Encouraging and Supporting Breastfeeding: From the NYC DOH
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene publishes a monthly newsletter for clinicians entitled City Health Information. The March 2008 issue is devoted to Encouraging and Supporting Breastfeeding and is an excellent resource.
That is the good news…
The bad news is that so few women in New York breastfeed. The Health People 2010 goal for the US is that 60% of mothers exclusively breastfeed for at least the first three months of life. In New York City 85% of mothers start breastfeeding, but by 2 months only 26% of them are still exclusively breastfeeding.
This is an odd situation because breastfeeding has numerous health benefits for both babies and mothers. In addition, it saves $1000 a year in formula costs. And there are only a handful of absolute contraindications: infants with galactosemia; mothers who use illegal drugs; mothers with HIV, HTLV-I or II, or active herpetic lesion; and mothers on certain medicines (thyrotoxins, some chemotherapies and radioactive isotopes).
Why then do so few women breastfeed? This is clearly not simply an individual failing, a bad “lifestyle choice.” In 1991 UNICEF and WHO set out 10 breastfeeding policies that would identify a “baby friendly” hospital. These included the facilitation of rooming in, exclusive breast milk (unless formula was medically indicated), not providing pacifiers and artificial nipples, and the training of staff in breastfeeding promotion. It is disturbing that not one New York Hospital has been designated “baby friendly.” Why not?
City Health Information provides information on how to promote breastfeeding, how to address common questions and misconceptions about breastfeeding, the practicality of breast milk storage and use as well as New York City-specific resources such as newborn home visits.
Highly recommended for all clinicians, not just those from New York City. [Free CME is also available]
I live in The Bronx and am breastfeeding a toddler. I am training to be a doula and am very interested in promoting natural birth and feeding, especially in my area. What can I do?
Rina-
Here are a number of ideas:
1- Encourage and support all moms who you see breastfeeding in your neighborhood.
2- Get involved with the Bronx La Leche league. Contact person Victoria: 718-884-6030, Mia 718-543-0314, and Deborah 718-548-7837
3-Become a breastfeeding peer counselor. You might try and contact either Carmen Winchester-Reed (cwinches@montefiore.org) who works at Montefiore WIC, or Karla Lewis (klewis@montefiore.org) who works with Morrisania WIC. Both are IBCLCs (breastfeeding educators with extensive training) who supervise peer counselors.
4- Check out your local pharmacies. If they don’t already, ask them to consider becoming a pump rental station. There are just a limited number of places where women can rent hospital grade pumps in the Bronx.
Good luck!