The Women’s has become the most accredited Baby Friendly Health Initiative (BFHI) public hospital in Australia.
This achievement comes after the hospital received its ninth BFHI accreditation.
BFHI accreditation recognises the Women’s commitment to offering the highest standard of maternity care to support breastfeeding for better health outcomes for mothers and babies.
The Women’s Chief Midwifery and Nursing Officer, Laura Bignell, said the accreditation was a testament to the exceptional support and care our people provide to women and babies.
“The Women’s is committed to ensuring all families, regardless of their feeding choices and circumstances, receive unbiased information, appropriate support and factual advice about breastfeeding in both the antenatal and postnatal period,” she said.
“We are very proud of our achievement and ongoing commitment to BFHI since it started in Australia in 1994. Our people proudly put women and families at the heart of everything we do.”
Breastfeeding support embedded across the Women’s
BFHI is a joint initiative by the World Health Organisation and UNICEF that provides a global framework to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. In Australia, BFHI is managed by the Australian College of Midwives. It outlines standards such as skin-to-skin contact after birth, keeping mothers and babies together on postnatal wards and breastfeeding support and education.
The Women’s Clinical Nurse/Midwife Consultant Anita Moorhead said these evidenced-based practices were embedded in the day-to-day work of staff across the hospital.
“BFHI helps us to achieve better health outcomes for women and babies across their entire journey with the Women’s,” she said.
“It is a whole-of-hospital effort to ensure we provide consistent and appropriate support around infant care and feeding for best-practice maternity care.”