Implementation and Organization of a Perioperative Lactation Program: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

Introduction: As breastfeeding rates rise, perioperative care of lactating women is an increasingly important issue. There is a lack of reports describing the implementation of perioperative lactation programs. Beginning in 2014, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center developed a perioperative lactation program to address the comprehensive care of lactating patients. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of lactation in our perioperative population, as well as to describe preliminary data and experiences during the implementation of our program.

Materials and Methods: This retrospective descriptive study included lactating patients who underwent procedures requiring anesthesia care at our institution from August 2014 to February 2017. This period coincided with implementation of the lactation program, which focused on patient identification, education, and support, as well as staff education and collaboration. Patient volume and characteristics, procedure types, and intraoperative non-narcotic analgesic use were analyzed.

Results: Over the 30-month study period, we identified 80 lactating perioperative patients, with ∼2–3 patients presenting monthly. The median (range) age of the child was 5 (0.6–24) months. Most of our lactating patients were American Society of Anesthesiologists class I–II patients (81%), who underwent general anesthesia (89%), and received at least one non-narcotic analgesic intraoperatively (89%).

Conclusion: Our study showed that we cared for lactating patients undergoing a wide range of procedures on a regular basis. The results from this study are intended to inform the next phase of our research, which will focus on determining how this work impacts outcomes such as postoperative lactation complications, breastfeeding resumption, and overall patient satisfaction.