10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding
Are you a new mom or going to be? MedStar St. Mary's Hospital offers a variety of maternity services to the public, including support groups, Birthing Center tours, lactation consultants, and CPR. You can find out more about our events and classes online by visiting medstarstmarys.org/calendar, as well as learn about our hospital's guide to breastfeeding below.
MedStar St. Mary's...
- Has a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.
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Trains all health care staff in the skills necessary to implement this policy.
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Informs all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
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Helps mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth.
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Shows mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation even if they are separated from their infants.
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Advises mothers to give infants no food or drink other than breast milk, unless medically necessary.
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Practices rooming-in (allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day).
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Encourages breastfeeding on demand.
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Advises mothers to give no pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants.
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Fosters an establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refers mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or birth center.
MedStar St. Mary's Hospital upholds the World Health Organization/UNICEF “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” published in a joint statement entitled: “Protecting, Promoting and Supporting Breastfeeding: The Special Role of Maternity Services”. The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding form the basis of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, a worldwide breastfeeding quality improvement project created by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers also uphold the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes by offering parents support, education, and educational materials that promote the use of human milk rather than other infant food or drinks, and by refusing to accept or distribute free or subsidized supplies of breast milk substitutes, nipples, and other feeding devices.