ST. LOUIS — August is National Breastfeeding Awarness Month – so it only seemed fitting to share some exciting news! SSM Health DePaul Hospital is joining a growing list of more than 20,000 Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers - throughout the world.
After a rigorous review process conducted by Baby-Friendly USA – SSM Health DePaul Hospital – St. Louis is proud to announce that it has achieved the highly prestigious international Baby-Friendly designation.
This distinguished honor demonstrates that SSM Health DePaul Hospital is adhering to the highest standards of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies.
Lactation Consultant, Shannon Schrum says that the baby-friendly designation took years of hard work to prove that DePaul provides an environment that supports breastfeeding while respecting every woman’s right to make the best decision for herself and her family.
"We had to go through our policies and those are their best practices, and through that we educated our staff, the nurses, as well as the physicians on those best practices and then rolled that on out to the patients. It just took a lot of just encouragement of education and then putting that into practice and culture changes," Schrum says.
These best practices and training are built on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. The steps are a set of evidence-based practices recommended by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund for ideal infant feeding support in the first days of a newborn’s life.
"It's all about educating. So, not only do we educate our staff, but now, because we're educated, we can educate the patients on the benefits of breastfeeding and educate them on formula feeding as well. Then (we can) help them make the best decision that they need for their family and what's going to work for them," Schrum says.
Pediatrician at SSM Health DePaul Hospital – St. Louis, Elizabeth Bergamini, MD, joined Show Me St. Louis host, Mary Caltrider, in studio on Friday morning to share more about the Baby Friendly Designation and how it continues SSM Health DePaul Hospital – St. Louis’ commitment to providing exceptional women’s health services including the only provider of obstetrics services in North County.
The Family Birthplace at SSM Health DePaul Hospital – St. Louis is located at 12303 DePaul Drive, Bridgeton, Missouri, 63044.
For additional information on DePaul Hospital, click here.
For further information on the Baby Friendly designation, click here.
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