US hospital earns Baby Friendly designation
CHI Franciscan's St Joseph Medical Center in the US has received international recognition as a Designated Baby-Friendly birth facility by Baby-Friendly USA. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) that seeks to improve health outcomes for pregnant women, mothers and newborns through breast feeding.
The Medical Center is one of nine hospitals in Washington state to earn the designation and the only hospital in the south Puget Sound region to be certified under the Baby-Friendly banner. “As a designated Baby-Friendly hospital, St Joseph is recognised for providing new mothers with thorough, consistent education and support before leaving the hospital,” said Jakki Stodola, MBA, BSN, RNC, Director of the Family Birth Center at St. Joseph Medical Center.
To comply with the BFHI review process, nurses and medical staff took part in up to 20 hours of required education and St Joseph made changes to its breastfeeding policy. “The result is that a mother who gives birth here will receive significantly more education in order to make an informed decision about feeding her baby, whether she chooses to breastfeed or use formula,” said Stodola. “When a mother has questions about feeding her baby, our doctors, nurses, midwives, and staff will all give consistent, evidence-based answers.”