ANNOUNCING CANADA’S FIRST BABY-FRIENDLY HOSPITAL
Cowansville, Quebec, Canada
July 8, 1999
A first in Canada! The Breastfeeding Committee for Canada (BCC) announced
today that it has designated the Brome-Missisquoi-Perkins Hospital in
Cowansville, Quebec, the first Baby-Friendly Hospital in Canada.
This designation signifies that the BMP Hospital has fulfilled the Ten Steps
to Successful Breastfeeding as confirmed through an intensive two-day
Baby-Friendly Hospital Assessment which took place on June 21/22, 1999. The
Assessment process is prescribed by the WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital
Initiative (BFHI), a world-wide program to protect, promote and support
breastfeeding.
Since 1991, UNICEF and its government and community partners have worked to
create baby-friendly healthcare facilities in Canada under the Baby-Friendly
Hospital Initiative (BFHI). The Breastfeeding Committee for Canada (BCC) is
the National Authority for the implementation of the BFHI in Canada.
The BMP Hospital joins more than 14,000 Baby-Friendly Hospitals worldwide.
Among other things, hospitals designated as Baby-Friendly must have written
breastfeeding policies and train all staff about the policies, inform all
pregnant mothers about the benefits and management of breastfeeding, help
new mothers initiate breastfeeding within the first half-hour after birth,
and comply with the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk
Substitutes by refusing all monetary donations, free formula and
breastfeeding paraphernalia from formula companies. Baby-Friendly hospitals
put first and foremost the interests, health and well-being of infants and
mothers.
Designation as a Baby-Friendly Hospital requires a successful on-site
assessment including interviews with mothers who have recently delivered
babies and hospital staff. The hospital or birth centre requests the
assessment when it is confident that it has complied with all the
requirements of the Initiative.
Commenting on his experience in leading the BMP assessment team as Master
Assessor, Dr. Jack Newman of Toronto stated, "Many hospitals believe they
are baby-friendly already. After all, how can a hospital not be
baby-friendly? The answer lies at BMP Hospital where those questioning can
see what it really means to support mothers in labour and delivery and to
really help mothers with breastfeeding. No lip service is paid at BMP but
real efforts are made to ensure that breastfeeding is the wonderful
experience it should be. Unfortunately, this is an experience which too many
women miss unnecessarily."
Speaking as a representative of the BCC Executive, Past Chair Dr. Roberta
Hewat of Vancouver stated, "The WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly designation at the
Brome-Missisquoi-Perkins Hospital is the birth of a new era in Canadian
perinatal care."
Several other Canadian hospitals are very close to requesting assessment for
Baby-Friendly status and many others are working on the Ten Steps to
Successful Breastfeeding, compliance with which is required for designation.
The Breastfeeding Committee for Canada, which recently received a grant of
$266,380 from Population Health, Health Canada, is assisting this process by
facilitating the establishment of Baby-Friendly Implementation Committees in
all Canadian provinces and territories.
Maureen Fjeld,
Co-chair, Breastfeeding Committee for Canada
Calgary, Alberta
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