the support they need from healthcare providers, employers, and families (Holloway, 2017). Statistics also show that many infants in various states in the U.S receive formula supplementation in the first two days of their lives (Bar et al., 2016). All sectors like the government, healthcare providers, families, friends, and employers, among others, can play a significant role in reaching the Healthy People 2020 goals by supporting breastfeeding and thus increasing the number of infants who are breastfed.

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First, it is crucial to understand the benefits of breastfeeding and why infants should be breastfed exclusively. Breastfeeding an infant for the first few days gives them anti-infective factors like antibodies, and their digestion system works effectively (Feldman-Winter et al., 2020). Moreover, the process assists the mother's body to heal from birth. Breastfeeding a baby between four and six weeks makes a baby more likely to be healthy through their infant life (Holloway, 2017). Research indicates that babies who are not breastfed at the early stages of their lives have a higher risk of SIDS. Breastfeeding up to three to four months ensures the significant maturity of the infant's digestive system, and if the baby is given formula, they can tolerate the foreign substances in it. Breastfeeding exclusively up to six months ensures that the baby is of good health in its first year of life and reduces risks of infections (Bar et al., 2016). Breastfeeding up to the ninth month contributes significantly to physical and brain development. Breastfeeding for a year makes a baby comfortably handle any type of food, thus saving the costs of formula and other expenses. Moreover, children are less likely to need orthodontic treatment, and the risk of childhood cancers is reduced.

Several studies indicate that breastfeeding significantly reduced the risk of obesity in young children. Those who are breastfed are less likely to be overweight when compared to those who are not (Bar et al., 2016). According to medical research, breastmilk taken directly from the breast helps in the creation of microbiome (Holloway, 2017). Babies who breastfeed have a bacterium in their digestive tract that assists in preventing obesity.

Healthcare centers can play a critical role in increasing the number of infants who are breastfed in the United States. According to statistics, most babies are breastfed upon birth, but within the first week, many of them are already introduced to formula. By the ninth month, only 31% of infants in the United States are usually breastfeeding at all (Ndashe et al., 2017). Hospitals can either help or hinder mothers from breastfeeding in various ways. First, every hospital in the State of Georgia should have the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, which contains ten essential steps that healthcare providers should follow to increase the number of breastfeeding infants as well as offering the necessary support to lactating mothers (Hays, 2017). Unfortunately, most of the healthcare centers in the United States barely support breastfeeding, and they do not pay enough attention to new mothers to ensure that they start and continue breastfeeding up to the required time. The first way in which hospitals in the State of Georgia contribute to the low numbers of breastfeeding is when they separate the newborns from their mothers, and routinely give formula to the infants (Ndashe et al., 2017). Such decisions and actions make it challenging for mothers to continue breastfeeding. However, when hospitals insist on the need to breastfeed exclusively, it becomes easier for mothers to follow the instructions they are given without being defiant (Bar et al., 2016). There are many Baby-Friendly hospitals in the United States that are part of the World Health Organization and UNICEF. The initiative is also fully endorsed and supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The Baby-Friendly hospitals have a ten-step procedure to successful breastfeeding that is critical in raising and maintaining high numbers of breastfeeding mothers. The first step states that healthcare centers should have a written breastfeeding policy that is constantly communicated to the staff so that they are routinely aware of the rules and regulations (Ndashe et al., 2017). Secondly, all healthcare workers should be trained on the policy and other demands so that they are aware of the actions to take when dealing with breastfeeding mothers (Hays, 2017). Thirdly, all pregnant women that visit a healthcare center must be informed of the need and benefits of breastfeeding. Fourthly, healthcare providers should assist mothers in breastfeeding in the first hour of giving birth (Bar et al., 2016). Fifthly, lactating mothers should be taught on the correct strategies of breastfeeding and how to maintain it even when they are separated from their infants. The sixth step is that healthcare providers and other staff are prohibited from giving supplements to infants unless it is necessary and medically required (Hays, 2017). The seventh step is to allow looming in whereby mothers and their newborns should be allowed to be together for at least twenty-four hours. The eighth step is encouraging breastfeeding on demand, and the ninth is not to give pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants (Ndashe et al., 2017). The final step is to promote the formation of breastfeeding support groups and urge mothers to join them as soon as they are discharged from the hospital. The above ten initiatives are evidence-based maternal practices, and they play a critical role in increasing breastfeeding rates in the United States.

Apart from hospitals in the State of Georgia partnering with Baby-Friendly Hospitals, healthcare facilities can use data from maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care obtained from the Center for Disease and Control (Hays, 2017). Such data can be crucial in ensuring that hospitals prioritize in making changes and developing policies to improve and enhance maternal care practices in the United States. Hospitals can also work with NGO's, nurses, and doctors, among other stakeholders in providing home or clinic-based breastfeeding support for lactating mothers (Ndashe et al., 2017). Finally, hospitals in the State of Georgia should stop distributing formula and other supplements to breastfeeding mothers to ensure that they breastfeed exclusively for the period that is clinically recommended. According to an article about maternal and children nutrition that was published in 2018, the findings of the study indicated that there was a significant relationship between milk production and supplementation (Bar et al., 2016). According to the article, the percentage of infants who were supplemented a few hours after birth were less likely to be breastfed exclusively at six weeks of age (Ndashe et al., 2017). Furthermore, all hospitals in the United States should consider becoming Baby-Friendly.

Various maternal care practices can increase the rates of infants who are breastfed in the State of Georgia. According to the data obtained from maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care, there is high-quality evidence to support practices like skin-to-skin contact between mothers and their infants immediately after birth (Hays, 2017). The skin-to-skin contact practice assists in initiating breastfeeding within one hour of delivery as opposed to when the two parties are separated (Patterson et al., 2019). However, there is no evidence to support that individual maternal practices help in enhancing exclusive breastfeeding. Thus, only a collection of maternity care practices can explain the relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and maternal healthcare practices.

Another maternal healthcare practice that plays a role in the rates of exclusive breastfeeding is the mode of delivery. According to the World Health Organization, there is a significant difference in patient care for mothers who deliver vaginally and caesarian section. A study performed in 2018 collected samples from different hospitals involving mothers who gave birth in both ways (Hays, 2017). According to the findings of the report, for those mothers who gave birth vaginally, all the routine newborn procedures were completed often while the mothers held their babies (Bar et al., 2016). In contrast, routine newborn procedures were often delayed and sometimes rarely completed for the mothers who gave birth using the caesarian section (Patterson et al., 2019). Furthermore, according to reports by the World Health Organization, caesarian section births are usually associated with poor breastfeeding outcomes (Patterson et al., 2019). However, hospitals have the power to prevent mother-infant separation from their mothers after birth since the rates from the study indicated that exclusive breastfeeding numbers are higher when mothers are allowed to hold their newborns as routine procedures are conducted.

Doctors and nurses have significant amounts of power to increase breastfeeding rates in the United States and other countries. First, hospitals can write their policies that are geared towards helping all mothers to breastfeed (Hays, 2017). Secondly, counseling mothers is essential since some women do not have sufficient knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding their infants. Nurses and doctors should counsel mothers during prenatal visits, and during every pediatrics' doctor visit from the child is born until the end of breastfeeding (Patterson et al., 2019). Lactation consultants and other breastfeeding experts can also be included in hospital visits to advise pregnant and lactating women on the need to breastfeed their infants exclusively. Outpatient lactation care should also be coordinated with regular doctor visits at the hospital. Lactation care is critical in assisting mothers in dealing with breastfeeding challenges, thus increasing the number of infants who are breastfed (Ndashe et al., 2017). Lactation services should be available at all times, and consultants should be easily accessible (Patterson et al., 2019). Moreover, the Affordable Care Act and private insurers have a responsibility to cover breastfeeding support while excluding cost-sharing.

Conclusion

The State of Georgia should make it compulsory for hospitals to provide lactation care to women. The care should begin during the first trimester of pregnancy, and the education should continue until after birth (Patters...