The Baby Place at AdventHealth Hendersonville earns national recognition for helping moms choosing breastfeeding.
Every year hundreds of babies make their big debuts at The Baby Place at AdventHealth Hendersonville. For their moms, the first moments with baby are a precious time for bonding and getting to know each other. The care team at The Baby Place offers a whole-person, comprehensive approach to maternity care, which centers around empowering mothers and babies to have a happy and healthy start.
One of the most effective ways for moms and babies to make those early connections and get off to a healthy start is breastfeeding.
The Baby Place nurses are skilled and trained to assist new moms during their breastfeeding journey. They offer bedside support so moms and babies can find the most comfortable feeding positions, encouraging deep latching so the babies are getting plenty of milk. They give each mother and baby personalized care as mom and baby get acquainted with each other and their unique feeding needs.
This support for moms and babies has led to national recognition as a “Baby-Friendly” hospital and birth center by Baby-Friendly USA and the 5-star Breastfeeding-Friendly Designation by the North Carolina Maternity Center.
“The Baby-Friendly designation is something that just shows that as a whole facility, we have education in place to really promote and support mothers in all infant feeding practices, with an emphasis to promote and encourage breastfeeding,” explains Andrea Detwiler, BSN, RN, IBCLC, LCCE, Lactation Consultant and Perinatal Educator for AdventHealth Hendersonville. “And we just got awarded what’s called a five-star Breastfeeding-Friendly Designation through the North Carolina Maternity Center. That shows that we are implementing each of the 10 steps to successful breastfeeding.”
The NC Maternity Center Breastfeeding-Friendly Designation (NC MCBFD) initiative was created to recognize maternity centers that have taken steps to promote, protect and support breastfeeding. Some of those steps include – Having a breast-feeding policy, training team members in the skills necessary to promote and support breastfeeding, educating patients on the benefits of breastfeeding, and encouraging breastfeeding within one hour of birth.
The positive effects of breastfeeding for both mom and baby are well documented. On top of helping to facilitate bonding between mom and baby, breastfeeding has been found to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), lower the risk of respiratory and diarrhea illnesses, and decrease the likelihood of childhood obesity and childhood cancers. For mom, breastfeeding helps shrink the uterus which slows down bleeding after birth. It also reduces risks for osteoporosis and both breast and uterine cancers later in her life.
“Anything that we can do to prevent long-term chronic or even acute conditions, always seems so logical,” shares Detwiler. “It’s one of the things that, for me, has really made helping and supporting moms with breastfeeding a joy.”
The Baby Place at AdventHealth Hendersonville supports breastfeeding while respecting every woman’s right to make the best decision for herself and her family.
“Our nurses are committed to make sure every mom who delivers at The Baby Place has the support, education and resources to help her and her baby get the best, healthiest start in life,” said Chloe Harden, MSN, RN-COB, Director of The Baby Place at AdventHealth Hendersonville.
The comprehensive mom and baby care you can count on at The Baby Place includes:
- Private labor, delivery and recovery suites
- Dedicated C-Section Suite
- OB Hospitalist Program - Experienced OB hospitalist on-site 24/7 to care for women who are pregnant or have just given birth
- Pediatric Hospitalists – Board-certified pediatricians who will care for your baby during your stay
To learn more about The Baby Place and its comprehensive, whole-person approach to maternity care, visit AdventHealthNC.com/BabyPlace.
