Nurse Leads Development of Breastfeeding App and Outpatient Services for Moms of Babies Leaving NICU

When tasked with the duty of addressing a dramatic drop-off in breastfeeding rates after moms and babies were released from the NICU, Sara Rosenbaum saw an opportunity to build a community of breastfeeding support with outpatient services, including a breastfeeding app for smart phones.

Rosenbaum is Adventist Hinsdale Hospital’s regional obstetrical educator. Adventist has an 85 percent breastfeeding initiation rate at the time of NICU discharge, but the number drops to 21 percent after the mother and baby go home, Advance Healthcare Network for Nurses reports.

With grant money from CREATION Health, Rosenbaum worked with a mobile developer to create a smart phone app in both English and Spanish for new moms whose babies have been in NICU. The app will be able to be used in conjunction with a breastfeeding clinic and boutique on the grounds of Adventist Hinsdale.

Rosenbaum’s app will include reminder timers, a pumping schedule, and the ability to record the amount of milk the baby receives. “Moms can switch from NICU mode to a regular breastfeeding mode where they can track the number of wet diapers, which breast the baby fed from last, etc,” she told Advance Healthcare Network for Nurses.

A question and answer section will also be available on the app, with an appointment feature to book follow-up visits at the breastfeeding clinic and boutique. The boutique will have pumps, rentals, and other breastfeeding supplies available.

INQRI has funded several research teams that have created innovations to improve patient outcomes. Among them is a study led by Tracey Yap that involved developing a protocol to reduce pressure ulcers among long-term care residents. The “Interdisciplinary Mobility Team Approach to Reduction of Facility-Acquired Pressure Ulcers” included using music played at regular intervals to remind long-term care staff to encourage residents to move, or more those who could not move of their own accord, to avoid pressure ulcers.