 |
| LaKasha White, DNP and Jan Tedder, BSN, FNP, IBCLC with HUG Your Baby |
Congratulations to LaKasher White who just completed the Doctors of Nursing Practice at UNC Chapel Hill. She worked to bring HUG Your Baby to peer counselors and Latina mothers in a North Carolina Public Health Department. LaKasha shared this important work at a poster presentation right before graduation. Though we expect the entirety of her work to soon be published in a peer-reviewed journal, below is a brief description of her efforts.
Although breastfeeding initiation has improved
in the United States, disparities continue among minority populations such as
Latina women (CDC, 2016). Misperceptions of normal infant behaviors may
decrease exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life. Though Latina
women are more likely than other minority populations to start breastfeeding, “Los
Dos,” the use of both breast and formula feeding, is a common practice.
Research confirms that Latinas worry about
insufficient breastmilk and practice “Los Dos” in response to infant crying, nipple
trauma, and concerns about infant weight. The purposes of Ms. White’s DNP Quality
Improvement project were: 1) to improve exclusive breastfeeding rates among
Latina women using strategies and resources from HUG your Baby’s evidence-based
program, “The Roadmap to Breastfeeding Success”; 2) to evaluate the impact of WIC
peer counselors’ use of this HUG Your Baby program in prenatal teaching.
Three WIC peer counselors from a public health
setting completed the two-hour online course, “The Roadmap to BreastfeedingSuccess,” and participated in a two-hour follow-up workshop. They then used these HUG resources and strategies
with Latina women during the prenatal and postpartum period. All peer
counselors were female, from diverse cultures (Black, White, Hispanic), and had
work experience in this capacity ranging from two months to eleven years.
After eight months, the peer counselors demonstrated
increased knowledge and skills to teach parents, described “The Roadmap” as a helpful
tool, and noted improved exclusive breastfeeding duration. (Research details are pending publication.)