Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Increasing Ob/Gyn Clinic Nursing Staff Knowledge And Comfort Level In Providing Breastfeeding Education, Nancy Moore

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

There are well known benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child, yet the educational support from providers during prenatal visits is not consistent or well-documented. An educational presentation discussing guidelines of breastfeeding education, common breastfeeding problems and barriers to breastfeeding was developed and presented to a “Baby Friendly” hospital-based OB/GYN clinic staff at an urban St. Louis hospital. The goal was to increase staff knowledge and comfort providing education and resources surrounding breastfeeding to be used to increase discussion of breastfeeding during prenatal and postpartum visits. Evaluation of pre and posttest data showed an increase in knowledge regarding managing …

Recommendations For Sugammadex Administration In Standard And Special Populations, Kristen E. Mattson, Alexa Brummund

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The purpose of this project was to collect evidence-based information regarding sugammadex administration in both standard and selected special populations. Special populations included renal failure, breastfeeding, pregnancy, and pediatrics. The objectives of the project were to collect and present current research to the host facility, define barriers to the use of sugammadex, and assess the participants’ knowledge of sugammadex use in special populations. A guideline for sugammdex administration was created and presented to the host facility through a poster presentation and quick reference guide. A voluntary post-implementation survey was implemented, and the results were recorded, analyzed, and displayed in the …

Breastfeeding Support In Your Pocket: Evaluating The Impact Of A Mobile App On Maternal Success, Maygan Brandt

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background: Breastfeeding has well-known benefits for both the nursing infant and the birthing parent. It bolsters the newborn immune system, and reduces the risk of future health conditions in both parties. Due to these advantages, several health organizations internationally recommend exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age. However, only a fraction of infants in the United States meet this goal each year. Improved rates and duration of exclusive breastfeeding will lead to better long-term health outcomes for patients. The use of smartphone applications for breastfeeding education and support has not been thoroughly researched. Objective: This thesis explores the feasibility of …

Feasibility And Measurement Of Bedside Pumping In The Nicu: A Mixed Methods Study, Jessica Gomez

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Abstract

Background: Supporting preterm infants with mother’s own milk (MOM) can improve health outcomes and decrease mortality.¹ Freshly pumped MOM, within four hours of expression, has the highest availability of bioactive components versus stored MOM. However, fresh milk is often not readily available due to the disconnected process of breastfeeding that occurs with preterm infants in the NICU. One convenient solution to improve access to fresh MOM is for the mother to pump at the infant's bedside. This intervention could improve the mother's pumping experience and provide the infant access to fresh MOM.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate …

The Impact Of Doulas On Breastfeeding In Black Women: A Literature Review, Delaney C. Holland

Capstone Experience

This literature review was conducted to explore the impacts doulas have on breastfeeding initiation and continuation in the Black population. Black women’s breastfeeding and continuation is exceptionally low compared to white women and other races and ethnicities. Six journal articles were used to examine the relationships that doulas have on breastfeeding initiation and continuation in black communities. There was an array of study designs found throughout the articles to help support the doula and breastfeeding relationship in Black women. The results of this literature review were preliminarily positive, but more evidence is required to firmly establish the positive impact of …

A Public Health Educational Campaign For Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (Suid) Intervention, Elia G. Peralta Landeros

Master's Projects and Capstones

Purpose: The rate of infant mortality serves as a crucial indicator of the overall health of society (CDC, 2022). The five leading causes of infant mortality are birth defects, preterm birth, sudden infant death syndrome, injuries, and maternal pregnancy complications. The prevalence of infant mortality varies across states, with eastern states and minority-ethnicity infants having higher prevalence. This thesis proposes utilizing the Safe to Sleep framework to introduce Giving Breath, a public health education campaign that introduced breastfeeding as an intervention to Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID).

Methods:

1. Analyze current and new policies' impact on women's rights to breastfeed …

Standardization Of Perioperative Management Of The Breastfeeding Women, Amrutha Panakkal

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Mother's milk is the optimal nutrition for the term and preterm neonates. The psychological and physiological stressors in the perioperative setting can impede a lactating mother's ability to breastfeed in the postoperative setting successfully. A best-practice guideline incorporating a stoplight color-coding chart and categories such as "safe," "caution," and "consider avoidance" was used to group medications according to their safety for anesthesia providers in a large urban academic medical center in Pennsylvania. The evidence-based guideline also provided links to the hospital policy, LactMed, and Hale database to streamline resources and aid in the rapid decision-making of anesthesia providers in identifying …

Improving Breastfeeding Rates Through Education, Julianna Youssef

Doctoral Projects

Background: Breastfeeding is beneficial for newborn babies, but there are many challenges that new mothers face that prevent them from exclusively breastfeeding.
Objective: To evaluate if re-educational training in RN’s and LVN’s is an effective way to increase the exclusive breastfeeding rates in the hospital setting.
Methods: We utilized a pretest/post-test quasi-experimental design and had the goal sample size was about 50 nurses. The nurses were given an educational PowerPoint at a monthly staff meeting. Pretests were given to the staff immediately before and posttests two weeks later. Additionally, exclusive breastfeeding rates were monitored for the three months before the …

Improving Breastfeeding Rates In A Rural And Medically Underserved Community, Kaylie D. Waters

Culminating Experience Projects

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports national breastfeeding rates that are inconsistent with the recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life (CDC, 2020). The rate of infants receiving any breastmilk by six months of age in a rural Midwest County is only 16% in contrast to 55% nationally (CDC, 2020; XXXXX, 2021). This discrepancy was addressed by evaluating breastfeeding status in that Midwest community followed by strategies to improve breastfeeding rates.

Methods: A multi-intervention quality improvement project was implemented using the SEIPS framework. The project evaluated the effectiveness of documenting breastfeeding status in …

Tiny Tusk Internship: Barriers To Effective Breastfeeding Within Low Socioeconomic Populations, Catherine Johnson

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Tiny Tusk Breastfeeding and Infant Support is a program created to facilitate safe and quiet places for mothers to breastfeed at various events at the University of Arkansas. It serves as a platform to spread important and essential information about breastfeeding to mothers and reach various women all from different backgrounds and populations. The purpose of this review of literature is to identify barriers that women within low socioeconomic populations face that influence their decision to breastfeed. These barriers included lack of social support from family, friends, and healthcare providers; latch difficulty; and concerns of milk supply. Altogether, low-income women …

Breastfeeding After Maternal Anesthesia: A Guideline Development, Megan Berens

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Postoperative breastfeeding recommendations for lactating mothers by anesthesia providers are inconsistent and often inaccurate. Inappropriate recommendations have led to withholding of breastmilk to the infant, unnecessary disposal of breastmilk, surgical delay, exposure of an infant to high levels of drugs in breastmilk, and early cessation of breastfeeding. The purpose of the scholarly project was to develop a set of evidenced-based practice guideline recommendations and a proposed implementation plan for anesthesia providers to use in support of breastfeeding mothers who recover from surgery. Many studies in the literature indicate that there are inconsistencies in postoperative breastfeeding recommendations by anesthesia providers. When …

Increasing Exclusive Breastfeeding: Baby-Friendly Initiatives, Courtney Ragsdell

Honors Theses

This research investigates the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and Baby-Friendly Community Initiative on increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates; it also suggests a plan for implementing the Baby-Friendly Community Initiative protocols within a small community.

Effectiveness Of Follow Up Phone Calls On Postpartum Women After Discharge: A Program Evaluation, Camille Williams

Dissertations

After an expectant mother gives birth, they are closely monitored for 48 to 72 hours after delivery and then discharged from the hospital. They are then typically seen by their physician for a postpartum follow up appointment within six to eight weeks for their postpartum follow up visit. Although complications during this postpartum period can still arise, postpartum women are rarely assessed during this time. Follow-up phone calls have been known to improve patient outcomes and communication between patients and providers once patients are discharged from the hospital. In January of 2020, the Mother/Baby Unit at a midwestern metropolitan hospital …

The Lived Experiences Of Icu, Med-Surg, And Er Nurses In The United States Attempting To Breastfeed During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amy Seay

Dissertations

Breastfeeding is important to promote the health of both mothers and babies (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2021). Many mothers experience workplace barriers and stress which negatively impact breastfeeding duration (McCardel & Padilla, 2020; Nagel et al., 2022). However, a gap in the literature exists surrounding specific barriers and the impact of stress on U.S. nurses who breastfeed. Specifically, workplace challenges and stress among nurses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic lack exploration.

This interpretive phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of ICU, Med-Surg, and ER nurses who attempted to breastfeed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Roy’s adaptation model was …

A National Assessment Of Household, Community, And Environmental Situations On Breastfeeding Decisions, Marnita Siglar Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Exclusively breastfeeding has been proven to be an effective preventive measure for childhood obesity; however, breastfeeding practices decline after 6 months. Secondary data from the 2018-2019 combined National Survey of Children's Health were used for this study to determine the household, community, and physical environment relationship between individuals' decisions to breastfeed and sustainment in the United States (N=16,750). Grounded by the theoretical framework of the socio-ecological model, the results suggested that household, community, and physical environments predict individuals' decisions to initiate breastfeeding and sustainment nationally (p < 0.001). Binary logistic regression, controlling for maternal age, indicated a statistical significance between breastfeeding initiation and income (p = 0.043, p = 0.041), family structure (p = 0.003, p < 0.001), education (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001), neighborhood support (p < 0.001), and neighborhood amenities (p = 0.039, p <0.001, p < 0.001). A statistical significance between breastfeeding duration and family structure (p = 0.061), education (p < 0.001, p < 0.001), maternal overall health (p <0.001), neighborhood support (p = 0.008), neighborhood safety (p = 0.006), and neighborhood amenities (p = 0.019) was found when controlling for maternal age. Implications for positive social change include providing health professionals with knowledge on breastfeeding decision making to encourage new recommendations and implement new practices and policies to promote breastfeeding and ultimately reduce the incidence of overweight and obesity in children nationwide.

Nursing Knowledge And Breastfeeding Education, Mary Aguirre

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Healthy People 2020 breastfeeding goal immediately after birth of 81.9% was surpassed in 2016, with approximately 83.8% of babies breastfed shortly after delivery. However, by seven days post birth, this number decreased to 82.9%, reduced even more for infants who were exclusively breastfed to 64.7%. Local research has shown that breastfeeding decreases at one week after discharge, which may be due, in part, to the lack of nurses' knowledge related to breastfeeding. This lack of knowledge related to breastfeeding by the nurses, in turn, may negatively impact the support staff …

Staff Education To Promote Probiotic Breastfeeding Therapy, José Diaz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Preterm birth is the leading cause of death in children under 5. In addition, there are 22 million babies born underweight each year which also contributes to the infant mortality rate. Some reasons for the inability to thrive and survive are the infants' immature system, allostatic load inadaptability, and undiversified and underdeveloped microbiota. Human breast milk (HBM) provides lifesaving nutrients, which prevents necrotizing enterocolitis and mortality. In addition, probiotic supplementation helps reduce late-onset sepsis, morbidities, and mortality. A literature review provided substantial evidence that HBM and probiotics can improve an infant's microbiota, thus improving thrivability and survivability. Probiotics offset the …

Staff Education To Promote Probiotic Breastfeeding Therapy, José Diaz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Preterm birth is the leading cause of death in children under 5. In addition, there are 22 million babies born underweight each year which also contributes to the infant mortality rate. Some reasons for the inability to thrive and survive are the infants' immature system, allostatic load inadaptability, and undiversified and underdeveloped microbiota. Human breast milk (HBM) provides lifesaving nutrients, which prevents necrotizing enterocolitis and mortality. In addition, probiotic supplementation helps reduce late-onset sepsis, morbidities, and mortality. A literature review provided substantial evidence that HBM and probiotics can improve an infant's microbiota, thus improving thrivability and survivability. Probiotics offset the …

Detecting Postpartum Depression In Women: Effects Of Breastfeeding, Weight Gain, And Abuse, Ifitumi Audu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Postpartum depression is a significant health issue that has affected over 10% of womenworldwide. However, it has not received the attention it deserves, and many women continue to suffer in silence. Certain risk factors are indicative of postpartum depression. Some include a history of depression and a lack of a support system. Others include weight gain, breastfeeding, and physical/emotional abuse. However, research on these is limited. Thus, this research aimed to investigate the effect of breastfeeding, weight gain, and abuse on postpartum depression in women between 18 and 40+. This cross-sectional study used secondary data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment …

The Impact Of Student-Led Lactation Education On Self-Efficacy In Clinical Simulation: An Integrative Literature Review, Kaitlyn Flores Yu

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Simulation is a critical component of nursing education. It provides a safe environment to practice and evaluate skills, supplements clinical hours, and removes barriers to a well-rounded education. Nurses are expected to be educators as part of our scope of practice, and simulation can facilitate this. One topic of nursing importance is lactation education, as breastfeeding has been shown to have multiple benefits for both mother and baby. National rates of exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months do not currently meet CDC recommendations. The pedagogy known as the Protégé Effect suggests that learning can be improved through teaching. Breastfeeding …

Risk-Factor Induced Changes In The Breast Microenvironment Facilitate Inflammatory Breast Cancer Progression And Lymphovascular Invasion, Wintana Balema, Wintana Balema

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rapidly progressing, rare and highly lethal form of breast cancer. IBC is a clinical diagnosis, requiring >1/3 involvement on the affected breast and/or skin by erythema, and disease onset of < 6 months. The clinical symptoms of IBC vary in severity and presentation, these include redness, warmth, skin thickening and bruised or pink/purple discoloration appearance and skin changes such as peau d’orange. These skin symptoms are not attributed to inflammation, rather IBC is characterized by florid lymphovascular tumor emboli clogging dermal lymphatics. This leads to “classic” symptoms of breast swelling and skin edema or discoloration. To date, unique genomic drivers which differentiate IBC from non-IBC invasive breast cancers have not been identified highlighting a role for the microenvironment. Several epidemiological studies have unveiled subtype-specific risk factors associated with IBC that are known to alter the microenvironment. Obesity is an established risk factor for all subtypes of IBC. Never-breastfeeding increases risk for developing the most aggressive, triple-negative IBC. Further, never breastfeeding is associated with later clinical stage and worse outcomes. We worked to model these overlapping risk factors to understand microenvironment changes that may lead to the lymphatic change’s indicative of IBC.

First, we investigated the association of a “classic” triad of clinical IBC signs with overall survival among patients to demonstrate the most overt clinical findings of lymphatic involvement were impacting prognosis. We evaluated a triad of IBC signs, including swollen involved breast, nipple change, and diffuse skin change, using breast medical photographs from patients enrolled on a prospective IBC registry. We reported that the …

Tiny Tusks Internship: The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status And Breastfeeding Barriers, Blair Finlinson

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Tiny Tusks is a breastfeeding and infant support program developed by the nursing program at University of Arkansas. From 2021-2022, I have had the opportunity to complete my honors internship with this organization. Tiny Tusks was started with the goal of creating safe spaces for mothers to breastfeed and/or pump during school sporting events, along with providing up to date information on breastfeeding and infant safety practices. Tiny Tusks also provides changing tables, spaces for young children to decompress in a low-stimulation environment.

Association Between Breastfeeding, Oxytocin, And Risk Of Postpartum Hemorrhage, Jordan Davis, Sophia Nelson

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Rates of maternal morbidity and mortality are far too high in the United States compared to other developed countries. Additionally, breastfeeding is often poorly prioritized, leading to a negative community connotation and low rates of exclusive breastfeeding. The purpose of this study was to compile the available research on breastfeeding initiation and its association with risk for postpartum hemorrhage. Fifteen peer-reviewed articles were collected from databases and other scholarly articles and screened for correlation between breastfeeding and maternal health risk. Overall, many articles suggest that skin-to-skin contact and early initiation of breastfeeding may be the most effective way to reduce …

Tiny Tusks Breastfeeding And Infant Support: Breastfeeding's Effects On Maternal Mental Health, Anna Jacobs

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Breastfeeding has proven to be beneficial for infant health and maternal physical health, but there are variable outcomes for maternal mental health. This literature review explores the relationship between breastfeeding and maternal mental health, a topic that is often disregarded when discussing breastfeeding with mothers. After an internship with Tiny Tusks Breastfeeding and Infant Support, a program to make breastfeeding more accessible at Razorback Athletics events, maternal mental health related to breastfeeding was shown to be a topic in need of more current research. This objective of this literature review was to determine how breastfeeding can impact maternal mental health …

Prenatal Education For Black Mothers And Their Support Persons As An Intervention For Improving Initiation Of Breastfeeding, Sandra King

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: The benefits of breastfeeding are commonly known; however, the rates of exclusive breastfeeding among the Black community are less than those of other ethnic groups. Providing breastmilk or formula to an infant is an individual decision. Influential factors such as cultural background, employment status, socioeconomic status, level of education, and availability of support from family members and health care providers correlate with the method a mother chooses to feed her infant. Increasing breastfeeding initiation immediately after birth is a necessary precedent for uptake in the exclusivity of breastfeeding.

Purpose: This Doctor of Nursing Practice project aims to improve prenatal …

Lactating Justice: Constructing A Society Economically Focused On Optimizing Health Through Human Lactation, Shadley Hobour

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This paper uses a qualitative research method to answer if a Universal Base Income would be a good economic policy to adopt to optimize Black chestfeeding. The key idea this thesis aims to clarify is how anti Blackness is killing Black people and how one economic policy could improve health. In this essay, I will break down the significance and importance of human lactation for lifelong better health, and investment in a UBI would especially work as a preventative measure for several health issues Black people experiences.

Assessing Best Practices, Perceptions, And Barriers To Breastfeeding In The Appalachian Region, Melissa White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Breastfeeding protects against a variety of adverse health outcomes for mothers and babies. Global best practices, known as the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), have been developed to support the initiation and exclusivity of breastfeeding during the post-delivery hospital stay. The aims of this study were to explore the literature related to the impact of the BFHI on breastfeeding disparities in the U.S.; compare the impact of exposure to these best practices on exclusive breastfeeding rates in Appalachian and non-Appalachian hospitals; and to understand knowledge, perceptions, and barriers to breastfeeding of postpartum mothers receiving care in a Northeast Tennessee OB/GYN …

Tiny Tusks Internship: Barriers To Breastfeeding Surrounding Neonatal Intensive Care Units, Quinn Owen, Brianna Purser

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Breastfeeding has proven itself beneficial to both baby and mother for many reasons. However, many mothers do not breastfeed their infants. In fact, only 1 in 4 mothers breastfeed for the first 6 months of life. Experiences in the clinical setting and knowledge gained as interns for Tiny Tusks, a breastfeeding and infant support group for sporting events at the University of Arkansas, sparked the desire to understand the staggering statistic.This literature review seeks to understand barriers to breastfeeding, specifically, barriers to breastfeeding as it pertains to neonatal intensive care units (NICU).

Tiny Tusks Internship: Barriers To Breastfeeding Surrounding Neonatal Intensive Care Units, Brianna Purser, Quinn Owen

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

It is known that breastfeeding is beneficial to mothers and their children, and it is recommended that mothers exclusively breastfeed for the first six months of their infant's life. Despite this, in the United States only 1 in 4 infants is exclusively breastfed for the first six months. After being an intern for Tiny Tusks Breastfeeding and Infant Support, a program designed to facilitate and educate about breastfeeding, we have seen firsthand the barriers to breastfeeding. The goal of this literature review was to investigate barriers to breastfeeding specifically surrounding neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and how to address those …

The Fecal Fermentation Profile Of Infants With Different Feeding Modalities, Willow Lewis, Michelle E. Johnson, William A. Clark, Amy Wahlquist

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Introduction/Background

Research indicates nutrition and environment in the first year of a child's life are crucial in their development and growth and can contribute to lower chances of developing obesity and other health concerns. Key factors that can determine these outcomes include the bacteria and resulting short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) present in the gut. This composition may be affected by feeding modality (formula feeding vs breastfeeding), exposure to the mother’s microbiota, weight status of the child, and type of delivery. This research aims to identify the impact of infant feeding modality on toddlers' fecal fermentation profile, and if there …