Nalani O’Brien is AV’s first baby of 2019

LANCASTER – Antelope Valley Hospital staff welcomed the area’s first baby of 2019 — Nalani O’Brien — at 12:32 a.m. on Jan. 1, officials announced. Weighing in at 7 pounds, 5 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches, Nalani is the first child of Chanel Canada.

As the community’s first baby of 2019, Nalani and her mother were given a large gift basket provided by the AVH Auxiliary that included a variety of baby items, such as an infant car seat, blankets, clothes, shoes, supplies, crib accessories and stuffed animals. Founded in 1957, the Auxiliary is a group of volunteers dedicated to raising funds through the hospital gift shops, thrift shop, bake sale and other seasonal sales events.

Tens of thousands of Antelope Valley residents have been brought into the world at AVH since its doors opened in 1955. In fact, more than 4,600 newborns were delivered at AVH’s Women and Infants Pavilion in the past year alone.

The hospital was named a Breast Milk Depot in 2017, allowing nursing mothers to drop-off their donated breast milk to be used by fragile newborns in the NICU.

Four years ago AVH was designated a Baby-Friendly Birth Facility, which means that the hospital has met the gold standard in maternity care operations. AVH also has been acknowledged for its outstanding maternity services by receiving the Healthgrades® 5-Star Maternity Care Excellence Award. This award recognizes hospitals that provide consistent high-quality care for women and their babies during pregnancy, delivery and the first few days after delivery.

[Information via news release from Antelope Valley Hospital.]

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