Asante Three Rivers Medical Center Receives Designation for Setting Standards for Breastfeeding

The Family Birth Center is re-designated by Baby-Friendly, USA, Inc.

When it comes to giving babies a great start to their new life, the Family Birth Center at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center has a history of excellence. Recently re-designated a Baby-Friendly hospital, the hospital has continuously achieved this mark of distinction since 1999.

“Protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding aligns with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services national Healthy People 2020 objectives for the nation,” says Katherine Abdun-Nur, a registered nurse and internationally board certified lactation consultant at Asante Three Rivers. “Many professional organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Practice strongly encourage breastfeeding as a public health imperative.”

In order to achieve this prestigious designation, the hospital demonstrated its ability to offer mothers the information, skills, and support needed to successfully initiate bonding and breastfeeding. "Our staff’s commitment to excellence and to caring for the unique needs of individual families according to evidence-based guidelines create a safe and nurturing environment for the first days of life,” adds Abdun-Nur.

Becoming a Baby-Friendly facility is a comprehensive journey toward excellence in providing evidence-based maternity care with the goal of achieving optimal infant feeding outcomes and mother/baby bonding, according to Baby-Friendly, USA, Inc., which implements The Baby-Friendly Health Initiative in the U.S. on behalf of The World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund.

Asante Three Rivers Medical Center is the second Oregon hospital designated as Baby-Friendly and the twenty-first hospital in the nation. There are currently 240 Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers in the U.S.