SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital achieves Baby-Friendly designation

Richmond Heights, MO – SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital is excited to announce its official designation as a Baby-Friendly® Hospital. This award recognizes the exceptional level of care provided to breastfeeding mothers and their babies at St. Mary’s Hospital.
 
Based on the results collected during a rigorous, two-day on-site assessment survey, it was determined that St. Mary’s Hospital meets the high standards set by the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). The initiative is a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
 
“This is a true testament to our commitment to evidence-based practices which leads to exceptional care,” said Pam Lesser, director of perinatal services at St. Mary’s Hospital. “This was an all-in, interdisciplinary team effort that actually started many years ago with the implementation of our breastfeeding task force. Thanks in part to our robust lactation consultant team, we have been able to take a methodical approach to educating our staff, physicians, care partners and our patient mothers about the importance of informed decision making when it comes to infant feeding.”
 
Achieving Baby-Friendly designation means St. Mary's Hospital has successfully implemented the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, which, at its core, is designed to give mothers all the resources and support they need to make the best decision possible for their health and the health of their baby.
 
These steps include having a standard breastfeeding policy that is regularly communicated to all staff, staff training, educating women in all stages of their pregnancy and postpartum about the benefits of breastfeeding and how to breastfeed, allowing mothers and babies to stay together in the same room 24 hours a day, discouraging the use of pacifiers and more. The success of the implementation of this initiative was largely due to the leadership and guidance of Becky Boedeker, lactation consultant at St. Mary’s Hospital.
 
"It is Becky’s dedication, energy and passion to being fully committed to becoming a Baby-Friendly hospital that we owe this success to," Pam said. "Becky was the champion for this project and kept us on track right from the beginning and saw it all the way through to its successful completion."