Our Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding online course just keeps getting better. Created specifically to support the implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, it is an essential resource for educating your staff to reach Baby-Friendly status.
Updated Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding Online Course Now Live
Topics: New Edition, baby-friendly, breastfeeding, lactation consultant, nursing, ten steps to successful breastfeeding, UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, world health organization, breastfeeding, Recently Published, Women's Health
The just released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Breastfeeding Report Card shows that breastfeeding rates in the U.S. are increasing. From 2000 to 2010, the number of babies who started breastfeeding increased from 71% to 77%. In fact, the report shows that among "infants born in 2010, 49% were breastfeeding at 6 months, up from 35% in 2000. The breastfeeding rate at 12 months increased from 16% to 27% during that same time period."
Topics: baby-friendly, lactation consultant, ten steps to successful breastfeeding, world health organization, breastfeeding, Breastfeeding Report Card, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition and the Breastfeeding Coalition of Oregon have collaborated to make a Baby-Friendly rap video. Entitled, "A Tale of Two Births: The Baby-Friendly Rap," it shows the benefits of giving birth at a Baby-Friendly hospital. Check it out:
Topics: baby-friendly, breastfeeding, lactation, lactation consultant, ten steps to successful breastfeeding, lactation, breastfeeding
Ninewells Hospital in the UK has been awarded the prestigious UNICEF Baby-Friendly Award for the standard of care given to women throughout and after pregnancy. According to NHS Tayside head of midwifery Kay Forsyth,
''We decided to join services with UNICEF UK's Baby Friendly Initiative to boost breastfeeding rates and to get better care for all mothers at Ninewells . . . . Breastfeeding protects babies against a wide range of serious illnesses including gastroenteritis and respiratory infections in infancy, as well as allergies and diabetes in childhood. We also know that breastfeeding reduces the mother's risk of some cancers and it is easier, cheaper and simply less hassle than bottle feeding.''
Jones & Bartlett Learning would like to extend our congratulations to Ninewells for their impressive achievement. Cheers!
Is your hospital Baby-Friendly yet? Do you know about our online Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding course? Created specifically to support the implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative™ in the United States, it is an essential course for educating your staff to promote successful breastfeeding.
Structured in 17 modules, this online course earns 24.4 CEUs for nurses and 24.4 L-CERPs for lactation consultants that can be completed at your own pace 24-hours a day. Interspersed throughout are interactive quizzes that measure your understanding of the subject matter as you move thorough the course. After completing the course, you can print out a completion transcript that certifies your earned continuing education credits.
Preview the course now!
Topics: women's health, baby-friendly, breastfeeding, lactation, lactation consultant, ten steps to successful breastfeeding, course, lactation, breastfeeding, Women's Health
Kaiser Permanente: Supporting Breastfeeding with Partnership for a Healthier America
Kaiser Permanente has signed a commitment with the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) to support breastfeeding as a benchmark of hospital quality and a key factor in preventing childhood obesity. According to Edward Ellison, MD, executive medical director-elect, Kaiser Permanente Southern California region,
“At Kaiser Permanente, we are committed to giving every baby the healthiest start possible. We believe in making the healthy choice the easy choice for mothers and families, so we are striving to support breastfeeding in our hospitals. We also promote and support breastfeeding as a key component of our comprehensive strategy to prevent childhood obesity.”
Kaiser Permanente has pledged that:
- By Jan. 1, 2013, all of Kaiser Permanente’s 29 hospitals that offer maternal and child health services will be designated as Baby-Friendly, and/or participate in the Joint Commission’s Perinatal Core Measures program, which requires participating hospitals to report their rates of exclusive breastfeeding at discharge.
- Kaiser Permanente will establish a system-wide performance improvement program focusing on the development and implementation of evidence-based hospital breastfeeding practices.
- Kaiser Permanente will develop and make publicly available a hospital breastfeeding practices guide that documents lessons learned and operational strategies that other systems can use to improve maternity care.
- To ensure accountability, Kaiser Permanente will include rates of exclusive breastfeeding at discharge as a core quality measure on its Quality Dashboard, which will be reviewed on a quarterly basis along with other hospital quality measures.
Topics: baby-friendly, breastfeeding, lactation, ten steps to successful breastfeeding, lactation, breastfeeding, Women's Health
CDC: $6 million Awarded to NICHQ for Baby-Friendly Initiative
In order to accelerate the number of Baby-Friendly hospitals in the US, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has awarded nearly $6 million over three years to the National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality (NICHQ). Intended to improve hospital practices that support breastfeeding, the project will help them move toward Baby-Friendly status by incorporating the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding established by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF as global criteria to improve breastfeeding rates.
According to William H. Dietz, MD, Ph.D., director of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity:
"We know that breastfeeding rates are higher in Baby-Friendly hospitals, yet only 5 percent of babies in this country are born in these facilities. We need to help hospitals improve their maternity care to better support breastfeeding. This project takes steps to do that, and it offers real solutions to improve the health of mothers and babies."
Topics: baby-friendly, breastfeeding, lactation, lactation consultant, ten steps to successful breastfeeding, course, breastfeeding
Earlier this month, the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) declared August to be National Breastfeeding Month. To commemorate this special month, here are just a few recent studies, programs, and champions of breastfeeding awareness and advocacy:
- New study: breastfeeding reduces risk of asthma
- HHS announces new guidelines to aid breastfeeding mothers
- Institute of Medicine report recommends breastfeeding to avert childhood obesity
- First Lady Advocates for Breastfeeding Mothers
- IRS Now Offering Tax Breaks to Breastfeeding Mothers
Topics: baby-friendly, breastfeeding, lactation, lactation consultant, ten steps to successful breastfeeding, lactation, national breastfeeding month, breastfeeding
A new Dutch study argues that breastfeeding for at least six months helps reduce a child’s risk of developing asthma. Published in the European Respiratory Journal and examining more than 5,000 preschool children via questionnaire, is the first to link length of time breastfeeding with preventing asthma symptoms, such as wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. According to WebMD,
Topics: baby-friendly, breastfeeding, lactation, lactation consultant, ten steps to successful breastfeeding, breastfeeding, breastfeeding benefits
Congratulations to St. John Hospital & Medical Center in Detroit
St. John Hospital & Medical Center in Detroit, MI recently received a $1.2 million grant from W.K. Kellogg Foundation to aid in launching a comprehensive breastfeeding program. According to The Detroit News,
Topics: baby-friendly, breastfeeding, lactation, lactation consultant, ten steps to successful breastfeeding, breastfeeding, breatfeeding program, W.K. Kellogg Foundation