Page 110 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2020

HEALTHY LIVING
Healthcare
BABY-FRIENDLY
Merit Health Biloxi Recognized as Baby-Friendly Hospital
story courtesy of Merit Health Biloxi photo by Donn Hupp
Baby-Friendly USA recently announced that Merit Health Biloxi has earned prestigious international recognition as a Designated Baby-Friendly birth facility.
The Baby-Friendly initiative encourages and recognizes hospitals that o er an optimal level of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. This award recognizes birth facilities that o er breastfeeding mothers the information, con dence, and skills needed to
successfully initiate and
continue breastfeeding
their babies.
The Baby-Friendly
designation is
based on the Ten
Steps to Successful
Breastfeeding, the broad
framework that guides
the Baby-Friendly
Hospital Initiative.
Merit Health Biloxi from Wesley has created an environment that is conducive to successful breastfeeding by o ering an optimal level of care for infant feeding and mother/baby bonding. That bonding includes what is known as the Golden Hour, the rst hour after a baby’s birth.
Merit Health Biloxi also encourages “rooming in” – keeping a baby with his or her parents at all times during their hospital stay, allowing mothers the opportunity to breastfeed at any time. Rooming in also increases the bond between baby and parents from the beginning and helps parents plan for their baby’s care while still surrounded by the support sta of the hospital.
The Baby-Friendly designation is given after a rigorous on- site survey is completed, reviewing the hospital’s adherence to
the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. Merit Health Biloxi elected to pursue the designation to show commitment to keeping the smallest members of the community healthy.
Beyond six months, breastfeeding continues to provide energy and high-quality nutrients that, jointly with safe and adequate complementary feeding, help prevent hunger, undernutrition and obesity. Breastfeeding ensures food security for infants.
Longer breastfeeding is associated with a 13 percent reduction in the likelihood of overweight and/or prevalence of obesity and a 35 percent reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes.
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).
150 Reynoir Street, Biloxi MS 228.432.1571 merithealthbiloxi.com
Merit Health’s Baby-Friendly sta
110 | April 2020
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