An outlet for nursing women planning to return to work or who are already back at work, striving to create more resources for parents and care centers,
Usually lactation consultants work in the hospital and visit with women several times after birth to help mothers get off to a good start and establish a good supply, this is because we see 1/3 of mothers wean their infants 10 days after giving birth. Something we seem to let go more unnoticed is the amount of women we see wean their children when they return to the workforce or shortly after. Sin
ce we currently to not have optimal maternity leave in the U.S. the goal is to help children make the transfer from home to childcare settings easier on mother and child which most often occurs around a very early 3 months of age. Why have Breastfeeding Friendly Childcare centers?
57.3% of all mothers with children under 1 are in the workforce (The Center For Breastfeeding, Healthy Children 2015). In Colorado, of the 81.0% of mothers that initiate breastfeeding at day one-by 3 months of age only 55% are exclusively breastfed, and by 6 months only 25.8% are still exclusively breastfed ( WHO recommends 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding and continuing to 2 years and beyond with complementary foods introduced after 6 months)
We see a significant drop in breastfeeding around 10-12 weeks (Average maternity leave time for mothers correlates with this time period) Statistically the first month they begin work is when working mothers are most likely to discontinue breastfeeding (The Center For Breastfeeding, Healthy Children 2015) This is where childcare centers can and should play a huge role in supporting mothers. Single mothers or mothers with no family nearby for support may not have any body to reach out to for support or know of what resources she has in her community. Her childcare center may be the only outlet she has to get the little extra support she needs to meet her goals. Updating Policies and Training for infant room staff may allow families to feel more comfortable and confident in reaching breastfeeding goals
