The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to encourage and recognize hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for infant feeding. The BFHI assists hospitals in giving mothers the information, confidence and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies or feeding formula safely, and gives special recognition to hospitals that have done so.
The Cherese Mari Laulher BirthCare Center at Miller Children’s & Women's was designated as a Baby-Friendly birth facility in 2018, and encourages mothers to exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months of their baby’s life. Breastfeeding is the ultimate prevention tool and the benefits of breastfeeding for both mom and baby are overwhelming.
Why Choose A Baby-Friendly Hospital
Baby-Friendly maternity and birthing centers have taken special steps to create the best possible environment for successful breastfeeding. Baby-Friendly hospitals and birthing centers have put in place policies and practices to enable parents to make informed choices about how they feed and care for their babies. Hospitals and birth centers that have implemented the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” create an optimal environment for the initiation of breastfeeding.
Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding