An interdisciplinary multidepartmental educational program toward baby friendly hospital designation.

Our healthcare institution chose to strive for Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) designation to enhance our support of breastfeeding. To complete Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative Step 2, a 5-hour educational program of supervised clinical experience was designed incorporating learning needs identified through gap analysis. Five interdisciplinary simulation stations included (1) a video on practical aspects of skin-to-skin contact immediately after delivery, (2) a dynamic interactive exercise on skin to skin in the labor and delivery setting, (3) couplet care on admission to the maternal infant unit, (4) breast milk expression, and (5) common challenges. Small groups of staff rotated among stations in 45-minute intervals. Two hundred fifty staff completed this educational program and an additional 54 nurses have become certified breastfeeding counselors. Evaluations highly favored this model of active participation and our work toward achieving Baby-Friendly Hospital designation has been greatly enhanced.