|
Boston Medical Center is proud to be a Baby-Friendly hospital.
In December 1999, Boston Medical Center became the first World Health Organization/UNICEF Baby-Friendly™ Hospital in Massachusetts. Though the world has over 19,250 sites, only 62 of these are located in the United States. For more information about the Baby-Friendly Hospital initiative go to: Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative
On August 6, 2002 the Assistant Secretary for Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, announced that the Baby-Friendly Hospital at Boston Medical Center was picked as a best practice model for the nation. The "Best Practice Initiative" showcases model programs in public health from around the country. The report is available on the Best Practice Web page on the Office of Public Health and Science Web site at: http://www.osophs.dhhs.gov/ophs/BestPractice/MA_Boston.htm.
Information for breastfeeding families. Here's what to expect in the first few days:
- The first week may be hard, but hang in there, it gets easier.
- Babies normally lose weight during the first days of life.
- You may wonder if you are making enough milk.
- On day 1, moms make 3 Tablespoons of milk.
- On day 2, moms make 13 Tablespoons of milk.
- On days 2-4, moms make buckets of milk (the milk "comes in").
- Your body is designed to make the perfect amount. Your baby's stomach is the size of his/her fist; therefore it is small and cannot take a lot to eat all at once.
- Early milk is called colostrum. Colostrum is very strong. Colostrum is called "liquid gold" because it contains so many good things.
- Click on the picture to see what a drop of formula and a drop of breast milk look like under a microscope.
- Keep your baby in your room so you can watch for him/her to say "I'm hungry."
- Babies say "I'm hungry" when they suck their fists, smack their lips, or move around. When you see these feeding cues, put your baby to breast.
- The latch is the way the baby attaches to the breast and transfers milk.
- For a good latch, tickle the middle of your baby's face. Then wait until he/she opens her mouth as wide as possible, and put as much breast as possible into the mouth.
- As your milk comes in your baby's bowel movements will change from black to dark brown to yellow/green. A yellow/green color means your milk has come in.
- How often should your baby eat? In the begininning a lot! Babies do not know how to tell time. They get hungry often and want to eat often. They do not get hungry every 2 to 3 hours. Babies cluster feed.
- When you go home, your baby should eat at least 8-12 times in 24 hours and poop at least 3 times in 24 hours.
- Avoid pacifiers until breastfeeding is going well. Otherwise it will be hard to tell when the baby is hungry.
- Avoid bottles until breastfeeding is going well.
- The first week of life is a crucial period to set up and activate prolactin receptors in breast tissue. The more receptors that are set up and turned on, the more milk you will make.
- Breast milk contains a special protein that shuts off milk production if the milk sits in the breast too long. Thus, empty your breasts often.
- If you are planning to return to work, your pediatrician will help you with how to express/pump your breast milk and put it into a bottle starting at around a month.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends feeding only breast milk for 6 months, then continuing to breastfeed for a year or more adding sold food at 6 months.
Breastfeeding resources
"Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws or Nursing Mothers"
by Nancy Mohrbacher and Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
New Harbinger Publications, Oakland, 2005
Services
The Breastfeeding Center at Baby-Friendly™ Boston Medical Center coordinates hospital-wide breastfeeding programs for patients and staff. Our services include breastfeeding classes, IBCLC certified lactation consultants, a telephone support line, peer counselors, and breastfeeding/pumping rooms located on two hospital campuses. These rooms provide patient and staff space to breastfeed in private and are equipped with electric breast pumps. With the support of The Kids Fund, a children's charity at BMC, the Breastfeeding Center also runs Pumps for Peanuts which guarantees electric breast pumps for all mothers of infants in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay.
- Breastfeeding telephone support line: (617) 414-MILK (6455)
- Breastfeeding classes: Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 11:00 am; Tuesday with infant massage at 10:30 am All classes are held in the Birth Place, 3W, Menino Pavilion (MAP)
- Breastfeeding training sessions: The Breastfeeding Center offers breastfeeding courses for BMC staff and other health professionals. For more information contact: jean.morgan@bmc.org .
- Pump Coverage
- Pumping Rooms
For more information about The Breastfeeding Center (including publications, research and advocacy projects) go to: http://bmc.org/breastfeeding/
|
