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They call it
liquid gold. It nourishes. It protects.
It strengthens. Breast milk is nature’s perfect food.
Experts agree: its benefits are plentiful.
“Breastfeeding is extremely beneficial for both moth-
er and baby,” said Eileen Bagan, lead lactation nurse
at Kootenai Health. “Infants who are breastfed have a
lower risk of developing allergies, asthma, colds, certain
cancers, diabetes and obesity. For moms, breastfeed-
ing decreases postpartum bleeding, promotes a faster
return to pre-pregnancy weight, decreases postpartum
depression, and lowers the risk for breast and ovar-
ian cancer. It also promotes skin-to-skin contact and
increases bonding between mother and baby.”
As one of only about 300 Baby-Friendly hospitals in
the nation, Kootenai is dedicated to giving mothers and
babies the care, education and support they need to
breastfeed successfully, right from the start.
“The Baby-Friendly designation represents the high-
est standard of care for mothers and babies through
breastfeeding in a hospital setting,” Eileen said.
Kootenai, which first received the Baby-Friendly
distinction in 2002, follows the “10 Steps to Success-
ful Breastfeeding” to keep the status, which is a global
designation supported by the World Health Organiza-
tion, UNICEF and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Some of the steps include providing facility-wide staff
training, educating pregnant mothers about breastfeed-
ing, and showing new mothers how to breastfeed and
express milk.
“There’s a big education component,” Eileen said.
“The designation is very difficult to obtain and retain
because of the amount of education that is required for
families and our staff.”
The hospital is also committed to feeding infants only
breast milk—no formula—unless medically necessary.
This is made easier by the hospital’s rooming-in policy,
Brittany Deal,
infant nutrition
technician,
prepares breast
milk in Kootenai
Health’s milk
room in the
neonatal intensive
care unit.
HealthyBeginnings
S U P P O R T F O R B R E A S T F E E D I N G
G I V E S M O M S A N D I N FA N T S A S T R O N G S TA R T
By Stacie Jones
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