Hospitals that are recognized as Missouri Show‑Me 5 Hospitals are dedicated to improving breastfeeding and maternity care for Missouri moms and babies.
The five practices in the Show‑Me 5 Hospital Initiative have the biggest impact on breastfeeding initiation and duration. Show-Me 5 Hospitals follow five steps that come from the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.
Missouri Show-Me 5 Hospital Practices
- Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within the first hour of birth by placing baby skin-to-skin with mom and offering education and support.
- Practice rooming in, allowing infants to stay in the same room as their mothers, so that mom and baby have plenty of chances to learn to breastfeed.
- Give breastfed infants no food or drink other than breast milk, unless medically indicated or requested by parents.
- Do not give pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants. Use other feeding methods if a supplemental feeding is medically indicated or requested.
- Establish breastfeeding support groups or coordinate with community support and refer mothers to support at discharge.
These practices help mothers reach their feeding goals. Starting with five of the ten steps is an effective way for hospitals to work toward becoming fully Baby-Friendly. Each hospital in Missouri should strive to achieve all ten steps, but the Show-Me 5 Initiative will help many Missourians nourish the newest members of their families.
Apply to be a Show-Me 5 Hospital
The Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria provides specific information on each of the Missouri Show-Me 5 hospital practices and how to evaluate if a birthing facility meets the criteria. The Self-Appraisal Tool is used for birthing facilities to review current maternity care policies and practices in optimal feeding and help assess where their facility is in the process.
Facilities ready to apply should complete the application for the Missouri Show-Me 5 Hospital Initiative and send it and the Self-Appraisal to the contact on the application.
If you have questions or would like a printed copy of the Missouri Show-Me 5 resource kit or poster, please contact the State Breastfeeding Coordinator at Lisa.Schlientz@health.mo.gov or 573-751-6468.
Healthcare Providers & Breastfeeding
Hospital practices and healthcare provider offices have a huge impact on a family’s infant feeding decision and the success of breastfeeding. As a healthcare provider, your role is to educate and encourage women to breastfeed and then support them in reaching their infant feeding goals. You can also serve as a breastfeeding champion in your community or at your local hospital by helping moms and hospitals adopt practices to support breastfeeding.
To help a mother plan for her ideal hospital experience and feeding goals, the breastfeeding plan can be filled out and shared with her family and healthcare providers.
Evidence-Based Maternity Care Practices
- The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative
- The Joint Commission’s Perinatal Care Core Measure Set
- Ban the Bags Initiative
- The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine Protocols (ABM)
- United States Breastfeeding Committee
- National WIC Association – “NWA National Breastfeeding Strategic Plan”
- National WIC Association – Position papers on breastfeeding and maternal and child health
Find Show-Me 5 Hospitals
To earn the Show-Me 5 Hospital designation, Missouri hospitals must follow five of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding from the Baby‑Friendly Hospital Initiative. Some may follow all practices and are labeled as completely Baby-Friendly.
| Hospital | Address | Date Recognized |
|---|---|---|
| Barnes Jewish Hospital* | 1 Parkview Place, St. Louis | October 2016 |
| Capital Region Medical Center | 1125 Madison St., Jefferson City | January 2014 |
| Cox Medical Center Branson | 525 Branson Landing Blvd., Branson | January 2018 |
| Cox Medical Center South | 3801 S. National Ave., Springfield | January 2018 |
| Fitzgibbon Hospital | 2305 S. 65 Highway, Marshall | July 2014 |
| Hannibal Regional Hospital* | 6000 Hospital Dr., Hannibal | May 2012 |
| Hedrick Medical Center | 2799 N. Washington St., Chillicothe | June 2019 - July 2023 |
| Lake Regional Health System | 54 Hospital Dr., Osage Beach | January 2015 |
| Liberty Hospital | 2525 Glenn Hendren Dr., Liberty | October 2014 |
| Mercy Hospital Lebanon | 100 Hospital Dr., Lebanon | February 2016 |
| Mercy Hospital Springfield | 1235 E. Cherokee St., Springfield | March 2014 |
| Mercy Hospital St. Louis | 615 S. New Ballas Rd., St. Louis | January 2024 |
| Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center* | 3100 Oak Grove Rd., Poplar Bluff | September 2018 |
| Progress West Hospital | 2 Progress Point Pkwy, O’Fallon | August 2025 |
| SSM Health DePaul Hospital - St. Louis* | 12303 DePaul Dr., Bridgeton | July 2023 |
| SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Fenton* | 1015 Bowles Ave., Fenton | April 2023 |
| SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital - Lake Saint Louis* | 100 Medical Plaza, Lake Saint Louis | December 2023 |
| SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital | 2505 Mission Dr., Jefferson City | October 2015 |
| SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital - St. Louis* | 6420 Clayton Rd., St. Louis | October 2019 |
| St. Luke’s East | 100 NE. Saint Luke’s Blvd., Lee’s Summit | May 2018 |
| St. Luke’s North | 5830 NW. Barry Rd., Kansas City | November 2018 |
| University Health Lakewood Medical Center | 7900 Lee’s Summit Rd., Kansas City | June 2018 |
| University Health Truman Medical Center | 2301 Holmes St., Kansas City | May 2014 |
| University of Missouri Health Care - Birthing Center* | 404 Keene St., Columbia | October 2014 |