Breastfeeding 
Solutions for Increasing Wisconsin's Low Breastfeeding Rates
Southeast Wisconsin has lower breastfeeding rates than many other parts of the country. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants be breastfed for at least six months, many women elect not to breastfeed their infants. Currently, a national health objective, called Healthy People 2010, calls for finding ways to drastically increase these percentages.
Research by Ross Laboratories indicates that about 60 percent of Southeast Wisconsin women breastfeed at the time of hospital discharge and only 21 percent of mothers nurse until at least 6 months, says Teresa Johnson, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor, UWM College of Nursing. An estimated 95 percent are medically able to breastfeed, she adds.
Johnson is an expert in maternal-child issues. She has spent several years researching a variety of issues surrounding breastfeeding. Her current research - on southeast Wisconsin mothers ages 16 to 37 years old - examines the impact of home visits on the duration of breastfeeding.
"Several factors contribute to a mother's decision not to begin breastfeeding or to end prematurely," she says. "It's not a simple problem with a simple solution."
Johnson's research suggests that a holistic solution will require the following components.
- Increasing hospital-based support. "New mothers need more information about normal infant behavior, such as crying and feeding frequency, and should be able to get answers from any nurse who provides care for mothers and infants," Johnson says. "Nursing shortages mean fewer nurses have time to answer mom's questions."
- Increasing workplace support in southeast Wisconsin. Research has demonstrated that companies that provide lactation support programs - time to breastfeed and pump - reap economic benefits. Employees' babies have fewer illnesses, and mom and dad miss less work. Yet few local companies support breastfeeding. "Companies are not aware of the economic benefits, in terms of loyal employees and less work missed by parents," Johnson says.
- Providing cultural support. When relatives or friends support a mother's decision to breastfeed, mothers are far less likely to quit prematurely.
- Minimizing medical interventions that may reduce the duration of breastfeeding. Two common medical interventions may interfere with breastfeeding: induced labor and labor epidural anesthesia. "Both procedures are often not medically necessary," Johnson notes. "Epidural medications may interfere with infants' behavioral organization and their ability to breastfeed. Excess IV fluids can slow the milk from coming in."
- Reducing stumbling blocks at home. Home visits with breastfeeding mothers can address specific stumbling blocks to success including lack of support and not having timely access to resources to navigate problems as they occur. "New moms can get overtired, forget what they learned in the hospital, and discover they simply don't know what to do," Johnson says.
- Addressing body comfort. A mother's discomfort with her own body often is a primary personal reason for not breastfeeding. "Much of society views the breast as a sex organ, not an infant feeding organ," Johnson says. Helping new mothers to explore this issue may increase their commitment to breastfeeding.
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