What makes a hospital baby friendly?
Essentially, it understands, promotes and educates moms on the importance of breastfeeding.
The 10 steps are
- Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.
- Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy.
- Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
- Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth.
- Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation, even if they are separated from their infants.
- Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breastmilk, unless medically indicated.
- Practice “rooming in”– allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day.
- Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
- Give no pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants.
- Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic.
Get the details here. A baby friendly hospital strives to provide moms and babies with the best start possible. The hospital near to you may not be the best choice for your birth. Ideally, the new family will have immediate and uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact for at least an hour, if not two, after birth and be coached in breastfeeding.
Sounds simple right? So why aren't more hospitals in Arizona involved? And why is this so important? And scroll down to "because it does matter" in this post. Successful breastfeeding is found most easily in support; that support should begin at birth, if not before!
Don't have a baby-friendly hospital near you?
Don't fret! Just remember the rap ;-)
- skin-to-skin is best
- hold off visitors (especially well meaning family) until after The Magical Hour
- delay or forgo newborn procedures
- Is Erythromycin Eye Ointment always necessary?
- 10 Decisions for Parents of Newborns: Part 1 | Part 2
- delay or forgo the baby bath
- resist artificial nipples
- room in and feed on demand
- join a local La Leche League
This is the earth-side beginning of the Journey of Life. Why not give babies and moms the best start?
What was your immediate postpartum experience like?
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