# Presentation: 317892

## Putting Breastfeeding into Practice

- Lessons from the Field

- Bette Begleiter
- Maternity Care Coalition
- Philadelphia, PA

## Slide 2

## MCC Programs at a Glance

** ****Public Benefits**

**  ****Supporting **
**Pregnant, New **
**Parents**

**Early Head Start**

**Research, **
**Education **
**& Advocacy**

**Healthy Living**
-  **HIV Prevention**

**Smoke Free **
**Families**

**MOMobile**

**Healthy Start**

**PA Healthy Mothers **
**Healthy Babies**

**Immunization**

**Breastfeeding**

## System & Community Change: Breastfeeding Advisory Committee

- Committee Membership
- City and State Health Departments
- Hospitals & universities
- Lactation consultants and advocates
- WIC – representing State and counties
- City Council

- Committee Charge
- Community voice
- Identify gaps
- Identify resources
- Support campaign
- Recommendations for change

## System & Community Change: Collaboration with State

- PA Department of HealthHealthy Baby Line**1-800-986-BABY**

- Explored options
- Negotiated with State Health Department
- Accomplishments
- Healthy Baby Hotline
- Hotline staff training
- Strengthen resources
- Breastfeeding mini-grants
- Enhanced commitment to breastfeeding

## Culture ShiftBreastfeeding Friendly Business Awards

- Process
- Determine criteria
- Call for nominations
- Review & notification

## Culture ShiftBreastfeeding Friendly Business Awards

**Cigna**
**GlaxoSmithKline**
**Office of Senator Connie Williams**
**Pennsylvania Hospital**
**White Dog Café**** **

## Culture ShiftReducing Barriers Through Decal Campaign

## Reducing Barriers Through Decal Campaign

** ****Building a Breastfeeding-Friendly Business**
**For Customers/Clients:**
**Sit anywhere and enjoy a welcoming attitude while breastfeeding**
**Staff/employees trained to handle complaints**
**For Employees:**
**Time—adequate time to express milk or nurse**
**Space—accessible, safe, clean, private space**
**Support—written breastfeeding policies communicated with a welcoming attitude**
**Flexibility—accommodate each nursing mother’s unique situation **

##  MOMobile Supports Breastfeeding

- Educate
- Access resources
- Refer
- Encourage

## Voices from the Field

- Barriers
- Lack of resources
- Public humiliation and isolation
- Opposition of family and friends

*	**“**I wanted somewhere I can go that I felt comfortable.”*
*	**“**a man told me that I should go and do that in the bathroom.”*

## Activities in the Field

- Staff training
- Parent outreach meetings

- Philly knows babies were born to be breastfed.
- Philadelphia law protects your right to breastfeed.
**Philadelphia Ordinance on Breastfeeding in Public - June 12, 1997**
- It shall be an unlawful public accommodations practice:* *
- For any person being the owner, proprietor, manager, superintendent, or
- employee of any place of public accommodation, resort or amusement to:
- Prohibit a breastfeeding mother from, or segregate a
- breastfeeding mother within, any public accommodation where
- she and her baby would otherwise be authorized to be,
- irrespective of whether or not the nipple of the mother’s breast is
- covered during or incidental to breastfeeding.

- Support groups
- Advocacy

## Lessons from the Field

- Working with all three levels of government lends credibility
- Use troops already on the ground
- Breastfeeding promotion may need careful packaging

## For More Information...www.MOMobile.org/resources/breastfeeding.html