The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that breastfeeding is one of the most effective preventive measures a parent can take to protect the health of their infant. This reason helps drive the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity (DNPA) to improve breastfeeding rates throughout the state of Indiana. DNPA supports and works with many organizations and coalitions throughout the state to help support new families and improve breastfeeding environments.
State Breastfeeding Plan
The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) has developed the Indiana State Breastfeeding Plan 2016-2021. This plan highlights the goals and activities IDOH has identified to promote, support, and encourage breastfeeding in the Hoosier state. IDOH wants all families to be supported to reach their infant feeding goals. This plan is a great step to bring the state together in support of breastfeeding.
Indiana breastfeeding resources
- Indiana Black Breastfeeding Coalition
- BreastfeedingUSA
- Indiana Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC)
- La Leche League of Indiana
- Indiana Breastfeeding Coalition
- The Milk Bank
- IDOH Office of Women’s Health
Help with latching/pumping for your baby
- Global Health Media – latching demonstration video
- Latching and positioning – Kellymom, an evidence-based website for help with all things related to infant feeding
- More help with latching – La Leche League
- For pumping mothers – Lactation Consultant Nancy Mohrbacher
Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI)
The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF administer the BFHI program internationally and work with the national authority in each country that confers the Baby-Friendly designation in their nation. More than 20,000 maternity facilities in 150 countries around the world have earned the Baby-Friendly designation.
The BFHI assists hospitals in giving parents the information, confidence, and skills necessary to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies and gives special recognition to hospitals that have done so.
As part of a previous CDC grant, DNPA focused on increasing the number of Indiana hospitals that are designated as Baby-Friendly. Click here for a success story on that program.
- Baby-Friendly Hospitals in Indiana
- Columbus Regional Hospital
- Community Hospital – Anderson
- Elkhart General Hospital
- Franciscan Health Indianapolis
- Goshen Hospital
- Hancock Regional Hospital
- Henry Community Health
- IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital
- IU Health Bloomington Hospital
- IU Health Methodist Hospital
- Logansport Memorial Hospital
- Memorial Hospital of South Bend
- Northwest Health Porter
- Parkview Whitley Hospital
- Pulaski Memorial Hospital
- Reid Health Hospital
- Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center – Mishawaka
- Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center – Plymouth
- Schneck Medical Center
- St. Mary Medical Center
- Union Hospital, Inc.
- The Women’s Hospital
Breastfeeding Statistics
The CDC mPINC Survey
Hospital routines can help or hinder new parents and babies while they’re learning to breastfeed. The CDC’s national survey of Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) is administered every two years to monitor and examine changes in practices over time at all hospitals and birth centers with registered maternity beds in the United States and Territories. Check out Indiana’s latest mPINC score and how it compares to the rest of the country here.
National Support
The 2011 Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding outlines steps that can be taken to remove some of the obstacles faced by parents who want to breastfeed their babies. The Call-to-Action calls for a society-wide approach to support breastfeeding. A 2009 American Academy of Pediatrics cost analysis found that if 90% of families breastfed exclusively for 6 months, the United States would save $13 billion and prevent nearly 1,000 infant deaths per year.
Support in the Workplace
Almost 8o% of Indiana parents start off breastfeeding, but the barriers of returning to work cause many people to stop before they have reached their infant feeding goals. It is important that parents who return to work or school be supported while balancing work and family responsibilities. Your right to express milk at work is protected by federal law that requires employers to provide two basic types of accommodations for employees: time and space for breastfeeding or pumping milk. Information about lactation laws can be found on the United States Breastfeeding Committee website. The Office on Women’s Health provides information to help parents successfully combine work and lactation. For more local resources, please visit IDOH Office of Women’s Health. The Business Case for Breastfeeding by the Office on Women’s Health is a comprehensive program designed to educate employers about the value of supporting breastfeeding employees in the workplace.
Potential Postnatal Donation Information
In Indiana, the Postnatal Donation Initiative established that the Indiana Department of Health would take the lead in promoting awareness concerning a pregnant woman’s option to donate postnatal fluid, including umbilical cord blood, as well as postnatal tissue, including the placenta and tissue extracted from the umbilical cord.
- Which hospitals in Indiana collect donated postnatal tissue, including cord blood?
- Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital - Muncie, IN
- Community Hospital - Munster, IN
- Dupont Hospital - Fort Wayne, IN
- Franciscan St. Francis Health - Indianapolis, IN
- Franciscan St. Francis Health - Mooresville, IN
- Indiana University Health Arnett Hospital - Lafayette, IN
- Porter Regional Hospital - Valparaiso, IN
- Riverview Health - Noblesville, IN
- Franciscan St. Anthony Health - Crown Point, IN
- Franciscan St. Anthony Health - Michigan City, IN
- St. Catherine Hospital - East Chicago, IN
- Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health East - Lafayette, IN
- Franciscan St. James Hospital - Chicago Heights, IL
- St. Joseph Regional Medical Center - Mishawaka, IN
- St. Joseph Regional Medical Center - Plymouth, IN
- St. Mary Medical Center - Hobart, IN
- Franciscan St. Margaret Health - Dyer, IN
- Franciscan St. Margaret Health - Hammond, IN
- Community Hospital Anderson - Anderson, IN
- Community Hospital East - Indianapolis, IN
- Good Samaritan Hospital - Vincennes, IN
Agency
Lifeline Stem Cell
- (Phone) 1-260-749-9105
- (Fax) 1-260-493-0005
- www.lifelinestemcell.org
- For questions or information, email: information@lifelinestemcell.org
- What is umbilical cord blood?
Umbilical cord blood or cord blood is the blood that stays in the umbilical cord and placenta after the birth of your baby. This blood contains special cells called stem cells that can help treat diseases in children and adults. The stem cells in cord blood are very simple and undeveloped, and can be transplanted in persons to treat a number of life-threatening diseases.
Stem cells from cord blood are different from embryonic stem cells that come from developing human or animal embryos. Cord blood stem cells do not come from embryos. In the past, cord blood was usually discarded after the infant was delivered. Cord blood can now be collected and stored in a cord blood bank for future use.
- Who can benefit from the stem cells in umbilical cord blood?
Stem cells in cord blood can help build new, healthy cells and can be transplanted in people to treat a number of life-threatening conditions. An individual can receive his or her own cord blood for treatment, or more commonly, a person will receive umbilical cord blood donated from someone else. Your baby’s umbilical cord can be a lifeline for someone who is very ill.
Transplants of cord blood stem cells have been used for many years to treat more than 80 diseases, including conditions such as:
- Leukemia;
- Myelodysplastic Syndromes;
- Lymphoma;
- Anemias;
- Sickle Cell Disease;
- Disorders of blood cell proliferation;
- Inherited disorders of the immune system and other organs;
- Inherited metabolic disorders; and
- Solid tumors not originating in the blood or immune system.
Treatment of these disorders using cord blood is not experimental. Research on emerging therapies in which the patient’s own cells are used to repair the body may increase the use of cord blood that is stored for personal use. Scientists are studying whether cord blood can be used to treat other common disorders of the heart, bones, liver, and brain, as well as other conditions including diabetes and Parkinson’s Disease.
For a complete list of diseases and conditions in which postnatal donation tissue is standard therapy, is in clinical trials or is experimental, please visit Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation.
- How is cord blood collected and is it safe?
Collecting cord blood is safe for both babies and mothers. The collection will not affect your baby’s health or your birth experience because cord blood is collected after your baby is born. If you would like your baby’s cord blood to be collected and stored for future use, you must make arrangements in advance with either a public or private cord blood bank of your choice.
After your baby is born, cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord and placed in a special container that is sent to a cord blood bank. The cord blood and mother’s blood samples are then processed and tested. If the mother’s blood sample identifies the presence of infectious disease, she will be notified. Once the cord blood bank decides the cord blood can be used, it is stored for future use.
- What is the difference between public donation and private storage?
Cord blood is frozen after it is collected and stored in cord blood banks. It is important to remember that not all families are eligible to donate cord blood and not all cord blood collections will meet the requirements for public storage. If you donate your cord blood, publicly or privately, there is no guarantee that the sample will be a match and will be used in the future. There are two types of cord blood banks: public cord blood banks and private cord blood banks.
Public Cord Blood Banking
Public cord blood banks collect and store donated cord blood stem cells for use with anyone who is in need of a stem cell transplantation. They do not charge donation fees. Public banks do not reserve the umbilical cord blood for the family that donated them. The donations are made available to the general public in order to find the best match. No information about you or your baby is provided to the patient receiving the cord blood. Each year, many adults and children receive life-saving treatment from umbilical cord blood that families have chosen to publicly donate.
Cord blood does not have to be exactly matched to the patient receiving it, but when donated cells closely match the patient, their chances of transplant success improve. Patients are more likely to match someone who shares their racial or ethnic heritage. Cord blood donations are very important to secure transplants for patients who are of minority or mixed heritage, as the need for donations is great but the supply is small.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends public donation of umbilical cord blood for all families; however, private banking can be considered only if a full sibling has a medical diagnosis for which stem cells are being used for treatment.
If you choose to donate your baby’s umbilical cord blood to a public bank where it is made available to others, much like donating blood, it should not cost you any money. Ask your provider if there will be any charge to collect the blood at the hospital.
Private Cord Blood Banking
A private cord blood bank is a commercial, for-profit organization that advertises directly to parents. If you choose to store your cord blood privately, it will only be available for use by your family and will not be available to public banks for unrelated transplants or research. Private banking allows you to have your baby’s cord blood collected and stored for your baby or another close family member if ever needed. Private donation banks usually charge an initial fee for collection and processing and then charge an annual fee for storage. Banking your baby’s cord blood in a private bank might provide a match for your baby or siblings. However, there is no guarantee that the cord blood will be a match or will be used in the future.
Choosing either a public or private cord blood bank is a personal decision that you should make for yourself after reviewing information and having a discussion with your health care provider.
- Additional Information
- Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation
- Provides information for parents on cord blood banking, and a list of private and public cord blood banks.
- The March of Dimes
- National Marrow Donor Program
- Provides information about cord blood and a list of hospitals that accept public cord blood donations
- Phone: 1-800-MARROW-2
- Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation
Postnatal Donation Provider Information
- What is collected?
Cord blood is blood from fetal circulation and is what remains in the umbilical cord and placenta after birth. Within it are hematopoietic stem cells that can be used to treat some diseases and may be beneficial for research. Generally, 85mL (approximately 3 oz.) are collected after delivery so that an adequate number of stem cells are retrieved.
- How do I collect cord blood?
Each bank has specific directions on how to collect and ship the cord blood units. Depending on which bank you use, it will be important to become familiar with their individual collection, packaging, and shipping procedures.
Collection is usually performed after the baby is born and the placenta has been delivered. Blood should be collected as soon as possible following delivery to avoid clotting and to maximize sample retrieval. Each collection kit should contain specific instructions regarding collection. General instructions for collection are as follows: The placenta is suspended from a collection stand and the umbilical cord is subsequently sterilized. A 16 gauge needle, which is connected to the collection bag (which contains anticoagulant solution), is inserted into the umbilical vein for sample retrieval.
- What are the contraindications to collect cord blood?
Each bank has certain criteria that would be considered contraindications for the collections of cord blood. While each bank may differ slightly, the most common contraindications for all banks are the following:
- HIV
- Hepatitis B & C
- Recent incarceration
- Recent travel to malaria endemic areas of the world
- Cancer
- Autoimmune diseases
- Recent STD’s
- Drug use
In addition, cord blood should never be collected if the collection would compromise the safety of mother or baby. Early cord clamping for cord blood collection should never take precedence over treating fetal anemia or hypovolemia.
If you decide to store cord blood, you will need to choose a cord blood bank. Listed are some questions to ask yourself when deciding on a bank:
- Does the bank meet the proper accreditation requirements?: Cord blood banks should be regulated and inspected by the FDA.
- How is the cord blood shipped?: After cord blood collection, cells begin to die which is why it is important for cord blood to be shipped in a timely manner.
- How quickly is cord blood processed?: Cord blood should be processed within 48 hours.
- Does the bank have clinical experience with transplants?: Banks should have experience with releasing cord blood for transplant and for experimental therapies.
- What public and private banks are in Indiana?
- Private Banks:
- Americord: Cook General BioTechnology, Indianapolis, IN
- Southerncord: Cook General BioTechnology, Indianapolis, IN
- Public Banks:
- None at this time
- Cord Blood Donation Collection Agency:
- Life Line Stem Cell (limited collection area)
- Private Banks:
- Do patients need to sign a consent form in order to donate to a cord blood bank?
Collection of cord blood requires informed consent, which is usually provided by the mother, however, involvement of the father in the consenting process is encouraged. Parents should be educated on cord blood collection and its possible uses. In addition to consent, parents need to fill out a medical/social questionnaire.
- Is there anything that can be done with donated samples that are not eligible for use in transplant?
Collection of cord blood requires informed consent, which is usually provided by the mother, however, involvement of the father in the consenting process is encouraged. Parents should be educated on cord blood collection and its possible uses. In addition to consent, parents need to fill out a medical/social questionnaire.
More Resources
- Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- CDC Breastfeeding Report Cards - get the latest breastfeeding statistics by state
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Breastfeeding
- Office on Women’s Health – Breastfeeding
Contact
Ann Marie Neeley, Statewide Breastfeeding Initiatives Manager
aneeley1@health.in.gov
(317) 234-3435
Contact for Breastfeeding