Foothills Hospital recently received an award for successfully achieving
Baby-Friendly measures set by the Colorado Department of Public Health
& Environment (CDPHE).This means our Family Birth Center meets the
highest standards in providing support for breastfeeding by new moms.
Indeed, nearly all our newborns breastfeed exclusively by the time they
leave the hospital.
BCH president and CEO Dr. Robert Vissers accepted the award with Andrea
Tran, certified lactation consultant (IBCLC), and Danielle Zaitzew¸
IBCLC, lactation and childbirth education program coordinator.
The CDPHE’s
Baby-Friendly program outlines policies and standards that improve support for breastfeeding.The
program is part of the Colorado Healthy Hospital Compact, an agreement
by hospitals that share a mission to protect and promote the health of
patients, families, visitors and staff by providing healthier high-quality
nutrition. In doing so, hospitals are working to develop a culture of
wellness and contributing to the state's goal of making Colorado “the
healthiest state.”
Many studies show breastfeeding gives babies a healthier start to life,
including immune-system and anti-inflammatory benefits that protect against
illness. At our Family Birth Center, more than 96% of newborns successfully
breastfeed by the time they go home, thanks to heartfelt dedication by
our certified lactation consultants and experienced labor nurses.
The breastfeeding support doesn’t stop once new families are at home.
We invite new moms to come to the hospital’s free drop-in groups --
Friday Breastfeeding Club and
New Moms’ Group -- to meet other moms and get advice from our registered nurses, doulas
and lactation experts. In addition, new moms can schedule one-on-one lactation
support appointments, call a breastfeeding help line seven days a week,
and rent or purchase breastmilk pumps and breastfeeding supplies at the hospital.
We’re proud of our wonderful care team at Foothills Hospital’s
Family Birth Center. And we love going to work each day to bring new babies
into the world – and to support our patients and their families
in every way we can.