Baby-Friendly Hospital

Why is RMC Designated Baby-Friendly?

As the first designated baby-friendly hospital in Alabama, physicians and maternity staff at RMC take extra steps to provide the optimal level of care for mom and baby. Our Baby-Friendly® hospital designation from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) proves our commitment to compassionate care for mothers and their babies. We have a written breastfeeding policy and encourage breastfeeding whenever possible. We train all health care staff in the skills necessary to help new mothers be successful if they choose to breast feed. Mothers who choose not to breastfeed are also supported in their decision. This leads to better outcomes and a less stressful time for families — both immediately after delivery and after the family returns home.

We encourage immediate skin-to-skin contact with mom and her newborn right after birth. Our fully-certified lactation consultants encourage breastfeeding on-demand and assist you with breastfeeding support throughout your stay and following discharge. And our physicians and clinical teams encourage low-intervention, customized birthing plans that include water labor, family-centered cesareans with clear draping to fully view a cesarean birth and promote V-BAC births when safe for mom and baby.

The Women’s and Children’s Pavilion at RMC combines the latest medical equipment with nurturing care for you and your newborn. Whether you’re interested in a natural delivery or are a woman with a high-risk pregnancy, we have a team of experts providing leading-edge care.

Rooming In

At the Women’s and Children’s Pavilion at RMC, we believe it is important for new babies to be with their families as much as possible, so we practice “rooming in.” Babies spend the majority of their first days rooming with mom and spending time with family.

RMC follows evidenced-based practices recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics to care for mom and baby. Our practices include placing well babies on their mother’s chest immediately after delivery. This helps newborns feel safe and stabilizes their breathing and temperature. Routine procedures are done at the bedside, including finding out baby’s weight and giving baby his or her first bath.

Better Bama Babies Hospital Recognition

As of June 2019, the RMC Women’s and Children’s Pavilion has be accredited by the Alabama Breastfeeding Committee as a Better Bama Babies facility. The purpose of the Better Bama Babies Hospital Recognition program is to improve infant mortality and to increase breastfeeding rates in Alabama by providing hospitals with a seven step plan to meet their breastfeeding goals, provide resources and assistance for them, to provide recognition for successfully completing this process, and to encourage/assist hospitals to complete steps towards achieving Baby Friendly status as local resources allow.

For more information on the Better Bama Babies Hospital Recognition Program, visit their website here.