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 Aided by a grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and a partnership with the Indiana Perinatal Network,
Walgreens offered weekly drop-in services at two pharmacies in
Indianapolis. Both pharmacies were accessible by public
transportation, and offered women a place to weigh babies and meet
with certified lactation consultants.
"Anything that improves convenience and de-medicalizes breastfeeding
for nursing mothers can only be helpful," said Michael Kramer, a
pediatrics researcher at McGill University in Montreal.
The challenge with government-funded pilot projects is continuing
them once the money runs out, Kramer, who wasn't involved in the
study, said by email.
The World Health Organization recommends that women exclusively
breast feed babies for the first six months of life. The practice is
linked to numerous benefits for babies, including strengthening the
immune system and improving cognitive function.
Although about 80 percent of U.S. mothers tried breastfeeding in
2011, fewer than 20 percent met the goal of giving babies only
breast milk for the first six months of life, the researchers note
in the Journal of Human Lactation. Fewer women started breastfeeding
in Indiana, but about the same proportion managed to do so
exclusively for six months.
Many factors lead women to stop breastfeeding, including lack of
access to places at work to express milk, embarrassment, lack of
family or social support, and lack of knowledge about where to go
for help when problems arise.
Walgreens started its breastfeeding support service in 2012 at one
pharmacy, and added a second site in 2013.
Walgreens had up to 10 women come to weekly breastfeeding clinics at
its two locations in Indianapolis where the service was offered for
two hours each week. In addition, Walgreens trained two pharmacists
to be certified lactation consultants so they could better respond
to questions women might have at other times.
The pharmacies also offered prenatal breastfeeding workshops in
2013, but discontinued these because only one or two women attended
each session.
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Increased awareness of breastfeeding did lead to more breast pump
rentals, however. Rentals increased from eight in 2012 to 53 the
following year.
The study authors declined to comment on the pilot project,
referring questions to Walgreens. Markeisha Marshall, a company
spokeswoman, said that the Indianapolis effort had succeeded in
offering mothers and families convenient access to information about
breastfeeding, but that Walgreens has no plans to expand the
program.
One challenge to offering breastfeeding support is getting insurance
coverage for these services, the study authors note. The Affordable
Care Act requires coverage for some lactation services, but paying
for this inside a pharmacy isn't typical.
Rite Aid and CVS spokespeople said those drugstore chains don't
offer breastfeeding support programs like the one created by
Walgreens.
Where breastfeeding clinics are available, women can benefit just
from being in a group of other new mothers who are also trying to
breastfeed their babies, said Maiysha Campbell, a certified doula
and lactation consultant in Brooklyn, New York who wasn't involved
in the study.
"Walgreens offering moms a place where they might find peer support
can definitely benefit women in the community who are trying to
breastfeed," Campbell said. "It's always good to put more out there
for breastfeeding moms and families to offer support, even if it's
not perfect it can help increase awareness that help is available."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1byZRho Journal of Human Lactation, online
March 31, 2015.
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