NNUH is Officially Baby Friendly
The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital has become the first hospital in Norfolk and Suffolk to be awarded the prestigious Unicef Baby Friendly Award with assessors saying “It was clear to the assessment team that pregnant women and new mothers receive a very high standard of care”.
Maternity staff at the hospital have spent five years working through the stages to finally become accredited with the internationally recognised award that was set up by Unicef and the World Health Organisation,
The final rigorous assessment involved interviewing a number of pregnant women and new mothers about all aspects of their care relating to feeding and caring for their babies.
Achieving the third stage of the process for maternity services means the hospital has supported mothers and babies with their infant feeding choices and encouraged the development of close and loving relationships between parents and baby.
“We decided to join forces with Unicef UK’s Baby Friendly Initiative to increase breastfeeding rates and to improve care for all mothers and babies at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital,” said Glynis Moore, Head of Midwifery.
The Unicef report also commented “This is a busy unit providing care for mothers living across a wide geographical area, however in spite of this many mothers commented on the personal service received, complementing individual staff by name. The postnatal ward was highlighted as being particularly busy, however virtually all mothers commented on the kindness and patience shown by staff and volunteers who clearly see the support they provide related to feeding and newborn care as a priority.”
The Baby Friendly Initiative, set up by Unicef and the World Health Organisation, is a global programme which provides a practical and effective way for health services to improve the care provided for all mothers and babies. In the UK, the initiative works with UK public services to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding and to strengthen mother-baby and family relationships. Support for these relationships is important for all babies, not only those who are breastfed. The Award is given to Hospitals after an assessment by a Unicef team has shown that recognised best practice standards are in place.
NNUH Infant Feeding Co-ordinator, Luisa Lyons said “Breastfeeding can protect babies against a wide range of serious illnesses including gastroenteritis and respiratory infections in infancy as well as asthma, cardiovascular disease and diabetes in later life. We also know that breastfeeding reduces the mother’s risk of breast and ovarian cancers – and when you’ve got the hang of it, simply less hassle than bottle feeding.”
“But whether a mother chooses to breastfeed or bottle feed her baby, she can be sure that she will be supported to form a strong loving relationship with her newborn – through having maximum skin to skin contact and understanding how her baby communicates with her and needs her to respond.”
“We are delighted that the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has achieved full Baby Friendly status,” said Baby Friendly Initiative Programme Director, Sue Ashmore. “Surveys show us that most mothers want to breastfeed but don’t always get the support they need. Mothers at the Norfolk and Norwich can be confident that their maternity and neonatal teams will provide high standards of care.”
Issued by: Carolyn Bramble