First maternity hospital in HCMC named Center of Excellence for Breastfeeding

Hung Vuong Maternity in Ho Chi Minh City was yesterday named Center of Excellence for Breastfeeding by the Ministry of Health and Alive & Thrive and Ireland Aid.
A nurse is guiding a mum a correct breastfeeding position (Photo: SGGP)
A nurse is guiding a mum a correct breastfeeding position (Photo: SGGP)
The hospital is the fifth facility and the first one in HCMC to receive the Center of Excellence for Breastfeeding recognition.
The rate of Vietnamese babies breastfed up to the age of six months is just 24 percent according to UNICEF data in August 2019. Breastfeeding rate is low because women lack knowledge about breastfeeding specific benefits or they think that feeding a baby with infant formula is equivalent to breast milk in terms of its health benefits; however, this belief is not correct.
Optimum breastfeeding is proven to be effective and cost-efficient in preventing child mortality and morbidity.
Hung Vuong Maternity Hospital has taken the initiative to mount consultation of breastfeeding benefits to change mothers’ awareness of breastfeeding and promote optimal breastfeeding practices in the hospital.
Specifically, the hospital hangs out poster, paintings, and video to guide mothers the breastfeeding position and benefits of it. Nurses will offer breast-feeding tips, starting with how to position the baby and make sure he or she is latching on correctly within the first hour after delivery.
Subsequently, over 70 percent of mothers in the hospital have fed their babies with breast milk and more than 90 percent of mothers have breastfed their babies at homes after discharging
In Vietnam, 95 percent of pregnant women deliver their babies in medical clinics; therefore, it is a big chance that most babies are breastfed if mothers are consulted about benefits of breastfeeding by nurses or doctors.

Other news