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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Valley Hospital Seeking ‘Baby-Friendly’ Status

Antelope Valley Hospital this month will begin a new program to improve maternity care in hospitals by helping mothers and babies breastfeed as the hospital works to obtain a “Baby-Friendly” designation. The 420-bed Lancaster hospital joins 89 other hospitals nationwide in Best Fed Beginnings, a national effort by the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality and supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The hospitals were selected from 235 applicants to participate in the 22-month learning collaborative, and represent the 29 states with the lowest breastfeeding rates and highest rates of supplementation with formula during hospital stay. “We recognize that for women who plan to breastfeed, the hospital experience strongly influences a mother’s ability to start and continue breastfeeding,” said Edward Mirzabegian, the hospital’s CEO. “We are committed to implementing evidence-based care through the ‘Baby-Friendly’ designation process. This will ensure that mothers delivering in our facility who intend to breastfeed are fully supported.” The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is a global effort sponsored by the World Health Organization and UNICEF to improve breastfeeding rates around the world. Hospitals with the “Baby-Friendly” designation in the greater San Fernando Valley include: Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center, Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers in Panorama City and Woodland Hills, and Valley Care Olive View – UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar, according to Baby-Friendly USA’s website. Last year, Antelope Valley Hospital (AVH) had 5,376 deliveries. It has a unit called the Women and Infants Pavilion, where labor and delivery, neonatal intensive care and couplet care are housed, according to Clinical Nurse Specialist Sandi Shead, who works in the unit. The goal is to keep mothers and babies together as much as possible, and only separate them if medically necessary, she said. “There’s a lot of excitement and energy among the staff about (the program),” Shead said. “We have a diverse community here that is known to have lower breastfeeding rates and health disparities. We have recognized that it’s best for moms and babies to breastfeed exclusively for at least six months.” Doing so can reduce sudden infant death syndrome, childhood obesity, diabetes and asthma, Shead said, adding that children who were breastfed tend to be healthier and miss fewer school days. Although breastfeeding is among the more effective preventive health measures for infants and mothers, half of U.S.-born babies are given formula within the first week, and by nine months only 31 percent are breastfeeding at all, AVH said in a release that cited data from the CDC. Shead said mothers who breastfeed often supplement with formula, but the goal is exclusivity. She added that it is rare for a mother to breastfeed exclusively through her discharge from the hospital, which is typically 24 to 48 hours after giving birth. “The culture of our country hasn’t supported (breastfeeding) in the last 20 years,” Shead said. “If you can change the life of just one (mother and child), that’s pretty remarkable.” The Best Fed Beginnings program is funded by a portion of a $6 million grant that the CDC awarded to the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality. AVH’s cost to participate in the Best Fed program was not available. Nurses providing the care will each receive 20 hours of education. The program will be conducted partially through webinars, with some travel to training sessions, Shead said. “The outcomes will outweigh any costs,” said Marcey Jorgenson, the hospital’s chief nursing officer. “With the number of births here it is a significant portion of our services, so it’s a commitment to our community.” Fewer than 4 percent of U.S. hospitals provide the full range of support mothers need to be able to breastfeed, according to the CDC, and only 14 percent of hospitals have a written breastfeeding policy. Hospitals are assessed for the “Baby-Friendly” designation after they have implemented the program’s “10 steps to successful breastfeeding,” said Liz Westwater, project manager for Baby-Friendly USA. Hospitals that meet the criteria receive the designation. Hospital improvements are monitored annually to maintain the designation.

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