By Holly Menino
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. — Both McKenzie-Willamette and Sacred Heart Medical Center are pursuing a baby-friendly certification.
Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative encourages the best feeding practices for babies. One of the steps to gaining that certification is putting all babies to their mothers’ chests after delivery, unless there’s a medical reason not to.
“If a mother chooses to breast feed, we want to make sure she’s successful. If a mother chooses to bottle feed, we want to make sure she’s successful,” said Educator for Labor and Delivery Cindy Hunter.
To become baby-friendly certified, the hospital must teach every staff member about breast feeding, inform the community and have resources available to parents.
Both McKenzie-Willamette and Sacred Heart plan to be baby-friendly certified by 2013.
