Pen Bay Healthcare's Birth Center Recognized for Outstanding Care
Pen Bay Birthing Center nurses include internationally board certified lactation consultants (left-right): Sara Smith RN, certified car seat technician/educator; Ronda Brock RN IBCLC (international board certified lactation consultant); Dawn Tassi RN IBCLC, neonatal resuscitation nurse educator; Kathleen Hastings RN IBCLC; Lynn Tauss RN IBCLC, childbirth educator; Sue Fleming RN, childbirth educator; Maud Reddy RN, childbirth educator (not pictured: Liz Breen, Ann Healy).
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) National Survey of Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) Benchmark Report awarded an 81% score to Pen Bay Healthcare's Birth Center.
mPINC is a national survey of conducted by the CDC to measure infant feeding related policies and practices in hospitals and birth centers. The benchmark report identifies for facilities their strengths and areas where improvement is needed to better support breastfeeding. The CDC has identified specific interventions and strategies that result in better breastfeeding outcomes and improvements in infant nutrition and care. Pen Bay's score of 81 out of 100 demonstrates that its labor and delivery care, postpartum care and breastfeeding support, staff training, and structure of care delivery combine to implement these best practices in an exceptionally successful manner.
Pen Bay's Birth Center specializes in labor, postpartum and newborn care in a family-centered atmosphere, and offers classes in childbirth education, breastfeeding education, infant massage and hypnobirthing. Staff include eight lactation consultants and a supportive staff to assist with breastfeeding. The CDC is studying events that occur during the immediate post birth period because it is known to be a critical period for the establishment of breastfeeding. If breastfeeding is not properly supported immediately after birth and in the first few days,the failure rates are higher. More information on the study can be found at: www.cdc.gov/mpinc.