Breastfeeding and New Jersey Maternity Hospitals:
A Comparative Report

For Further Information, Contact:
Florence Rotondo, Breastfeeding Coordinator
WIC Program, PO Box 364, Trenton, NJ 08625-0364
609-777-7746

Breastfeeding is universally accepted as optimal for infant, maternal and public health— it provides superior nutrition, prevents disease, and enhances infant development.  The choice to breastfeed is personal, but that choice can either be supported or undermined by what happens in the hospital in the first few days after delivery.

The full report summarizes the evidence and rationale for making New Jersey’s maternity hospitals the focus of redoubled efforts to increase breastfeeding among all new mothers.

This report compares hospitals on breastfeeding outcomes, using an improved methodology that accounts for patient mix differences among hospitals [statewide table; regional comparisons].

The report also includes a model self-assessment tool and a list of resources that will allow hospitals to begin the process of enhancing breastfeeding through their core maternity care policies and practices.
The report was produced by the Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Program, with  endorsement by:

• New Jersey Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
• New Jersey Office on Women’s Health
• New Jersey Office on Nutrition and Fitness                 

 
New Jersey Breastfeedi ng Task Force, Inc.