The Florida breastfeeding promotion project: a coalition effort to improve hospital practices and policies

The Florida Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies-Coalition initiated a breastfeeding promotion project. The Coalition focused on hospital policies because of their impact on breastfeeding success and because of the potential for working with other state efforts directed at pregnant women or new mothers. The Florida Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition developed a three-part program. It consists of model hospital policies concerning breastfeeding, a lecture series which educates hospital nursing staff on the implementation of these model policies and a workshop through which trainers are prepared to present the educational program. Nurses' Association of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (NAACOG), Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and Florida Lactation Consultant Association (FLCA) all contributed to this project.