Oh baby!

In a combined initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx (NCB) has been deemed “baby friendly.”

“The ‘Baby Friendly’ designation demonstrates that North Central Bronx provides the highest levels of care to both mothers and babies,” acting hospital chief executive officer Maureen Pode said. “Patients are in the best hands from the moment they walk through our doors as we set the standard in supporting and maintaining excellence in maternity and neonatal care,” she said.

The label was designed to recognize hospitals that demonstrate a high level of infant care, particularly breastfeeding.

In creating the “baby-friendly” label, the two organizations sought to encourage hospitals to offer quality care for breastfeeding mothers and their children. The designation is awarded only after a thorough on-site investigation is completed and reviewed every five years.

The hospital must also meet several critical patient standards, including immediate skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby following birth, allowing babies to remain with their mothers 24 hours a day, and providing connections with local breastfeeding support groups. Baby friendly hospitals need to provide continued education to patients and staff on the benefits of breastfeeding.

Since NCBH resumed its labor and delivery service in 2014, over 1600 babies have been delivered. The hospital is the fourth medical center under the NYC Health + Hospitals system to earn the status of “Baby Friendly” and the 344th in the nation.