Breastfeeding Promotion and Support
The IHS Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is working to create a healthy start for babies and prevent childhood obesity. As part of this initiative, IHS is encouraging clinicians in Indian Country to support policies and practices that foster breastfeeding as the exclusive feeding choice for infants in their first six months of life. By doing so, clinicians will reduce current and future medical problems and decrease health care costs. This initiative will use quality improvement processes to improve breastfeeding rates through new maternity care and infant feeding practices.
We encourage clinicians in Indian Country who serve new mothers to familiarize themselves with the:
- benefits of breastfeeding,
- problems that may arise for breastfeeding mothers,
- challenges for health facilities in implementing breastfeeding policies, and
- toolkit on providing education on breastfeeding.
Baby-Friendly® is a registered certification mark of UNICEF .
IHS Hospitals Designated as Baby-Friendly
- Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility in Chinle, AZ
- Claremore Indian Hospital in Claremore, OK
- Gallup Indian Medical Center in Gallup, NM
- Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, NM
- Pine Ridge Hospital in Pine Ridge, SD
- Quentin N. Burdick Memorial Health Care Facility
in Belcourt, ND - Whiteriver Indian Hospital in Whiteriver, AZ
- Zuni Comprehensive Community Health Center in Zuni, NM
