Featured Program Vignette

Our Journey to Baby Friendly Project

There is nothing quite like a great start to anything. This is important for all of us, and particularly important for the newborn child entering this world. Imagine…a child beginning her life with the best possible start. Without a doubt this involves the mother’s nurturing and love, and perhaps the next best component for complimenting this is the mother’s ability to breastfeed the child. Experts contend that breast milk is the finest nutritional choice for an infant, and engineered by nature to give each individual child a strong healthy start as it defends against infections, protects against chronic conditions and prevents allergies. Arguably, breastfeeding wholeheartedly supports, and is supported by, the nurturing process.

Every child, if possible, should be breastfed exclusively for a period of six months as suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is a vision shared by the dedicated staff working with the Our Journey Towards Baby-Friendly Project funded by the Imperial County Children and Families First Commission through Pioneers Memorial Health Care District, a local hospital located in the City of Brawley. Because of the importance of breastfeeding and the local conditions related to this process, the Project works to increase the number of mothers that breastfeed their babies during the early postpartum period and emphasizes continuing up until babies are 5-6 months old.

Our Journey Towards Baby-Friendly Project provides support to expectant women receiving care through Obstetrician and Pediatric offices prior to delivery. One of the important objectives for Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District, through this support, is to offer every expectant mother intending to deliver their child at the hospital with breastfeeding information, support and supplies in order to increase the proportion of women exclusively breastfeeding their newborn upon discharge. In 2006, prior to the services offered through lactation support and education Projects funded by the Commission, the in-hospital exclusive breastfeeding rate was 5.2%. As a result of the assistance delivering mothers have received by staff working on the Project, exclusive breastfeeding rates as of the second quarter of the year have increase to almost 40% for Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District.

All Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District maternity nursing staff members are specially trained as lactation consultants and educators to help new mothers establish breastfeeding objectives and support their individual needs.  Certified lactation consultants/educators are available through the Our Journey Towards Baby-Friendly Project and can help new mothers answer any questions and offer guidance with challenging breastfeeding problems such as: latch difficulties, sore nipples, Mastitis (an infection affecting breast tissue), insufficient milk supply, breastfeeding a premature baby, slow weight gain in the infant, breastfeeding an infant with cleft lip/palate and induced lactation for adopted infants. 

Breastfeeding supplies and other lactation support items are available at Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District.  In addition, the hospital offers a breast pump loan program for eligible mothers that need assistance with the breastfeeding process.  For more information related to breastfeeding/lactation education please contact Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District’s Our Journey Towards Baby-Friendly Project at the following telephone number: (760) 351-4502

For a listing of other Proposition 10 funded Projects featured by the Commission click here.