UMMC Recognized for Excellence in Lactation Care

Hospital Demonstrates Commitment to Setting Families Up for Breastfeeding Success

BALTIMORE – The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners^® (IBLCE^®) and International Lactation Consultant Association^® (ILCA^®) have recognized University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) for excellence in lactation care. UMMC has received the IBCLC Care Award in recognition for staffing professionals who hold the prestigious International Board Certified Lactation Consultant^® (IBCLC^®) certification and providing a lactation program for breastfeeding families.

“Research has shown that breastfeeding has important health benefits for both mother and baby,” says Christopher Harman, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, director of the Center for Advanced Fetal Care and head of the Division of Maternal and Fetal Medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center. “This recognition demonstrates our commitment to supporting families in integrating breastfeeding into their day-to-day lives, and serving as a trusted resource for mothers through their baby’s first year of life and beyond.” 

UMMC’s breastfeeding program includes preventive care, with resources offered during pregnancy to assess and provide information on how to successfully initiate breastfeeding. Assistance continues after the baby is born as UMMC helps families overcome breastfeeding challenges, providing accurate information and continuing to support them as their baby grows.

“Breastfeeding does not come easily to everyone,” says Monika Bauman, RN, director of women’s and children’s services at UMMC. “In the hospital, we play an important role in setting families up for success, which is why we have worked to create an environment that supports mothers wanting to breastfeed.”

Here are some of the activities that UMMC has integrated into their lactation program:

Staff Training:

• UMMC has seven certified lactation consultants who see mothers throughout the hospital including on the labor and delivery unit, mother-baby unit and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
• Every labor and delivery nurse and every mother-baby nurse at UMMC has completed 20 hours of breastfeeding education. Patient care techs have completed eight hours of breastfeeding education

Education:

• UMMC offers free breastfeeding classes to patients receiving prenatal care at a University of Maryland women’s health practice.
• A class for mothers with special circumstances, such as breastfeeding more than one baby or nursing a sick or premature infant, is taught one-on-one by a certified lactation consultant.
• To assist families returning to work or school, UMMC offers a return-to-work pumping class.

Support:

• A free community breastfeeding support group is offered on Thursdays from noon to 1 pm that is staffed by a certified lactation consultant.
• A warm line is available 24/7 for mothers who have breastfeeding questions, as well as email for non-urgent questions.
• A private Facebook group is available for patients to interact via social media with certified lactation consultants and other breastfeeding families. There is another group especially for breastfeeding UMMC employees.

Esmé Hough, IBCLC Chair of the Board of IBLCE recently stated, “Agencies that are awarded the IBCLC Care Award have dedicated their efforts to promote and provide a lactation program that makes expert assistance available when the breastfeeding family needs it. This is achieved through encouraging and informing breastfeeding families about the benefits and management of breastfeeding as well as training health care professionals to help families achieve their breastfeeding goals.”

To learn more about OB-GYN services at UMMC, visit Women's Health.

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About the University of Maryland Medical Center

The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) is comprised of two hospitals in Baltimore: an 800-bed teaching hospital – the flagship institution of the 14-hospital University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) – and a 200-bed community teaching hospital, UMMC Midtown Campus. UMMC is a national and regional referral center for trauma, cancer care, neurocare, cardiac care, diabetes and endocrinology, women’s and children’s health, and has one of the largest solid organ transplant programs in the country. All physicians on staff at the flagship hospital are faculty physicians of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. At UMMC Midtown Campus, faculty physicians work alongside community physicians to provide patients with the highest quality care. UMMC Midtown Campus was founded in 1881 and is located one mile away from the University Campus hospital. For more information, visit www.umm.edu.

About the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners^® (IBLCE^®) and International Lactation Consultant Association^® (ILCA^®)

As allied health care professionals with the leading internationally recognized certification for professional lactation services, IBCLC professionals work in hospitals and birthing centers, clinics, public health agencies, private practice, community settings, government agencies, and in research. There are currently more than 30,000 such professionals in 108 countries worldwide that are IBCLCs (www.iblce.org). The IBCLC certification program is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). NCCA accreditation represents a mark of quality for certification programs. In addition to finding IBCLC professionals at University of Maryland Medical Center, families can also find an IBCLC near them by visiting www.ilca.org. Follow the “Find a Lactation Consultant” link and search for an IBCLC by postal code, city and state, or country. For more information about the IBCLC Care Award program, contact IBLCE at award@iblce.org.