In accordance with the Rapid Cycle Improvement
Process, as suggested by Healthcare Quality Strategies,
Inc. (2003), the first author collected baseline
data by doing a small sampling from the birth center.
The sample results—which included only healthy, term
infants born over a 2-week-period—showed over 90%
of infants born vaginally were exclusively breastfed
during their hospital stay (11 out of 12) compared to
only 50% of infants born by cesarean (5 out of 10).
Furthermore, only 20% of the cesarean infants were
STS with their mothers within 90 minutes of birth, and
40% were not STS at all during the fi rst 4 hours after
birth.