Southern New Hampshire Health (SNHH) recently received the prestigious International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
® (IBCLC
®) Care Award for excellence in lactation care. SNHH qualifies for this honor as staff in The Birth Place hold the IBCLC certification, provide a lactation program for breastfeeding families, and demonstrate that they completed activities that protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.
“We are very proud of our lactation support program. Our team of dedicated lactation consultants, midwives, nursing staff, obstetricians, Special Care Nursery providers, and neonatology and pediatric physicians provide resources, encouragement, and ongoing support to new mothers and families,” says Rebecca Pockl, Lactation Consultant with The Birth Place at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center. “This award demonstrates the excellence in care we deliver and the success of our program. I greatly appreciate the collaborative effort here at Southern New Hampshire Health. It takes a village! It is an honor to be recognized.”
IBCLCs at The Birth Place focus on preventive care during pregnancy to assess and provide information on how to successfully initiate breastfeeding. They continue assistance after the baby is born helping to overcome breastfeeding challenges, providing accurate information, and continuing to support them as their baby grows. They assist families returning to work or school, help families in more unusual situations such as breastfeeding more than one baby or nursing a sick or premature infant, and help train nursing staff to manage basic breastfeeding care.
The award is given by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners
® (IBLCE
®) and International Lactation Consultant Association
® (ILCA
®). IBLCE is the independent international certification body conferring the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant® (IBCLC®) credential.
Annabelle Mackenzie, M.A. (Cantab), IBCLC, and Chair of the Board of IBLCE, recently stated, “The IBCLC Care Award honours lactation programmes dedicated to making expert assistance available when breastfeeding families need it. Thank you to the IBCLCs around the world advancing global public health by promoting breastfeeding through professional and compassionate care, advocacy and training.”