Safety in Maternity Care

At a glance

Breastfeeding and infant safety in hospitals are part of the continuum of care for breastfeeding mothers. These resources provide current guidance for public health professionals, hospital administrators, medical providers, maternity staff, and others providing care to mothers and newborns.

Mother breastfeeding an infant in the background with a healthcare professional in foreground.

Practices that support breastfeeding

CDC supports improving maternity care practices and policies that support breastfeeding. These include safely implementing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative in U.S. facilities where babies are born.

The Ten Steps include evidence-based practices such as skin-to-skin care and rooming-in. These steps help mothers initiate breastfeeding within the first hour of life. They also support mothers who choose to breastfeed continue breastfeeding while in the hospital and beyond the hospital stay.

CDC's Ten Steps Assessment Tool

Use the mPINC Ten Steps Assessment Tool to see how well your hospital is implementing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. The tool can help guide practices and policies supporting breastfeeding and identify and prioritize improvement efforts.

Skin-to-skin care

Skin-to-skin care is placing the newborn directly on the chest of the mother or other caregiver to maximize surface-to-surface contact. This practice helps initiate breastfeeding, stabilize glucose levels, and maintain infant body temperature. Skin-to-skin care is encouraged immediately after delivery for medically stable mothers and newborns.

An American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) clinical report outlines safe skin-to-skin care immediately following delivery. These suggested procedures include proper positioning of the newborn and maximizing skin-to-skin contact.

Rooming-in

Rooming-in means allowing the mother and infant to remain together 24 hours per day during the birth hospitalization. Rooming-in has multiple benefits in addition to facilitating breastfeeding. For safe sleep during birth hospitalization, the AAP recommends:

  • Giving mothers and infants close but separate sleep surfaces with a firm and flat (not at an angle or inclined) mattress or pad.
  • Keeping soft bedding such as blankets, pillows, bumper pads, and soft toys out of the baby's sleep area.
  • Placing infants on their backs to sleep.

Additional resources:

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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)