Policies and Practices in a Cohort of Mississippi Birthing Hospitals During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Guidance around maternity care practices and infant feeding during the COVID-19 pandemic changed over time and was sometimes conflicting. Hospital maternity practices influence breastfeeding, an important preventive strategy against viral illness. Most birthing hospitals in Mississippi are enrolled in CHAMPS, a quality improvement initiative to support breastfeeding and continuously collect maternity care data.

Assessing the impact of a statewide effort to improve breastfeeding rates: A RE-AIM evaluation of CHAMPS in Mississippi.

Communities and Hospitals Advancing Maternity Practices (CHAMPS) is a public health initiative, operating in Mississippi since 2014, to improve maternal and child health practices and reduce racial disparities in breastfeeding. Using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance framework, this study assessed CHAMPS, which used a Quality Improvement intervention at hospitals, and engaged intensively with local community partners. The study team assessed outcomes through quantitative data (2014-2020) from national sources, Mississippi hospitals, community partners and CHAMPS programme records, and qualitative data from focus groups.

Perspectives of Nurses in Mississippi on Implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.

Objective: To describe the experiences and perceptions of Mississippi maternity nurses in hospitals that gained Baby-Friendly designation, including perceived barriers and facilitators to implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.

Design: Descriptive qualitative study using thematic analysis of focus group data.

Setting: Maternity care services of five Baby-Friendly-designated hospitals in Mississippi.