Local Hospital Participates In National Best Fed Beginnings

Virginia Baptist Hospital has joined a national effort that aims to get mothers of newborns to breastfeed. 90 hospitals across the country are participating in Best Fed Beginnings, a national program that involves hospital health care employees encouraging breastfeeding in new mothers. The 22-month initiative is receiving funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other groups. Breastfeeding has both short- and long-term health benefits for children, including the reduction of their obesity risk and the decrease of the severity of illnesses.