INUVIK
The Inuvik Regional Hospital is striving to become a better starting point for babies as they come into the world by going back to the basics.

Lesa Semmler, left, Lisa Burns and Rachel Munday show off some of the hospital's achievements at a celebration for their efforts in making the facility better for babies last week. Event-goers were asked to guess the weight of the baby doll being held by Munday. - Sarah Ladik/NNSL photo

National and international programs like MORE OB (Managing Obstetrical Risks Effectively) and BFI (Baby-Friendly Initiative), along with the addition of a perinatal co-ordinating nurse practitioner, have contributed to a better culture surrounding birth and infancy within the hospital and hopefully the surrounding community.

"We've had lots of success, embedding safety culture in our staff," said team leader for acute care and emergency Lisa Burns.

"We practise emergency situations . we have regular meetings, and we've reduced our C-section rate from 40 per cent in 2009 to 15 per cent last year."

While MORE OB was launched in Inuvik seven years ago, Burns said they celebrate its successes every year, with games and snacks and an information session at the hospital itself. She said the idea is to tell the community about the changes and to recognize the work of the staff.

"We won a national patient safety award two years ago," she said, going on to explain other aspects of the program, like implementing pre-natal rounds in which a group of health care professionals across a number of fields get together and make sure they are all on the same page about pregnant women in their care.

"We make sure nothing is getting missed."

While health professionals communicating with each other may seem like a common-sense solution, it still needs to be implemented in a comprehensive and official way. Similarly, there is also a push in the hospital to promote breastfeeding in the community, something manager of nursing units and co-chair of the Baby-Friendly Initiative Lesa Semmler said can be easier said than done.

"When you see the photos of breastfeeding, it looks so calm and soothing," she said.

"The first few days are not calm and soothing."

Semmler explained that women are now being coached on how to breastfeed, why it's important and the most common challenges that can crop up.

"We're trying to make it so that it's normal," she said.

"This is why women have breasts. With BFI, it starts in the hospital. They have all the tools they need to do it successfully."

The latest addition to the team is nurse practitioner Rachel Munday, who has been co-ordinating perinatal care in the hospital since June.

"It's the sort of position that will grow as people hear and learn about it," she said.

"It all starts with pre-conception care and women taking care of themselves."

All together, the idea is to make the Inuvik Regional Hospital a better place for pregnant women and their babies, something CEO Arlene Jorgensen believes has been a success.

"This program has won awards," she said.

"We're really proud of it."

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