Consistent, Quality Care – For Every Family

Consistent, Quality Care – For Every Family

Baby-Friendly Designation:
Closing Gaps in Health Outcomes

Make your facility a champion for better maternal and newborn care—and help ensure every family gets the infant feeding care they deserve.

Although breastfeeding rates in the United States have increased during the past decade, racial/ethnic disparities persist. Across the country, breastfeeding initiation, exclusivity, and duration vary significantly depending on a mother’s race and ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic factors. A growing body of research shows:

Most mothers desire to breastfeed

Disparities in breastfeeding rates are not the result of disparities in mothers’ breastfeeding desire or intention.

Not all mothers receive the same support

Mothers perceived as more likely to breastfeed, often based on race, ethnicity, age, or socioeconomic status, receive the most support — while those perceived as less likely to breastfeed receive less support.

A self-perpetuating cycle

Disparate breastfeeding support leads to disparate breastfeeding outcomes.

Baby-Friendly Improves Outcomes For Every Family

Now the good news: Research shows that implementation of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative improves breastfeeding rates — regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status!

Baby-Friendly facilities:

  • Have clear infant feeding policies that are applied uniformly
  • Provide the same prenatal breastfeeding education for every family
  • Provide assistance to every mother during her stay to initiate breastfeeding and manage common breastfeeding challenges
  • Ensure every mother has access to ongoing breastfeeding support when she is discharged

Lead the Way Forward

When your facility makes the commitment to Baby-Friendly designation, you become a powerful part of the effort to close gaps in care, improving outcomes for mothers, babies, and generations to come.

At BFUSA, we’re here to help you every step of the way.

Learn More About Designation

“Baby-Friendly ensures we give the same education to all patients, no matter what. It neutralizes the biases that people have.”

 

- Christa Rudat, MSN, RN, IBCLC
BFUSA Clinical Review Specialist
Former care provider at North Baldwin Infirmary (Ala.)