St. Mary Medical Center again has earned the distinction as a Baby-Friendly birth facility.
The hospital continues to meet criteria set by Baby Friendly USA, Inc. The re-designation is in effect through 2028.
“Our Family Birthing Center provides exceptional prenatal, labor and delivery, and postnatal care for hundreds of families each year,” St. Mary Medical Center CEO Janice Ryba said. “This re-designation as a Baby-Friendly hospital acknowledges our commitment to providing a healthy start in life for babies and supportive care and education for mothers. We applaud the physicians and staff at our Family Birthing Center for this achievement.”
Baby Friendly USA is the United States authority for the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The initiative encourages and recognizes hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies.
Earning the Baby-Friendly designation involves an extensive application and approval process. Re-designation means the hospital has maintained those requirements.
“Routine data collection, monitoring of practices and quality improvement activities are vital to ensuring that the Baby-Friendly standards are maintained,” the organization states. “Facilities are responsible for ongoing adherence to the most current guidelines and evaluation criteria.”
Based on the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding,” this prestigious international award recognizes birth facilities that offer best practices for mothers and babies. These practices include a focus on giving breastfeeding mothers the information, confidence and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies. Breastfeeding is linked to reduced infant mortality and better overall health for babies, according to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
“Achieving re-designation as a Baby-Friendly birth facility shows that we take the necessary steps to ensure mothers in our care are educated about breastfeeding, and we want them to feel supported, regardless of their feeding choice,” said Brittany Pankiewicz, manager of the Family Birthing Center and Pediatrics at St. Mary Medical Center. “This achievement also means we promote best practices at birth, such as skin-to-skin contact after delivery.”
There are nearly 600 active Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers in the United States.
For more information about the Family Birthing Centers of Community Healthcare System, visit www.COMHS.org/baby.
