When expectant mothers walk into the Trinity Health Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids or Oakland hospitals, they can take comfort knowing these facilities have achieved Baby-Friendly designations. This means the medical teams providing care for both mom and baby are specially trained to educate and support mothers on their feeding journeys. Only 14 hospitals in Michigan have achieved this rigorous standard and Trinity Health Michigan is proud to boast three of them.
Hospitals with this designation have met strict criteria from the World Health Organization for breastfeeding and mother-baby bonding. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative provides 10 steps for hospitals to commit to and these steps are a map for mothers, navigating the feeding journey from beginning to end.
“Evidence-based practice states breastmilk is best for a baby; it provides the optimal nutrition for them,” said Nancy Dmitruchina, RN, a lactation consultant with Trinity Health IHA Medical Group. “That information is given to parents along with recognizing that not all parents have the ability to breastfeed, or the desire, or the support. And if that’s their choice (not to breastfeed), if they have been informed, then Baby-Friendly supports whatever decision the mom wants to make.”
Dmitruchina, a nurse for more than 20 years, is the Baby-Friendly coordinator for Trinity Health Ann Arbor. She said the mindset around feeding has rapidly changed over the years.
In the past, formula companies provided formula at no cost to the hospital, thus potentially influencing a provider’s opinion on how a baby should be fed, she said. As Baby-Friendly facilities, Trinity Health Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Oakland independently purchase formula at a fair-market value price, providing families with feeding alternatives without any strings attached. Families can still receive formula or donor breast milk at no cost.
“The mother is the influencer of the feeding decision,” Dmitruchina said. “Mother-led choice versus formula-led choice.”
In cases where patients have a medical indication or have made an informed decision to use formula, staff can teach a family how to safely prepare and feed their baby’s formula, she said.
A Baby-Friendly mindset extends beyond the physical act of feeding. Mothers are encouraged to do skin-to-skin with their babies for the first hour after birth, as long as the baby is medically stable. Skin-to-skin is when the baby is placed directly on a parent’s body without any clothing or blanket barriers. This precious time helps regulate the baby’s temperature and heart rate; and it helps soothe the transition from the womb to the world. For mothers who choose to breastfeed, skin-to-skin provides an easy opportunity to begin feeding while the baby is on their chest.
“The mother’s colostrum (first form of breastmilk) smells like the amniotic fluid. This similarity helps babies find the breast and take comfort in a familiar smell,” Dmitruchina said.
In most cases, babies remain in the room with their mother. This healthy advancement allows for the family to be responsive to the baby’s needs and facilitate breastfeeding, if desired.
Baby-Friendly care continues even after a mother and her baby leave the hospital. At Trinity Health Michigan, there are certified lactation consultants and breastfeeding medicine physicians trained to support mothers with their feeding journey. These providers can help with a variety of concerns, including weighted feeds, evaluation for oral ties and nipple wounds.
By providing care for pregnant women, while in the hospital and through outpatient services, Dmitruchina said Trinity Health Michigan upholds the main goal of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative. The goal? Help parents make informed feeding decisions and support those decisions.
Families in southeast Michigan can see providers in Ann Arbor or Oakland and those on the west side of the state can see providers in Grand Rapids. Click here for breastfeeding support.