BHS Deemed ‘Breastfeeding Friendly’

SPRINGFIELD – Two Baystate Health System hospitals have been recognized by the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition (MBC) as “breastfeeding friendly.”
Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield were honored with 19 other Massachusetts businesses and employers at the annual Breastfeeding-friendly Business Award Ceremony during the Breastfeeding in the Bay State Annual Conference of the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition held on Sept. 27 at the Crowne Plaza in Natick.

Each year, the MBC invites breastfeeding mothers to nominate a business establishment or public agency which supports the efforts of their employees to continue breastfeeding when they return to work, or to nominate an organization where they feel their decision to breastfeed has been supported, such as at Baystate Health System.

“When a mother makes a choice to breastfeed, she is making a very important decision that has long-term effects on her baby’s health, as well as her own,” said Linda West RN, nurse manager of “The Birthplace” at Franklin Medical Center, who accepted the award on the hospital’s behalf. She further noted the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life and that breastfeeding continue with complementary food for at least a full year.

The MBC is an alliance of organizations and individuals involved in maternal and child health, whose purpose is to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding in Massachusetts.