Mount Nittany Medical Center is delighted to unveil the most popular baby names of 2024, celebrating nearly 1,200 babies born at the facility each year.

Top Baby Names of 2024:

• Boys: Oliver, Brooks, Leo, Theodore, Ethan, Parker, Silas, John, Wesley
• Girls: Lainey, Ava, Grace, Evelyn, Harper, Ellie, Emma, Ivy, Quinn, Scarlett

In addition to this cherished tradition, Mount Nittany Medical Center’s Women and Children’s Unit continues to be recognized for exceptional care, earning a spot on Newsweek’s America’s Best Maternity Hospitals list. This prestigious designation underscores the unit’s commitment to excellence in maternal and newborn care.

This year, the unit launched an exciting initiative to continue to promote safe sleep practices. Thanks to support from the Mount Nittany Health Foundation and their generous donors, every newborn receives a sleep sack upon discharge. Sleep sacks are a simple yet effective tool in reducing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and ensuring babies sleep safely at home.

“Our team is dedicated to supporting families with the resources they need to give their little ones the best start in life,” said Jessica Lewis, MSN, RNC-OB, NE-BC, Manager, Women and Children’s Services, Mount Nittany Health. “The sleep sack program is one more way we’re helping to protect and nurture our youngest patients.”

Dr. Rachel Joseph, Pediatric Hospitalist at Mount Nittany Medical Center, continued to emphasize the importance of safe sleep education for parents and caregivers. “Establishing safe sleep habits from the start is one of the most important things families can do to protect their newborns. The sleep sacks we provide are a simple and effective way to reduce blankets in the sleep environment, thus helping to reduce the risk of SIDS.”

Mount Nittany Medical Center is also committed to empowering families through education and support:

• Online Classes: In partnership with Birthly, families can participate in virtual prenatal and postpartum classes, offering flexibility and convenience.
• HEIR (Help, Education, Immunizations, and Resources) Program: Provides critical resources for parents before and after childbirth.
• Parenting Classes and Lactation Support: Expecting and new parents can access expert advice through classes and consultations with lactation consultants and specialists.

The largest unit of its kind in the region, the Joseph V. and Suzanne P. Paterno Women and Children’s Services Unit at Mount Nittany Medical Center welcomes nearly 1,200 babies to our community each year. The Women and Children’s Services Unit combines state-of-the-art technology and clinical spaces with modern design and family-centered comforts including: six private labor and delivery rooms; two triage rooms; an advanced technology surgical suite; level I and level II nurseries; eleven private postpartum rooms; private lactation consultant area; amenities for partners, including sofa sleepers and refreshment area; and cozy family waiting areas.

You can learn more about Women and Children’s Services at mountnittany.org/services/women-and-childrens-services-unit. To learn more about how you can support the Mount Nittany Health Foundation or Women and Children’s Health Fund, please visit mountnittany.org/mount-nittany-health-foundation/giving-opportunities or call 814.234.6777.