HOUSTON, Jan. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Woman's Hospital of Texas is the first Houston hospital and the largest one in the country to receive international recognition as a Baby-Friendly designated birth facility. This distinction acknowledges hospitals that offer an optimal level of care for breastfeeding mothers and babies, and the designation is given after completing a rigorous, onsite survey.  Currently, there are just over 200 hospitals in the United States that have achieved this status.  

This prestigious international award, based on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, recognizes birth facilities that offer mothers information, confidence and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies.  The Baby-Friendly Hospital initiative is a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).  Baby-Friendly USA, Inc. is the U.S. authority for program implementation and conferred the award.

"We chose to pursue Baby-Friendly Designation in order to better support mother and baby bonding and infant feeding," said Linda Russell, CEO of The Woman's Hospital of Texas.   "Achieving Baby- Friendly Designation has been a goal of our physicians, nursing staff and administration.  Expectant mothers can be assured that our staff will provide the professional support needed to assist them throughout the birthing process, provide a positive birthing experience and enable them to breastfeed successfully."

"The Woman's Hospital of Texas' efforts to increase breastfeeding success and support maternal-infant bonding, rooming-in and other family centered care practices that are central in Baby-Friendly Hospitals help ensure both health and happiness for the mothers, babies and families they serve," says Melanie Mouzoon, M.D., Pediatric Hospitalist with Kelsey-Seybold Clinic "This achievement demonstrates the ongoing commitment to excellence in patient care by the pediatricians, obstetricians/gynecologists, and the entire nursing staff."

"The help that I received from the hospital staff both at the facility and the first few months were so crucial to help me breast-feed my baby," says Parent Debbie Flores.  "If nurses and the lactation consultants were not there to support and educate me on how to best breast-feed my baby, I would have not been so successful."

About The Woman's Hospital of Texas

The Woman's Hospital of Texas opened in 1976, and has remained the state's premier facility dedicated to the health of women and newborns. With the recent addition of the Pediatric Center, the hospital has expanded that level of high-quality care to include their youngest patients. 

Located near the Texas Medical Center in the heart of Houston, The Woman's Hospital of Texas offers 397 licensed beds, including a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

With more than 650 board-certified physicians, The Woman's Hospital of Texas offers expertise and an outstanding level of care in breast health, imaging, gynecology, obstetrics, high-risk pregnancy, and minimally-invasive surgery.

The Woman's Hospital of Texas is accredited by The Joint Commission. It has been recognized as a Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology (COEMIG), as a NAFC Center of Excellence: Continence Care in Women and is a designated Baby-Friendly Facility.

Media Contact
Kim Mathes
713-852-1528 (office)
832-294-1064 (cell)
Kimberly.Mathes@HCAhealthcare.com  

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SOURCE The Woman's Hospital of Texas