Opinion: Protecting breastfeeding: a shared responsibility

World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) occurs the first week of August and represents a global celebration of breastfeeding efforts. This year’s theme focuses on how breastfeeding contributes to the survival, health and well-being of all, and the imperative to protect breastfeeding worldwide.

According to the #WBW2021 Campaign, breastfeeding must be considered a public health issue that requires investment at all levels. “It is a shared responsibility to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding to achieve sustainable development,” stated on the WBW website.

Most of us might not realize that protecting breastfeeding is an uphill battle long before the baby is born. As a matter of fact, it goes back to the moment a woman finds herself pregnant. In the age of social media data mining, big baby formula manufacturers send out free formula samples as soon as a woman reads an online article about pregnancy, joins a social media moms’ group, signs up for an account in a pregnancy tracking app, etc.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federal assistance program of the Food and Nutrition Service of the United States Department of Agriculture for healthcare and nutrition of low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and children under the age of five.

Whether a WIC participating mom is learning about breastfeeding, starting to breastfeed, overcoming challenges, or thriving, WIC provides research-based information, scientific resources and non-judgmental support to help moms meet their individual breastfeeding goals.

The Breastfeeding Peer Counselor program at WIC offers moms who are interested in breastfeeding nonjudgmental support throughout their pregnancies and breastfeeding journeys. As Breastfeeding Peer Counselors, Sierra Hulbert and I are trained in breastfeeding and have firsthand experience breastfeeding our own children. We work with WIC’s Breastfeeding Coordinator to help support breastfeeding WIC participants whenever they need the support.

According to the CDC, hospitals can either help or hinder mothers and babies as they begin to breastfeed. Even mothers who want to breastfeed have a hard time without hospital support; about 1 mother in 3 stops early without the support.

The breastfeeding team at Cayuga Medical Center currently has 6 Certified Lactation Counselors (CLC) and 3 International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC). They help protect breastfeeding by providing bedside support to new families, assisting with lactation initiation, and developing plans and goals for common challenges in the early days of feeding a new baby.

“We hope that families will feel well-prepared for their lactation journey when they are discharged from CMC, and we want them to feel proud of their success,” said Summer Killian, RN, IBCLC.

Killian works at the Birthplace at Cayuga Medical Center. She also volunteers her time to counsel at WIC’s weekly breastfeeding support group.

New York State Laws require all public and private employers in New York State to provide breastfeeding mothers with break time to pump breast milk at work at least once every three hours for 20 minutes each break. In most cases, the employer must provide the nursing mother with a private room that has a door with a functional lock.

From my experience working as a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor at WIC, I have heard from a lot of breastfeeding mothers who have received tremendous support and understanding from their employers. Unfortunately, there are still breastfeeding mothers who are in situations where their employers provide only the bare minimum required by the laws.

For example, some moms must use a storage closet where they are only provided with two chairs — one to sit on and the other to put their pump on. Some moms get walked in on while they are pumping at work. Some moms must wash their pump parts in the bathroom sink.

Unfortunately, not having a private room to pump breast milk in is not the only factor that discourages breastfeeding moms from pumping at work; it is also coworkers who may be resentful of the breaks and supervisors who may not understand and express microaggressions towards the moms.

We must do better at raising awareness of breastfeeding in the workplace and there are resources available. Refer to the Making It Work Toolkit [t.ly/6CnJ] for creative ways to promote and support breastfeeding in the workplace.

It takes a village to raise a child. It takes all levels of the community to help support a mother’s choice to breastfeed. This support and commitment will benefit our young and the future of our community.

More Resources:

• The Big Latch On, Friday, August 6, 2021 at 10:00 a.m., register here for a virtual link: biglatchon.org/apps/location-detail/?location_id=4062
• NYS Breastfeeding Mothers’ Bill of Rights: health.ny.gov/publications/2028.pdf
• NYS Your Right As A Nursing Mother to Pump Breastmilk at Work: t.ly/z3Za