HANNIBAL, MO -- The State of Missouri only has one "baby-friendly" hospital, and it's located in Northeast Missouri.
Hannibal Regional Hospital officially announced Thursday afternoon its "baby-friendly" designation.
That means the hospital has implemented several strategies to improve its birth facility.
Those steps include educating parents on effective ways to calm the infant, providing breast-feeding support and increasing bonding time between baby and parents.
"Baby-friendly" USA, the World Health Organization and Unicef coordinate what they call the "baby-friendly initiative."
For more information, see news release and talking points sent from Hannibal Regional Hospital below.
TALKING POINTS
Chris Coon's Women's Care Center
Baby Friendly Designation
August 27, 2009
- Hannibal Regional Hospital has been designated a Baby-Friendly facility. The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative is coordinated by Baby-Friendly USA, the World Health Organization and Unicef.
- Hannibal Regional Hospital is the only birth facility in the state of Missouri to hold this prestigious designation.
- Fewer than 2% of U.S. hospitals providing birthing services are Baby-Friendly designated.
- The Baby-Friendly designation caps five years of planning to create a culture of family-centered maternity care.
- Specific initiatives that have been implemented include:
- "Rooming in" 23 hours a day for families;
- Family quiet time from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily;
- "Happiest Baby on the Block" education for parents to learn how to calm their crying infant with the five S's: Swaddling, Side/Stomach Position, Shushing Sounds, Swinging, Sucking;
- Updates to education materials;
- Redesign of Childbirth Education classes to reflect family-centered maternity care;
- Breast Feeding Support Line and weekly breastfeeding support groups held on Monday nights and Wednesday mornings; and
- Designation of a lactation room for all breastfeeding mothers.
- Studies have shown that breastfeeding translates to better health for both babies and mothers and health benefits persist throughout life.
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: RUTH CUTHBERTSON, COMMUNITY RELATIONS COORDINATOR
573-629-3565
DATE: August 21, 2009
Hannibal Regional Hospital Receives Prestigious International Award
Baby-Friendly USA has announced that Hannibal Regional Hospital in Hannibal, MO, has received prestigious international recognition as a Baby-Friendly TM birth facility. Hannibal Regional Hospital is the only Baby-Friendly designated facility in the state of Missouri.
The Chris Coons' Women's Care Center at Hannibal Regional Hospital has been working towards this designation for the past five years. The Baby Friendly designation has allowed Chris Coons' Women's Care Center to change the culture of birthing babies into a culture of family-centered maternity care.
Focused efforts have integrated a safe medical environment with an evidence-based educational environment which prepares new parents to care for their baby with confidence. Specific initiatives that have been implemented include:
- Ten Steps for Successful Breastfeeding;
"Rooming in", babies stay in the room with families;
Family quiet time from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily;
Education for parents to learn how to calm their crying infant with the five S's: Swaddling, Side/Stomach Position, Shushing Sounds, Swinging, Sucking;
Updates to education materials;
Redesign of Childbirth Education classes to reflect family-centered maternity care;
Breast Feeding Support Line and weekly breastfeeding support groups held on Monday nights and Wednesday mornings; and
Designation of a lactation room for all breastfeeding mothers.
The Baby-Friendly designation is awarded following completion of a rigorous on-site survey. Based on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, this prestigious international award recognizes birth facilities that offer breastfeeding mothers the information, confidence and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding. The award is maintained by continuing to practice the Ten Steps as demonstrated by quality processes.
Hannibal Regional Hospital President and CEO John Grossmeier said, "Hospitals have a unique opportunity to encourage and assist mothers with the initiation and continued support of breastfeeding."
"With the dedicated participation of members of the hospital's departments of obstetrics and pediatrics and the clinical team of the Chris Coons' Womens Care Center, we have been able to achieve a level of patient-centered care achieved by fewer than 85 hospitals in the United States," Mr. Grossmeier continued. "Hannibal Regional Hospital is honored by the Baby-Friendly designation and, more importantly, pleased to be able to bring this level of care to our region."
Studies have shown that breastfeeding translates to better health for both babies and mothers and health benefits persist throughout life. Babies who are breastfed have fewer and less serious illnesses, including a reduced risk of SIDS and less childhood cancer and diabetes. Mothers who breastfeed enjoy decreased risks of breast and ovarian cancer, anemia, and osteoporosis.
Baby-Friendly USA is the U.S. 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. The CDC reports that less than 2% of hospitals providing birthing services in the United States are Baby-Friendly designated. Hannibal Regional Hospital is now among this elite group. Currently there are 83 Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers in the United States.
For more information regarding the Chris Coons' Women's Care Center at Hannibal Regional Hospital and services provided, please call 573- 406-5170 or visit www.hrhonline.org.
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Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding
Maintain 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 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 unrestricted breastfeeding.
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.
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