Pregnancy is a very special time - an experience to remember forever. Whether active duty, retired or a family member, each pregnancy should be carefully planned to ensure the best outcome for baby, mom and family.

Naval Hospital (NH) Jacksonville is the first World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) certified "Baby Friendly" hospital in Northeast Florida, and babies are its specialty. With focus on educating and preparing families for a healthy start, the hospital offers a variety of choices to give expectant parents the best childbearing journey possible.

"My overall childbearing experience at Naval Hospital Jacksonville was a fantastic one," said Hospitalman Erin Mcclain, who recently gave birth at the hospital. "From the beginning of labor until discharged, the hospital's labor and delivery and maternal infant unit staff were very attentive, caring and listened to all my concerns. They really made my transition to motherhood an easy one."

To pave the way for expecting parents to have the best childbearing journey, NH Jacksonville offers a wide variety of educational classes, free of charge, to patients giving birth at its hospital, throughout the year. These classes include new Obstetrics Orientation, Baby Bootcamp, Budget for Baby (Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society), Prepared Childbirth, Breastfeeding and Infant Massage.

For expecting moms who want to have their baby using the hypnobirthing technique, NH Jacksonville offers it. And pain management options now include nitrous oxide, which is self-administered via a facemask, and has no adverse effect on mom or baby.

Babies born vaginally are delivered directly to mom in one of the hospital's family-friendly labor, delivery and recovery suites, which are equipped with all applicable fetal and maternal monitoring equipment.

For cesarean deliveries, babies are also presented directly to mom to support that all-important "skin-to-skin" care, until removed for newborn screening examinations. "Skin-to-skin" care is an emerging bonding technique that allows baby to get better acquainted with mom and increases baby's initiative to breastfeed, among other benefits. To help new moms breastfeed, board-certified lactation consultants are on-hand to work with baby and mom.

As one of the premier childbirthing facilities in northeast Florida, NH Jacksonville offers highly-skilled obstetrics, gynecologists, midwives, pediatricians and Medical Home Port teams that collaborate to provide world-class care during pregnancy, labor and postpartum to mom and baby - from birth to 18 years of age. Patients who deliver at the hospital include those enrolled with a primary care manager and Medical Home Port team at the hospital and Naval Branch Health Clinics Jacksonville, Kings Bay and Mayport.

NH Jacksonville's priority since its founding in 1941 is to heal the nation's heroes and their families. The command is comprised of the Navy's third largest hospital and five branch health clinics across Florida and Georgia. There are more than 71,000 active and retired Sailors, Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, Guardsmen and their families enrolled with a primary care manager and Medical Home Port team at one of its facilities.

For more information on NH Jacksonville's "Baby Friendly" experience, or to register for free classes, call 904-542-BABY (2229).

To learn more about the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, visit www.babyfriendlyusa.org

To find out more and to download NH Jacksonville's mobile app, visit the command website at www.med.navy.mil/sites/navalhospitaljax

For more news from Naval Hospital Jacksonville, visit www.navy.mil