Oklahoma Breastfeeding Hotline
877-271-MILK

“I loved Baby-Friendly. I would have worried too much if the baby was not in our room!”

Photo provided by Elizabeth Gleese Photography

“We loved Baby-Friendly! We got to see the bath and ask questions when testing was done!”

Photo provided by Elizabeth Gleese Photography

“I’m looking forward to having my baby skin to skin and breastfeeding right after delivery!”

Photo provided by Elizabeth Gleese Photography

“All the changes that have happened to help breastfeeding moms made my decision to deliver at a baby-friendly hospital an easy one to make.”

Photo provided by Los Lazos de Lactancia

Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative

The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global program that assists hospitals in giving mothers the information, confidence, and skills necessary to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding or safely feed with formula, and gives special recognition to hospitals that prioritize this education. The BFHI was started by the World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund in 1991 as a way to encourage the broad-scale implementation of and the "Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding" (below) and the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. The accrediting body and national authority for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in the United States, is Baby-Friendly USA (BFUSA).

10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding

Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.
Train all health care staff in the skills necessary to implement this policy.
Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth.
Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation, even if they are separated from their infants.
Give infants no food or drink other than breast-milk, unless medically indicated.
Practice rooming in – allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day.
Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
Give no pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants.
Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or birth center.

The 4-D Pathway to Baby-Frienldy Designation

The 4-D Pathway is a tool for facilities to use to measure their progress along the journey that leads to Baby-Friendly designation. To achieve the Baby-Friendly designation, facilities first register with Baby-Friendly USA. They then complete all of the requirements in each of the four phases of the process. Ultimately, the facility demonstrates that they have attained the gold standard of maternity practices that support optimal infant nutrition during an on-site assessment.

Below are the 13 Oklahoma Hospitals that are in the BBFOK program and their current status in their journey to becoming Baby-Friendly.

Oklahoma's Baby-Friendly Designated Hospitals

Claremore Indian Hospital, Claremore, OK (6/2018)
Hillcrest Medical Center, Tulsa, OK (06/2018)
Cherokee Nation W. W. Hastings Hospital, Tahlequah, OK (07/2015)
Integris Baptist Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK (01/2015)
Integris Health Edmond, Edmond, OK (05/2016)
St. Anthony Hospital, Oklahoma City, OK (11/2016)
Chickasaw Nation Medical Center, Ada, OK (05/2017)
Comanche County Memorial Hospital, Lawton, OK (10/2015)
Integris Canadian Valley Hospital (02/2019)

BBFOK Hospitals

10. The Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center - Designation Phase

11. Duncan Regional Hospital - Dissemination Phase

12. Integris Southwest Medical Center - Dissemination Phase

13. St. Anthony Shawnee - Dissemination Phase

Request More BBFOK Information

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The four phases of the 4-D Pathway are as follows: DISCOVERY- The Learning Phase; DEVELOPMENT- The Planning Phase; DISSEMINATION - The Implementing Phase; DESIGNATION - The Assessing Phase. Click here for a 4-D Pathway PDF

Becoming Baby-Friendly in Oklahoma (BBFOK)

At the Oklahoma Breastfeeding Resource Center (OBRC), we help facilitate a state-wide effort called "Becoming Baby-Friendly in Oklahoma" (BBFOK). Our goal is to help Oklahoma hospitals improve maternity care and increase the number of "Baby-Friendly" hospitals in Oklahoma. This initiative is funded by the Oklahoma State Department of Health through the Maternal and Child Health Service. Partners include the Oklahoma Hospital Association, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Office of Perinatal Quality Improvement, and University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. OBRC will support you, your staff and facility leaders throughout your journey to becoming Baby-Friendly in Oklahoma.

Starting your BBFOK journey is easy! Just a few simple steps.

Sign up with OBRC to participate in the BBFOK project. (No cost!)
Begin implementing the 10 steps to successful breastfeeding.
Register with Baby-Friendly USA.

Benefits to joining BBFOK:

Assistance and guidance from OBRC
Free in-person staff training by OBRC
Discount on online training for hospital staff
National recognition for Baby-Friendly Designation
Reimbursement of fees to BFUSA by Ok State Department of Health, saving your facility $9,500

Becoming Baby-Friendly in Oklahoma Webinars

As part of the continuing care to help Oklahoma hospitals on their baby-friendly journey, the Oklahoma Breastfeeding Resource Center gives monthly webinars on various topics related to the Ten Steps of Successful Breastfeeding, as well as other implementation topics of interest to the Baby-Friendly Pathway.

Webinars are typically held the 2nd Wednesday of every month*, at 12:00pm (CDT).

2019 Schedule

January - Tour the New OBRC Website
February - We prepare for the 7th Annual BBFOK Summit
March - Evidence on Baby-Friendly Steps 7 & 8
April - No Webinar. The OBRC Newsletter will be distributed instead.
May - Tour the New Online Training System
June - Evidence on Baby-Friendly Steps 9 &10