One of 10 baby-friendly hospitals in New Jersey
Pennington, NJ – Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell was recently designated as a Baby-Friendly facility, making it one of only 10 hospitals in New Jersey to earn this recognition. It is the second consecutive time the hospital has earned this recognition.
Being a Baby-Friendly hospital means that Capital Health provides comprehensive support and education for breastfeeding mothers and their infants according to standards set forth by national and international health organizations.
“Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell first earned Baby-Friendly status in 2012, when we were only the second hospital in New Jersey to earn this recognition," said Al Maghazehe, president and CEO, Capital Health. “Maintaining the high standards established for a second Baby-Friendly designation lets new and growing families in our community know that we remain fully focused on bringing a high level of maternity care to our region."
“Babies who are breastfed have fewer and less serious illnesses, including a reduced risk of SIDS, childhood cancer, and diabetes. Mothers who breastfeed are less likely to get breast and ovarian cancer, anemia, and osteoporosis,” said Pam Graziadei, divisional director of Maternal Child Health Services, Capital Health. “This redesignation demonstrates Capital Health’s commitment to providing mothers with the information, skills, and confidence they need to safely breastfeed their babies.”
The Baby-Friendly designation is granted for five-year periods by Baby-Friendly USA, Inc., a non-profit accrediting body and national authority for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in the United States. BFHI is a global initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). In order to earn Baby-Friendly status, hospitals and birth centers must complete a rigorous on-site assessment and demonstrate implementation of the organization’s Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. Becoming a Baby-Friendly facility is a comprehensive, detailed and thorough journey toward excellence in providing evidence-based, maternity care with the goal of achieving optimal infant feeding outcomes and mother/baby bonding.
10 steps to successful breastfeeding
- Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.
- Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy.
- Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
- Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth.
- Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation, even if they are separated from their infants.
- Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk, unless medically indicated.
- Practice “rooming in”-- allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day.
- Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
- Give no pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants.
- Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic.
About Capital Health
Capital Health is the Central New Jersey/Lower Bucks County region’s leader in providing progressive, quality patient care with significant investments in physicians, nurses and staff, as well as advanced technology. Comprised of two hospitals (Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton and Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell), an outpatient facility in Hamilton, and various primary and specialty care practices across the region, Capital Health is a dynamic healthcare resource accredited by The Joint Commission.
A four-time Magnet® designated health system for nursing excellence, Capital Health serves as a Level II regional trauma center, state designated comprehensive stroke center, regional perinatal center (including a Level II nursery and Level III NICU), and emergency mental health screening center for Mercer County. Capital Health also offers the region’s first and most experienced Pediatric Emergency Department and New Jersey’s first Autism-Friendly Pediatric Emergency Department. Capital Health also provides innovative programs such as Capital Institute for Neurosciences; nationally accredited Center for Comprehensive Breast Care; Center for Digestive Health; Marjorie G. Ernest Joint Replacement Center of Excellence; award-winning Center for Oncology; and the Heart & Vascular Institute, which includes the region’s first accredited Chest Pain Center. For more information, visit capitalhealth.org.