Baby-Friendly USA announced that St. Tammany Parish Hospital has received prestigious international recognition as a Designated Baby-Friendly birth facility.
“We are honored to be named among America’s leading baby-friendly facilities,” said Cindy Ingram, STPH director of women’s and children’s services. “St. Tammany Parish Hospital is well known locally as the best place to have your baby, and now we have confirmation nationally, we’re the place to learn best practices for breastfeeding your baby.”
Baby-Friendly USA, Inc., is the U.S. authority for the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The initiative encourages and recognizes hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies.
Based on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, this prestigious international award recognizes birth facilities that offer breastfeeding mothers the information, confidence, and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies.
Currently, there are only 539 Baby–Friendly Designated facilities in the United States and 16 facilities in Louisiana.