A baby friendly hospital is one that meets all the requirements of the 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding as designated by WHO (World Health Organization).
Every facility providing maternity services and care for newborn infants should:
- 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 a half-hour of birth.
- Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation even if they should be separated from their infants.
- Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk unless medically indicated.
- Practice rooming in: Allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day.
- Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
- Give no artificial teats or pacifiers, also called dummies or soothers to breastfeeding infants.
- Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic.
The baby friendly hospital initiative was launched in 1992, and is now operating in 152 countries. There were more than 20,000 hospitals around the world that had been certified as baby friendly.
Most of these baby friendly hospitals are not in the United States. The major barrier to becoming baby friendly in the United States is the distribution of free breast milk substitutes by the formula manufacturers to hospitals in the United States.
By April, 2010, 91 hospitals and birth centers in the United States have been certified as baby friendly.
By May 26, 2011, 110 hospitals and birth centers in the United states have been certified as baby friendly.
See if your hospital or birth center is listed!
http://www.babyfriendlyusa.org/eng/03.html
No comments:
Post a Comment