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Maternal, Child, & Adolescent Health

   
Public Charge: What You Need to Know


MCAH Programs


Contact Information
Los Angeles County
Department of Public Health
Maternal, Child, & Adolescent Health Programs

600 S. Commonwealth Ave.,
8th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90005
Tel: (213) 639-6400
Fax: (213) 639-1034
Breastfeeding Promotion

Goal

Babies are born to breastfeed! While a mother’s milk provides the best nutrition for her baby, there are often barriers preventing a new mother from feeling ready or comfortable breastfeeding her baby. The goal of the Breastfeeding Program is to ensure that women and families have access to breastfeeding education, support and resources in the clinics and hospitals, at work or school, and in every community. 


Strategies

  • Raise awareness about the importance of breastfeeding
  • Partner with hospitals serving low-income communities in Los Angeles County to develop policies that support breastfeeding for new mothers and to achieve Baby-Friendly designation
  • Partner with community clinics to promote breastfeeding and provide breastfeeding education in both the prenatal and early postpartum periods.
  • Engage with employers to improve workplace support for nursing mothers
  • Continue to enforce the countywide lactation accommodation policy to support nursing mothers who return to work at the County
  • Offer training to child care centers and homes about breastfeeding support and accommodation for parents and employees

Information Sharing and Project Evaluation

In order for a mom to be successful at breastfeeding, she requires support from her providers, family, school, workplace and community during pregnancy, at the delivery hospital, and in the postpartum period. Successful breastfeeding also requires the mom’s commitment, which is made stronger by the support around her.”  

Promoting Baby Friendly Hospital Through funding made possible by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Community Transformation Grant, MCAH assisted maternity hospitals throughout the county to implement or improve practices that support breastfeeding. This brief identifies key program highlights.
Hospitals can receive the international Baby-Friendly designation for implementing breastfeeding best practices. This new brief examines how resources and progress toward achieving Baby-Friendly designation can impact hospitals’ ability to improve breastfeeding rates.

Although hospital exclusive breastfeeding data are not yet available for 2014, five hospitals received their Baby-Friendly designation in 2014 and the number of designees continues to rise in 2015. Check here for the most recent numbers.

These two MCAH breastfeeding briefs shed additional light on challenges that individual women face in continuing breastfeeding after they leave the hospital, and how interaction with supportive and encouraging health care providers contributes toward their ongoing success.

Resource & Links For Parents


For Child Care Providers


For Health Professionals
  • Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) - Worldwide organization of physicians dedicated to the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding and human lactation
  • California Department of Health Services Breastfeeding Program - Reports and publications including hospital breastfeeding statistical tables by county
  • California WIC Association - Breastfeeding advocacy initiatives that increase initiation and duration of breastfeeding, particularly exclusive breastfeeding, as well as greater acceptance of breastfeeding as the accepted norm
  • BreastfeedLA - Dedicated to improving the health and well being of infants and families through education, outreach, and advocacy to promote and support breastfeeding
  • American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Recommendations on Breastfeeding for Healthy Term Infants (PDF File)
  • Breastfeeding Pharmacology - Breastfeeding and medications forum, hosted by Dr. Thomas Hale, R.Ph., Ph.D., International registry for lactation research

Recent and Upcoming Events

For a list of upcoming events please visit:
Breastfeed LA Calendar of Events
California Breastfeeding Summit
See highlights from the LA County Breastfeeding Summit on October 16, 2014! Drs. Gilchick and King spoke about county breastfeeding
initiatives and overcoming racial disparities.


Contact:
 
Helen O’Connor
Health Program Analyst
213-639-6442
hoconnor@ph.lacounty.gov
 
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