What is Stepping Up for Utah Babies?

Stepping Up for Utah Babies (SUUB) helps hospitals in Utah apply the World Health Organization's 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. It guides hospitals as they help give families the support, skills, and knowledge they need to successfully start and continue their breastfeeding journeys.

How the program works

First, a hospital gets training from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

DHHS provides training, guidance, support, and resources to help the hospital reach each of the 10 steps to successful breastfeeding. Hospitals should work on 1 or 2 steps at a time, in any order they choose. It takes some time to fully implement a step and how long it takes depends on the unique situation of the hospital. 

After a step has been in place for 6 months, data related to that step is collected and sent to DHHS. If the data meets certain thresholds, the hospital is certified in that step.

Once a hospital is certified in all 10 steps, they are designated as a Breastfeeding Friendly Facility. Hospitals who reach this designation receive a certificate of achievement and a plaque to display in the facility. They will also be added to the list of participating facilities below, which families may refer to when they choose birthing hospitals that support their breastfeeding goals. DHHS publicly recognizes participating hospitals through news releases and social media posts. 

Hospitals can work on each one of the steps at their own pace. DHHS provides support and education based on the unique needs of each hospital. 

Once a hospital is designated as breastfeeding friendly, re-certification is required every 2 years with submission of recent data to make sure practices have been maintained.

There is no cost for program participation, and there are no requirements for how hospitals buy formula or give formula samples to patients.

If your hospital wants to participate in the program or learn more about it, call 801-273-2950.

The 10 steps to successful breastfeeding

Below are the 10 steps to successful breastfeeding that Stepping Up for Utah Babies helps hospitals implement:

1. Have a written infant feeding policy that is communicated to staff and patients.
2. Make sure staff have knowledge and skills to support breastfeeding.
3. Teach parents about the benefits and how to manage breastfeeding.
4. Allow for skin-to-skin contact as soon as possible after birth.
5. Support parents as they start and maintain breastfeeding and manage common problems.
6. Do not give breastfed infants any food other than breastmilk unless there is a medical reason.
7. Keep parents and infants together 24 hours a day while in the hospital.
8. Teach parents to recognize and respond to their infant's feeding cues.
9. Do not give artificial nipples or pacifiers to breastfeeding infants.
10. Provide parents with breastfeeding support resources upon discharge.