The healthcare of newborns and infants is a significant issue in the developing world. The first move by the mother to provide succour for her child is through breastfeeding: the natural, cheapest and best technique for administering nutrition. However mothers are found to either not start breastfeeding immediately after the birth of the child or stop early for lame excuses.
Identification of the problem in her ward where she works among premies and infants has motivated this writer to find ways to a solution. She has studied the situation and discovered the problems involved. Having realised that the mothers need breast feeding support, this writer has referred to several journals and books and gathered sufficient information regarding this. Her aim is to promote breast feeding for the recommended period of time. The proper policies are to be made for the plan.
Round the clock lactation support is to be provided and peer support is to be enabled. Misconceptions of the new mothers are to be removed through reassurances. The writer proposes to conduct a health education programme for the staff in the wards, the other health personnel and the husbands based on the Health Belief Model. This paper highlights the steps of implementation of the proposed plan to motivate others on breastfeeding so that new mothers get the message.
Introduction Breastfeeding is to be initiated within the first hour after birth according to the American Academy of Paediatrics and the Association for the Women’s Health, Obstetrics and Neonatal Nurses (Morin, 2009). The key role supportive of the women in labour and just after are provided by intra-partum nurses.
Breast feeding is considered to be “the gold standard for infant nutrition” (Fitzpatrick et al, 2006). Breastfed infants are also less prone to illnesses than the infants who are fed formulas. A supportive environment that encourages breastfeeding is essential to the new mothers’ behaviours.
The intra-partum nurse has the best opportunity to provide the supportive environment. The Health Belief model appears most suited to change a person’ ideas and behaviours (Pender et al, 2002).This writer has adopted this model in order to implement her plan for the provision of a supportive environment for the lactating mothers. A health education programme is being chalked out for the benefit of the lactating mothers in her hospital.
Conclusion When the writer has implemented her plan for the creation of a supportive environment, the new lactating mothers in her hospital would have received the message and taken action on it. The cooperation of the health personnel in the hospital for the supportive environment would have been initiated.
The hospital administrators would have understood that lactation consultants are essential for providing support all round the clock. The husbands and family members would have increased their support to the new mothers in their midst. The writer can consider herself successful if all these happen after the health education program.