Pennsylvania Hospital (PAH) has been selected to participate in Best Fed Beginnings, a first-of-its-kind national effort to significantly improve breastfeeding rates in states where rates are currently the lowest.
Although breastfeeding is one of the most effective preventive health measures for infants and mothers, half of US-born babies (http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/BreastFeeding) are given formula within the first week, and by nine months, only 31 percent of babies are breastfeeding at all. Together, PAH and Best Fed Beginnings seek to reverse these trends by dramatically increasing the number of US hospitals implementing a proven model for maternity services that better supports a new mother's choice to breastfeed. The National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality (NICHQ) is leading the effort through a cooperative funding agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and working closely with Baby-Friendly USA, Inc.