Oberpullendorf clinic becomes Burgenland’s first baby-friendly hospital

The Oberpullendorf Clinic is Burgenland’s first hospital to receive Baby-friendly Hospital certification under World Health Organization and UNICEF guidelines, ORF reported. The certification has been in place since the end of July.

The clinic offers family rooms where fathers can stay with the mother and child from the first day after birth, as well as breastfeeding preparation courses, breastfeeding adviser Maria Mihalkovits said.

She said three principles were particularly important: proper breastfeeding, frequent breastfeeding and the first feeding within two hours in the delivery room.

The clinic also operates a colostrum clinic. Expectant mothers learn about the importance of colostrum, or first milk, and how it can be collected before birth. Colostrum is recommended for women with gestational diabetes or those planning a caesarean section, said medical director Eva Pavelka.

Pavelka said the intensive preparation provided through the breastfeeding and colostrum clinics had made women noticeably more relaxed in recent months.

To receive the certification, all staff on the clinic’s maternity ward completed intensive training.