AVH Honored as “Baby-Friendly,” Six Years in a Row

New moms will continue to find a warm welcome at Aspen Valley Hospital, which was recently redesignated a Baby-Friendly Hospital by Baby-Friendly USA.

“Being a Baby-Friendly Hospital is the gold standard of maternity and infant care practices,” said Heather Knott, RN, Childbirth Educator and International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant at AVH. “It says to women — our patients, visitors and employees — that everybody here will welcome you and help you with your breastfeeding needs.”

Baby-Friendly USA, Inc., is the U.S. authority for implementing a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. When AVH first earned the organization’s designation in 2015, we were among the first hospitals in Colorado to achieve this prestigious honor.

The redesignation demonstrates that we continue to support, promote and protect breastfeeding by completing certain requirements, such as:

• Informing pregnant women about the benefits of breastfeeding
• Helping mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth
• Feeding infants only breast milk unless medically indicated
• Allowing mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day

Besides offering familiar resources such as certified breastfeeding/lactation consultants and the recurring Bosom Buddies breastfeeding social and support group, AVH provides staff training, patient education programs and other ways to help new moms gain the information, confidence and skills they need to successfully breastfeed.

“Our support for breastfeeding moms extends beyond our Birth Center,” Knott noted. “A new mom might need to know how a surgical or imaging procedure might affect her ability to breastfeed. Or a new mom visiting the hospital might need to know if we have a safe place for breastfeeding. We make sure that any member of the AVH staff can help get answers to those kinds of questions.”

[Members of our Aspen Birth Center staff pictured left to right: Anne Henrichs, RN; Heather Knott, RN-IBCLC; Margie Slater, RN, Director; Suzanne Robinson, RN; and Heather Preusch, Unit Coordinator.]