Accreditation for Breastfeeding Program Earned by Baptist Health System
Hospitals Celebrate During World Breastfeeding Week

San Antonio, Texas - Baptist Health System has taken a giant step towards improving the health of newborns and infants by earning the Texas Ten Step designation from the Department of State Health Services and the Texas Hospital Association.

The Texas Ten Step Program encourages breastfeeding as the preferred method of feeding newborns and infants. North Central Baptist Hospital joins a growing number of Texas hospitals and birthing centers now teaching new mothers that breastfeeding is the best nutritional choice to improve their baby’s health.

Through the use of 10 goals or “steps,” the program aims to help facilities support breastfeeding mothers before, during, and after delivery; encourage facilities to identify breastfeeding resources for the mother after she is discharged; and encourage hospitals and birth centers to reach the Texas Breastfeeding Initiative’s goal of having 75 percent of their mothers breastfeeding before they go home from the hospital with their newborn.

Texas Ten Step maternity staffs receive breastfeeding training within the first six months of employment and receive annual updates. This training includes the advantages of breastfeeding, anatomy and physiology of breastfeeding, how to solve common breastfeeding problems, and the impact of introducing formula and pacifiers before breastfeeding is established. Training also includes supervised clinical experience, a system of referral to breastfeeding specialists after discharge, and a list of community resources.

“We have worked very hard to earn the Texas Ten Step designation,” said Jack Cleary, President, North Central Baptist Hospital. “And we are proud to join the other select Texas facilities in promoting breastfeeding to our new mothers.”

For more information on the Texas Ten Step Program, call Kristina Arrieta at (512) 341-4400, ext. 2281 or visit the web site at http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/wichd/lactate/TXfact.shtm