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Organization: Providence Holy Cross Medical Center
Date: September 5, 2008
Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Helping Provide the Best for Babies
Mission Hills (Sept. 5, 2008) — Nearly two-thirds of babies born at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center are nourished exclusively with breast milk, making the Mission Hills hospital one of the top four in Los Angeles County where newborns are provided with the best possible nutrition.
According to a study released this week by the UC Davis Human Lactation Center, 91.5 percent of babies born in 2007 at Providence Holy Cross were breast-fed in the hospital, 61.4 percent exclusively. The numbers for 2008 are even better with 95 percent of new mothers breastfeeding their newborns upon leaving the hospital, said Sheri Mendelson, a registered nurse and lactation consultant.
The goal is exclusive breast-feeding to ensure the best for infants, according to the study.
In the last two years, both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology have endorsed exclusive breastfeeding as the optimal way to nourish and care for infants, particularly because it protects their immune systems.
Holy Cross was among 59 hospitals nationwide designated a year ago as "Baby-Friendly" by a global organization for its efforts to encourage and promote breast-feeding. The Mission Hills hospital was the only medical center in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita, Simi and Antelope valleys to receive the designation from the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund.
