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— Babies were Born to be Breastfed —
"Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead
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Florida Advocacy
United States National Advocacy
Worldwide International Advocacy
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 The mission of United States Breastfeeding Committee is to
improve the Nation's health by working collaboratively to
protect, promote and support breastfeeding.
Starting in 1995, a small group of breastfeeding advocates met to discuss the need for coordination of breastfeeding activities in the U.S. After conducting an intensive needs assessment, the National Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy (NABA) was formed to address needs not being met by organizations, government agencies or individuals. NABA convened the first National Breastfeeding Leadership Roundtable (NBLR) in January 1996 to determine if another organization was needed to move breastfeeding forward in this country. Working on the international model, the formation of this committee, if successful, would satisfy one of the four operational targets set forth by the 1990 Innocenti Delaration. This was to establish a multi-sectoral national breastfeeding committee composed of representatives from relevant government departments, non-governmental organizations, and health professional associations in every country.
It was agreed at that meeting of nineteen breastfeeding leaders to do four things. First, to support ongoing breastfeeding projects in the U.S. Second, to develop a strategic plan for breastfeeding in the U.S. Third, to formalize NBLR into the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee (USBC). And finally, to establish the organization of the USBC and its leadership, the NBLR continued to meet twice a year and in January 1998 voted to declare itself, with the encouragement of Assistant Surgeon General Dr. Audrey Nora, the United States Breastfeeding Committee.
The USBC is a collaborative partnership of organizations. The mission of the committee is to protect, promote and support breastfeeding in the U.S. The USBC exists to assure the rightful place of breastfeeding in society.
Florida attendees to the United States Breastfeeding Committee Conference from Florida:
For 2006: Kelly Bonyata, Dianne Veatch, Marsha Pearlman, Joan Meek.
For 2008: Mary Becker, Pat Lindsey, Joan Meek
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International
Breastfeeding
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Breastfeeding education begins during the prenatal period through contacts with the pediatrician, obstetrician, physician’s office staff, lactation consultants, WIC personnel and/or Maternity Medicaid Care Coordinators.
The Florida Breastfeeding Coalition supports the Ten Steps To Successful Breastfeeding criteria and encourages all delivering hospitals to initiate as many steps as possible in their facility. The Ten Steps Process is supported by The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.
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The Ten Steps To Successful Breastfeeding
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1. Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely
communicated to staff.
2. Train all healthcare workers in the skills necessary to
implement the breastfeeding policies.
3. Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and
management of breastfeeding.
4. Help mothers initiate breastfeeding soon after birth.
5. Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain
lactation even though she may be separated from her baby.
6. Give newborn infants no feed or drink other than breast milk,
unless medically indicated.
7. Practice rooming-in, allowing mothers and infants to remain
together throughout the day.
8. Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
9. Give no artificial teats, dummies, or pacifiers to
breastfeeding infants.
10. Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups
and refer mothers on discharge from the hospital or clinic.
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1. Train healthcare professionals who provide maternal and
childcare on the basics of lactation, breastfeeding
counseling, and lactation management during course-work,
clinical and in-service training, and continuing education.
2. Ensure that breastfeeding mothers have access to
comprehensive, up-to-date, and culturally tailored lactation
services provided by trained physicians, nurses, lactation
consultants, and nutritionists/dieticians.
3. Establish hospital and maternity center practices that
promote breastfeeding, such as the “Ten Steps to
Successful Breastfeeding.”
4. Develop breastfeeding education for women, their partners,
and other significant family members during the prenatal
and postnatal visits.
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Workplace
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1. Facilitate breastfeeding or breast milk expression in the
workplace by providing private rooms, commercial grade
pumps, milk storage arrangements, adequate breaks during
the day, flexible work schedules, and onsite childcare
facilities.
2. Establish family and community programs that enable
breastfeeding continuation when women return to work in all
possible settings.
3. Encourage childcare facilities to provide quality
breastfeeding support.
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Family & Community
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1. Develop social support and information resources for
breastfeeding women such as hotlines, peer counseling,
and mother-to-mother support groups.
2. Launch and evaluate a public health marketing campaign
portraying breastfeeding as normal, desirable, and
achievable.
3. Encourage the media to portray breastfeeding as normal,
desirable, and achievable for women of all cultures and
socioeconomic levels.
4. Encourage fathers and other family members to be actively
involved throughout the breastfeeding experience.
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National Legislation needs more support
YOU CAN HELP
“Breastfeeding Promotion Act” (H.R. 2236)
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The Breastfeeding Promotion Act:
• amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect breastfeeding women from being fired or discriminated against in the workplace
• provides tax incentives for businesses that establish private, lactation areas in the workplace
• provides for a performance standard for breast pumps
• allows breastfeeding equipment to be tax deductible for families
Sponsor: Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14] (introduced May 9, 2007) Cosponsors: Florida only has one legislative supporter of this important bill. (presently 28 cosponsors in all, but about 200 are needed)
Orly Isaacson, a nursing working mother and a staffer for NY Rep Carolyn Maloney, urged attendees at the 2008 USBC National Conference to contact their local legislators urging them to support this bill. About 200 legislative cosponsors are needed to help give this bill some life and more likelihood of being passed. We need to urge every voting age supporter of breastfeeding (moms, dads, grandparents) to contact their local legislators. An organization called Momsrising.com has a form letter on their website that filed out will be delivered to your local legislators to make this easier for everyone.
Email your legislative representive to cosponsor this bill. **CLICK HERE** to contact your congress person.
You are encouraged to edit the form letter to better represent your role in supporting breastfeeding mothers as well as emphasize the importance to the health of babies (saving babies lives, cutting healthcare cost). We can make a difference!
READ: Senator Merkley's
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National Ban the Bags Campaign
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The hospitals in Florida who have banned the bags are as follows:
Cape Canaveral Hospital, Cocoa Beach, Florida
Martin Memorial Medical Center, Stuart, Florida
Morton Plant Hospital, Clearwater, Florida
Naval Hospital Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida
North Florida Regional Medical Center, Gainesville, Florida
From Maine to Mississippi
Hospital Distribution of Formula Sample Packs Along the Eastern Seaboard
Anne Merewood, MPH, IBCLC; Reginald Fonrose, BS; Marcella Singleton, RD, MS, IBCLC; Xena Grossman, RD, MS; Tina Navidi, BS; John T. Cook, PhD; Tony Pomales, BA Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2008;162(9):823-827.
Despite the demonstrated benefits of breastfeeding, only 1 in 7 infants in the United States is exclusively breastfed at 6 months of age. One known deterrent to breastfeeding is new mothers receiving formula packs on discharge from the hospital. Merewood and colleagues contacted all 1295 maternity hospitals in 21 eastern states and the District of Columbia to determine hospital policies on distribution of infant formula sample packs. The study found that 94% of hospitals distributed formula sample packs, ranging from a low of 70% of New Hampshire hospitals to 100% of hospitals in 5 other states. Fortunately, increasing numbers of hospitals are not distributing
the packs.
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FLORIDA
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A PowerPoint Report for the Florida Healthy Start Research to Practice Workgroup
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FLORIDA has 2 UNICEF designated Baby-Friendly Hospitals
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Clearwater, FL (June 2003)
Florida's second UNICEF Baby-Friendly designated hospital
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Cocoa Beach, FL (August 15th, 2000)
Florida's first UNICEF Baby-Friendly
designated hospital
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Florida Coalitions & Taskforces
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Treasure Coast Breastfeeding Task Force
Port St. Lucie, FL
No contact info
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Capital Area Breastfeeding Committee for the Tallahassee Area
(Leon and Gadsden counties)
Molly Shakar, BSN, RN, IBCLC
(W) 850-668-1229
E-mail: mshakar@bestbegin.com
Susan Taylor, MA, BSN, RN, IBCLC
(W) 850-875-7200 ext. 2
E-mail: susan_taylor@doh.state.fl.us
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Breastfeeding Task Force of Indian River County
Meets monthly at Indian River Medical Center
Vero Beach Florida
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Healthy Start Coalition of Sarasota County's Breastfeeding Data Partnership
Jennifer Highland, MPH, RN, Contract/Quality Manager
Healthy Start Coalition of Sarasota County
1750 17th Street, Building M, Sarasota, FL, 34234
(941) 373-7070 E-mail: jennifer.highland@healthystartsarasota.org
Northeast Florida Lactation Coalition
(Jacksonville area) meet the 2nd Monday of every month at 2 PM at
Memorial Hospital on University Blvd.
Contact LORIJOLIE@aol.com (Loretta Haycook)
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