Guest column: Show your support for breastfeeding in our community
It is well-established that breastfeeding is vitally important to the health and wellbeing of new babies and their parents. The nutrients and antibodies in breast milk help babies fight illness, infection, and other potential health threats, and breastfeeding helps new moms bond with their babies. The recent shortage of baby formula across the United States has also highlighted the importance of breastfeeding for those who are able.
This month, Community Memorial Health System invites you to join us in celebrating National Breastfeeding Awareness Month. For nearly five years, Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura has enjoyed international recognition as a Designated Baby-Friendly birth facility for meeting rigorous criteria to encourage breastfeeding, and for offering high-level care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. Community Memorial Hospital has also repeatedly been recognized by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners and the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) for excellence in breastfeeding care, and for their work helping families overcome breastfeeding challenges.
In addition to the work we do at the hospital, each and every member of our community has a role to play in helping to raise a new generation of healthy children by supporting breastfeeding. Here’s how you can help:
Family and friends: Once a new mom comes home from the hospital with her baby, you can help with errands and chores, and by providing the family with healthy meals. Partners and spouses can help with newborn care, bringing the baby to mom for feedings at night, making sure mom is hydrated and fed, and ensuring she has time for recovery and self-care.
The public: Breastfeeding should be viewed as normal. A mother nursing her baby in public shows much less of her body than you’ll see at the beach any summer day. The more people that regard breastfeeding as normal, the more women will feel empowered to breastfeed. Next time you see a woman breastfeeding in public, remember she has a hungry child to feed. Give her a smile, a nod, or a thumbs-up, and think of all the health benefits you are giving our future generation by supporting her.
Hospitals and healthcare workers: Support women throughout their pregnancy, labor and delivery experiences. They need access to prenatal care, good nutrition, and mental health resources. Healthy newborns should have immediate skin-to-skin contact with mom — this increases the mother’s lactation hormone and signals her body to produce milk. It also encourages baby to start breastfeeding. New moms should also have the support they need to be healthy and stress-free.
Employers: State and federal laws are in place that allow breastfeeding women to express breast milk during work hours and require employers to provide a safe, clean environment to do so. New moms should also have adequate time off from work to recover from labor and delivery and establish their milk supply. Breastfeeding Awareness Month is a good time for business owners and companies to review their policies to ensure they are doing all they can. Learn more about employers’ responsibilities from the State of California Department of Industrial Relations: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Lactation_Accommodation.htm.
This is critical: New mothers should be encouraged to see a Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) as soon as they feel it might be necessary. Good resources in Ventura County include: Breastfeeding Coalition of Ventura County (https://breastfeedventura.org/home) and Community Memorial Health System (https://www.cmhshealth.org/services/maternity-delivery/).
To align with the World Health Organization’s recommendations, the American Academy of Pediatricians recently revised their breastfeeding recommendations to include breastfeeding for up to two years or more if desired. Ongoing support from family, friends, employers, and the public is vital to this effort.
Sheila Dedrick, MSN, RN, IBCLC, is a registered nurse, international board-certified lactation consultant and certified hypno-birthing educator. She manages the Community Memorial Health System New Parent Resource Center at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Guest column: Show your support for breastfeeding in our community
