Hospital files for Baby Friendly designation

 

Woodland, CA, August 5, 2009 - Woodland Healthcare has filed a certificate of intent to become a Baby Friendly Hospital, a program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF) to encourage and recognize hospitals that support breastfeeding.

 

A Baby Friendly Hospital is a facility that promotes, protects and supports lactation by implementing a series of steps outlined by WHO and UNICEF for successful breastfeeding in hospitals. The recommendations include maintaining a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff; inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding; help mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth; and foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital.

 

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends feeding babies only breast milk for at least the first six months of life. Breast milk has disease-fighting cells called antibodies that help protect infants from germs, illness, and even SIDS, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Children who were breastfed as infants have a reduced risk for childhood cancer, respiratory infections such as asthma, obesity, and adult diabetes.

 

There are also benefits for breastfeeding mothers. Nursing can reduce the risk of some types of cancer for the mother. These include breast, ovarian, cervical and endometrial cancer. In addition, the calories a body burns converting energy into breast milk can help new mothers drop extra pounds.

 

Libby Smith, Director of Woodland Healthcare's Family Birth Center, says Baby Friendly designation is a world health initiative to improve public health. "We need to look at breastfeeding not just as something neat you can do but to protect your infant through the first year of life," said Smith. "If the hospital can change its practices to fully support breastfeeding, then the health of babies born here will be affected in a positive way."

 

Woodland Healthcare's Family Birth Center has changed many of its practices to support a Baby Friendly designation. The hospital no longer provides pacifiers to infants. Parents are discouraged from allowing anyone besides the mother to hold the baby until the first feeding is completed. The hospital no longer hands out formula gift bags and offers only one brand of formula to non-breastfeeding mothers. The hospital's SOFT program supports the early bond between mother and newborn in the first hour or two after birth by encouraging mothers to hold their babies skin-to-skin immediately after birth. During this process mothers keep their babies warm, they regulate their heart, respiratory and oxygen saturation rates, they feel less pain and they feel more secure and attached to their parents. Babies who have this experience cry less, breastfeed better and are calmer and happier.

 

The hospital also supports lactating mothers with an outpatient lactation clinic and breast feeding support in the first 72 hours once they go home.

 

It could take up to a year for the hospital to achieve Baby Friendly designation.

 

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