NC Maternity Center Breastfeeding-Friendly Designation Program
The NC Maternity Center Breastfeeding-Friendly Designation (NC MCBFD) initiative has been developed to recognize those maternity centers that have taken steps to promote, protect and support breastfeeding in their organization. A five-star system has been developed. A star is awarded for every two steps achieved in the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding as defined by the World Health Organization and Baby Friendly USA. The North Carolina initiative encourages maternity centers across the state to promote and support breastfeeding one step at a time.
Five-Star Breastfeeding-Friendly Designation
- AdventHealth Hendersonville (10/30/2026)
- Atrium Health Pineville * (04/30/2026)
- Columbus Regional Healthcare System * (10/30/2023)
- ECU Health Chowan Hospital * (10/30/2023)
- Mission Hospital-Asheville * (04/30/2026)
- Mission Hospital-McDowell * (04/30/2026)
- Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center * (04/30/2024)
- Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center * (10/30/2023)
- Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center * (04/30/2024)
- Novant Health Matthews Medical Center * (04/30/2024)
- Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center * (04/30/2024)
- Novant Health Rowan Medical Center * (04/30/2024)
- Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center * (10/30/2023)
- UNC Hospitals, North Carolina Women’s Hospital * (10/30/2023)
- Women’s Hospital-Cone Health * (10/30/2023)
* Facilities with an asterisk have achieved full Baby Friendly Designation from Baby Friendly USA.
Four-Star Breastfeeding-Friendly Designation
- Atrium Health’s Carolinas Medical Center (04/30/2024)
- Atrium Health Cleveland (04/30/2024)
- Carteret Health Care (10/30/2023)
- Central Carolina Hospital (10/30/2026)
- ECU Health Duplin (04/30/2024)
- ECU Health Roanoke Chowan Hospital (04/30/2024)
- The Outer Banks Hospital (10/30/2023)
- WakeMed Health and Hospital Cary (04/30/2024)
- WakeMed North (04/30/2024)
- WakeMed Raleigh Campus (04/30/2024)
Three-Star Breastfeeding-Friendly Designation
- Ashe Memorial Hospital (10/30/2023)
- Atrium Health Cabarrus (04/30/2026)
- CarolinaEast Medical Center (04/30/2024)
- Catawba Valley Medical Center (04/30/2024)
- Harris Regional Hospital (10/30/2026)
- UNC Health Southeastern (04/30/2024)
- Watauga Medical Center (10/30/2023)
- UNC Health Wayne (10/30/2026)
Two-Star Breastfeeding-Friendly Designation
- ECU Health North Hospital (10/30/2023)
One-Star Breastfeeding-Friendly Designation
No designated maternity centers.
Although, NCMCBFD is based on the Baby-Friendly, USA guidelines and criteria for the implementation of the World Health Organization’s Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, is different in that:
- Recognition is awarded incrementally (for every 2 steps attained) to help support a continuum of improvement
- It is local to North Carolina
- No fees associated with the designation
- No site visits required
The benefits of participating in this voluntary program include:
- Improving the health of the mother-baby dyad
- Increasing satisfaction with maternity care services in your facility
- Building momentum in your facility to move across the continuum towards achieving Baby-Friendly status
- Public recognition of your efforts towards becoming breastfeeding-friendly
- Free marketing to the public about your efforts
- Contributing to the improvement of breastfeeding initiation, duration and exclusivity in North Carolina
The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding
-
Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff;
-
Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy;
-
Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding;
-
Help all mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth;
-
Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation even if they should be separated from their infants;
-
Give newborns no food or drink other than breastmilk, unless medically indicated;
-
Practice rooming-in allow mothers and infants to remain together-24 hours per day;
-
Encourage breastfeeding on demand;
-
Give no artificial teats or pacifiers; and
-
Foster the establishment of breast-feeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic.
Each of the Baby Friendly Ten Steps is described in the application. Following each description are related questions. Many require documentation to support the answer. Options and/or examples are often given to assist you in providing acceptable documentation.
Application for the North Carolina Maternity Center Breastfeeding Friendly Designation (NC MCBFD)
- NC MCBFD Introduction
- NC MCBFD Application Instructions
- NC MCBFD Application
- NC MCBFD Expedited Application - for facilities designated as Baby Friendly by Baby Friendly, USA