NEWARK, New Jersey –November 1, 2012 – Mothers and families who have lost electrical power at home, have found a new way to store their breast milk for their babies still hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Children’s Hospital of New Jersey – they are bringing it to the hospital for safe refrigeration before providing it to their infant child.
Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center has one of the area hospitals largest neonatal units and promotes and encourages mothers to breast feed. Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, with their Children’s Hospital of New Jersey, offers a state-of-the art intensive care nursery and a staff of experts, offering the best care available for premature and seriously ill infantsNBIMC, along with their Children’s Hospital of New Jersey, specializes in high-risk births and has one of the area’s largest NICU’s, with nearly 50 babies there at any time. The hospital’s breast milk program is widely used and encouraged for new mothers and families.
According to Morris Cohen, MD, Director of Neonatal Medicine and Co-Director of the Regional Perinatal Center , “Breast milk is best.” He said it’s that simple when caring for and nurturing babies in the NICU. Approximately 20 families currently bring breast milk to their babies in the NICU, however, since Hurricane Sandy, additional families, without power, have brought milk for storing, to ensuring their babies continue to receive breast milk.
Dr. John A. Brennan, MD, MPH, President and Chief Executive Officer of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey said, “Our unique clinical program is a center of excellence for infants in the NICU. We are a state-designated Regional Perinatal Center for the special care required for premature infants. NBIMC and CHoNJ is also home to the areas only ECMO Unit. The NICU provides specialized care for newborns and offers New Jersey’s only Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) therapy for infants in severe respiratory distress. As a modification of cardiopulmonary bypass, ECMO aids newborns who have not responded to usual therapies such as mechanical ventilation, drugs and surgery.
NBIMC and CHoNJ encourages breast feeding as early as possible after the birth of the baby. Early initiation of breast feeding begins the important cycle of supply and demand and allows the baby to receive the benefits of colostrums, the first milk available to the baby. Colostrum is a highly concentrated food that is high in protein and low in sugar and fat and is easily digested. It contains some special properties that are capable of protecting against harmful bacteria; it acts to seal the lining of the baby’s intestines and provides the baby with increased levels of antibodies from the mother. According to Dr. Morris Cohen, “breast feeding is a vital practice for developing bonding between babies and their mother.
The Neonatal Program and the Level III NICU are part of the Regional Perinatal Center which provides highly specialized treatment to nearly 750 premature and critically ill newborns each year and receives referrals from more than 15 hospitals in New Jersey and surrounding states. The neonatal team consists of 13 board-certified neonatologists, specially trained nurse practitioners and neonatal nurses, lactation specialists, therapists, social workers, a family support specialist and technologists who work together under the principles of family-centered care. Neonatologists are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide care for these fragile newborns, meet with families and for consultations.
About NBIMC
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, (NBIMC), a 673-bed regional care teaching hospital, provides comprehensive health care to its local communities and well beyond. NBIMC has more than 800 physicians and 3,200 employees with over 300,000 outpatient visits and 25,000 admissions annually. NBIMC is fifth in the nation in the number of heart transplants with better than expected outcomes, has the only lung transplant program in New Jersey, and combined with Saint Barnabas Medical Center, both Barnabas Health affiliates, is third in the nation for kidney transplants, by volume. NBIMC received three of the top awards for 2012 by the New Jersey Hospital Association and was one of five hospitals nationwide to receive the coveted 2012 NOVA Award from the American Hospital Association. To learn more, visit us on line at www.newarkbeth.com
About CHoNJ
Children's Hospital of New Jersey, located at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and part of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, is the state's premier hospital caring for children, with specialized services to treat ill and injured children from newborn to adolescent years and has the most comprehensive pediatric cardiac care program in the region as well as preventive programs that promote wellness in the community. For a referral to a pediatrician or pediatric specialist, please call 1-888-724-7123.
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Contact:
Tracy Munford
862-236-0166
973-026-4398
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