Board certified in both Obstetrics & Gynecology and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Hospital Commander Col. (Dr.) Peter Nielsen severs the ribbon in a ceremony birthing GLWACH's new "Serenity Room" for use by breastfeeding patients and hospital staff. Capt....
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- A new breastfeeding room for moms opened at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital following a ribbon-cutting ceremony recently.
Hospital Commander and Board-Certified Obstetrics & Gynecology and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Physician, Col. (Dr.) Peter Nielsen, severed the ribbon birthing the new "Serenity Room" located on the 6th floor.
Room 612 is designed to be a serene, private space for patients and employees to breastfeed or pump at work.
"We have an obligation as an organization that employs women and takes care of women to have a place to breastfeed," said Col. (Dr.) Peter Nielsen, GLWACH's hospital commander. "This is part of that effort."
"You don't need to have an appointment to use it. Just flip the sign to "Occupied" and close the door," said Capt. Kirsten Ouimette, GLWACH hospital company commander.
The room is equipped with cabinet and drawer space to store breast pumps, a mini-fridge with a freezer to store breast milk, a reclining chair, and a soothing sound machine for relaxation.
Ouimette, a new mom herself, conceived and led the effort to find and outfit a relaxing and comfortable room at the hospital to facilitate lactation for patients and fellow coworkers.
"You have to have a stress-free place to relax and maintain serene, calm thought and meditation to lactate," Ouimette said. "Guys--and even expectant mothers--may not realize that breastfeeding isn't as easy as just attaching a baby or a pump to a breast. If you are stressed or in an uncomfortable environment and attach the pump, the pump can pump, but nothing will come out."
A female Soldier told Ouimette that she had been accidently walked-in on numerous times while pumping in her section because there was no private area to pump.
"When the Soldier told me that her breast milk, stored in proper containers in the department's refrigerator, was thrown out several times by her male coworkers who thought it was gross, I was horrified," Ouimette said. "I had my own office to pump, and I realized that there was no quiet, private, sanitary location for an employee to pump or a patient to breastfeed before or after an appointment," Ouimette said.
The benefits of breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is generally healthier for mom and baby, and cost-effective for families and organizations.
"Breastfeeding itself has enormous healthcare and family bonding potential," Nielsen said. "There are proven healthcare benefits from breastfeeding that are long lasting--not just for the infant but beyond that there are benefits for the mother."
Womenshealth.gov reports that women who breastfeed have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, certain types of breast cancer, and ovarian cancer.
Research also suggests that breastfed babies have lower risks of asthma, childhood leukemia, childhood obesity, ear infections, eczema, diarrhea and vomiting, respiratory infections, necrotizing enterocolitis (a disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract in pre-term infants), and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), according to the website.
Families save money on both formula costs and healthcare. Organizations save money because women who continue to nurse after returning to work tend to have better health, use fewer sick days, have higher morale, and have the potential to return from maternity leave sooner knowing that they can continue to provide breast milk for their babies.
The Army's System for Health supports breastfeeding
"Breastfeeding for the longest period of time that's possible and appropriate for the mom and baby, and based on the pediatrician and family medicine doctor's guidance, is what the hospital, what the Army's System for Health, and what our Medical Home needs to support," Nielsen said.
The Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization, that accredits and certifies more than 20,500 health care organizations and programs in the United States, has prioritized its perinatal core measures to emphasize exclusive breastfeeding at discharge for women who desire it and don't have a medical reason why they can't, Nielsen said.
Both the Leonard Wood Medical Home and the Ozark Family-Centered Medical Home have received Level 3 Certification by the Joint Commission, the highest certification possible for a Medical Home.
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