BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has expanded its efforts to increase breastfeeding rates and ensure the best quality of life for its smallest members by providing free breast pumps to mothers of at-risk babies treated in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The program works with doctors, hospitals and nurses to enable mothers utilizing the Medela Breast Pump Program to provide breast milk to infants while hospitalized and after they return home.
“Newborns that spend time in the NICU need the amazing health benefits and fortifying nutrients of breast milk both at the hospital and after returning home,” said Inga Himelright, M.D., chief medical officer at BlueCross. “Providing a free breast pump and working with the mothers, physicians and nurses to encourage breast feeding are two ways we can assist in the recovery of these little ones that are in their most vulnerable period.”
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, breastfeeding ensures the best possible health as well as the best developmental and psychosocial outcomes for the infant and should be supported and encouraged by pediatricians. The report states that the need for breast milk is even more important for premature babies.
“Human milk is the best possible source of nutrition for almost all infants,” said Judy Aschner, M.D., director of the Mildred Stahlman Division of Neonatology at Vanderbilt. “It can mean the difference between life and death for a premature baby. It is one thing that the doctors and nurses cannot do. It is something we need each mother to do so her baby has the best possible chance of survival.”
Already in place for BlueCross members is a program with ProgenyHealth, a company specializing in neonatal care management services. Staff members work closely with families, attending physicians and nurses to promote healthy outcomes for BlueCross members with premature and medically complex newborns. Now this same group will review NICU cases and offer eligible mothers a free breast pump in addition to providing educational materials about the importance of breast milk. If the mother selects to breastfeed, the pump is shipped directly from partnering manufacturer, Medela.