Juggling feeding, getting to know their newborn, and recovering from childbirth is enough to wear out even the most excited new parent. Plus, while everyone is jockeying to take snaps of the new little one in an adorable onesie, moms deserve some pampering too.

That's why every afternoon in the Cedars-Sinai maternity unit, the aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies wafts through the air. Fresh-from-the-oven cookies and milk are a special daily snack for new moms and for expecting mothers on bedrest.

"We've been doing it forever," says Cherry Zhuang, a dietitian who works with the third-floor kitchen crew that delivers the cookies. "It's legendary."

Like every team working in healthcare, the food services workers and dietitians periodically talk about how they can be more efficient or improve their workflows. Sometimes they think about trying different snacks or meals for patients. But Cherry says the chocolate chip cookies are always considered non-negotiable because patients love them so much.

The cookies are Otis Spunkmeyer brand, delivered to the hospital as unbaked nuggets of dough. They're baked right in the kitchen on the third floor.

The secret to making them extra special: The crew stacks two chocolate-studded servings together for a bigger, richer, moister cookie. For patients who can't eat gluten or keep a kosher diet, they stock an alternative cookie that meets patients' dietary restrictions.

Anyone in the hospital craving a cookie can order one from the kitchen on their floor, provided they're not on a special diet as part of their treatment. For maternity patients, the afternoon indulgence has been a Cedars-Sinai tradition for decades.

While a baby's first days bring plenty of warm and sweet moments, they also include many exhausting ones, too. The chocolate chip treats are a sweet break for new moms.