Breastfeeding-Friendly Employer Project

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Scroll down for more information)

Back to Work and Breastfeeding - The Business Case for Breastfeeding

Benefits of Being a Breastfeeding-Friendly Employer

How to become a Breastfeeding-Friendly Employer

Additional Support for Breastfeeding-Friendly Employers to Provide

Application to Join the Breastfeeding-Friendly Employer Project

Breastfeeding Friendly Employer Checklist

Who are the Breastfeeding-Friendly Employers in Connecticut

Breastfeeding-Friendly Business Award

Special Section for Hospitals

Ban the Bags Campaign

Web Resources For Nursing Families

Breastfeeding and Working

Handouts for Child Care Providers

---

Back to Work and Breastfeeding - The Business Case for Breastfeeding

The Breastfeeding-Friendly Employer Project helps Connecticut employers adopt breastfeeding-friendly policies in the workplace as well as providing formal recognition for employers who do so. This project also provides mothers and child care providers with information to help all Connecticut babies receive breast milk for the recommended first year of life.

Supporting breastfeeding women when they return to employment outside the home is an essential part of increasing Connecticut’s breastfeeding rates; and encouraging women to breastfeed their infants is a National Health Goal supported by numerous federal, medical, and professional organizations.

Children who are not exclusively breastfed for six months have a greater chance of the following health problems: 

• About 60% more likely to suffer from ear infections
• About 40% more likely to get type 1 or 2 diabetes as an adult
• 25% more likely to be obese as an adult
• 30% more likely to suffer from leukemia
• 25% more likely to be hospitalized for respiratory diseases
• 200% more likely to have gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea; and
• Additionally, Moms who breastfeed have lower risk of breast cancer and diabetes.

We know that 60% of women with children under the age of three are in the workforce. Most moms are going back to work before their infant is six months old, so we need to help moms with Lactation Programs in the workplace. With a little help moms can keep nursing at home and pump at work. We are very fortunate in Connecticut to be one of the states that has already passed laws that protect women’s rights to nurse in public and express milk at work.

The US Department of Health and Human Services has created a tool kit to help, “The Business Case for Breastfeeding.” It is actually just as easy to convince employers of the benefits, as it is to convince new families of the health benefits for mom and baby.

Supporting breastfeeding is not just the healthy thing to do; it does have financial and other benefits as well. Lactation support reduces absenteeism, reduces health care costs, increases retention and saves money from the cost of replacing employees. Some companies set up a workplace lactation program that offers hospital grade electric pumps and kits, education and support by Lactation Consultants. All women need is a private room and access to a sink. They can bring their pump from home and pump on their scheduled breaks. Nursing an infant on mom’s lunch break is another great way to keep the health benefit going.

Benefits of Being a Breastfeeding-Friendly Employer

Becoming a breastfeeding friendly employer carries many benefits for employers, mothers and children. Studies show that employers who provide a breastfeeding-friendly workplace reap the rewards, including:

• Reduced staff turnover and increased retention of skilled workers after the birth of their child.
• Reduced leave time for parents of breastfed infants who are more resistant to illness.
• Lower and fewer health care costs associate with healthier breastfed infants.
• Higher job productivity, employee satisfaction and morale.
• Enhanced loyalty among employees.
• Added recruitment incentives for women.
• Improved positive image in the community.
• Healthier workforce for the future.

For a referenced handout on the specific financial benefits to employers, you will be able to use a direct link when the website is complete.

How to Become a Breastfeeding-Friendly Employer

There are many ways in which employers can support breastfeeding women in the workplace to become a Breastfeeding-Friendly Employer.

• Create a workplace environment that supports and respects a woman’s decision to breastfeed. Recognize that breastfeeding is a benefit to the workplace and encourage that recognition in others.
• Develop policy that states your company’s support of a woman’s choice to breastfeed her infant (s) and describes the worksite accommodations and/or s available to her.
• Make the policy part of your company’s written policies on parenting and/or maternity benefits. Inform all pregnant employees/parents of this policy as early in their pregnancy as possible.
• Inform new employees of this policy or give them a copy as part of new employee orientation.
• Provide a 20- to 30-minute break, both morning and afternoon, for the woman to (a) nurse her infant or (b) express her milk. If necessary, adjust the beginning and/or ending time of work to accommodate these breaks. For example, if two 15-minute breaks are allowed to all employees, the breastfeeding employee starts work 10 minutes earlier and leaves work 10 minutes later to allow for two 25-minute breaks.
• Make a private area available for nursing or expressing milk. It should be quiet, clean and have enough room for a comfortable chair. Provide a place for storing breast milk. If a refrigerator is not available, a safe place to keep a cooler is sufficient.
• Provide a clean, safe water source and sink somewhere within the worksite for washing hands and rinsing out any breast pump equipment.

Application to Join the Breastfeeding-Friendly Employer Project

Support your employees and get acknowledged! All employers who join will be recognized for their efforts and will receive a certificate of achievement. Please submit the checklist with your application so that appropriate recognition can be given.

Employers who would like to join the Breastfeeding-Friendly Employer Project may print out and use the application (similar to the one below) that is on our website in Adobe Acrobat format.

The link is http://www.breastfeedingct.org/bfproject/employerfriendlyapplication.pdf.  Please then mail it to Jennifer Matringa at 45 Grist Mill Rd, Monroe, CT 06468. If you have any questions you can call Jen Matranga for an application at 203-895-7630.

This checklist below is similar to the one the form. When you fill it out, it will indicate to us the level you have achieved - we ask that you please fill out  all that apply to your business.

To use this form: http://www.breastfeedingct.org/bfproject/employerfriendyapplication.pdf.

Breastfeeding-friendly employers are recognized annually during the World Breastfeeding Week in August and during the Connecticut Breastfeeding Coalition's Annual Conference where employers will be announced and honored.

Additional Support for Breastfeeding-Friendly Employers to Provide

• Explore childcare options such as on-site childcare or subsidized care at nearby childcare centers. Consider accessibility to childcare in facility planning.

• Provide options for breastfeeding employees such as part-time employment, job sharing, flex schedules and/or a gradual return to work.

• Allow the nursing infant to be brought to work or allow the employee to leave the workplace to breastfeed her infant. This is important when there is no on-site childcare and when the employee must return to work prior to the minimum six-week period needed to fully establish breastfeeding.

• Provide a breastfeeding education and support system through one or more of the following:

1.       Written educational handouts/pamphlets/books.

2.       On-site maternity/postpartum/breastfeeding mother support group.

3.       Lactation consultant services, either paid for or provided on-site.

Thank you for your interest in this project, please contact me, Jennifer Matranga, RN, CCE, IBCLC  by email at Jenmatr@aol.com for any further information or you can call me at 203-895-7630

Who are the Breastfeeding-Friendly Employers in Connecticut

Below is a list of businesses in Connecticut that have made strides to support and promote breastfeeding in the workplace and are considered breastfeeding friendly.

If you see your company's name below, Congratulations! Your workplace is actively supporting the health of its employees and their families by making it easier to continue breastfeeding for at least the first year of life.

If you know of a company that should be on this list but isn't, please contact me, Jennifer Matranga, RN, CCE, IBCLC by email at Jenmatr@aol.com or you can call me at 203-895-7630.

 

Name of Employer	Level
St. Raphael’s Hospital	Gold
Yale - New Haven Hospital	Gold
LifeCare, Inc.	Gold
St. Francis Hospital	Gold
St. Vincent's Medical Center	Gold
State of Ct  Department of Public Health	Silver
Griffin Hospital	Gold
Pfizer	Gold
Lawrence and Memorial Hospital	Gold
Hamilton Sundstrand	Gold

Breastfeeding-Friendly Business Award

The Connecticut Breastfeeding Coalition (CBC) would like to recognize retail businesses and public agencies in communities across Connecticut who support the efforts of breastfeeding mothers by making them feel welcome nursing in their establishment, or in other ways. Businesses can include restaurants, malls, retail stores, health or fitness clubs, libraries, museums and other public and private sector locations.

Nominated businesses and public agencies, which are nominated, will be awarded a certificate and decal stating that they are Breastfeeding-Friendly establishments who welcome breastfeeding mothers and babies. The awards will be presented during an awards ceremony in the fall.

Please fill out the following form to inform us of your breastfeeding experiences.

Breastfeeding-Friendly
Businesses Feedback Form

I had a positive breastfeeding experience at (name and address of business/agency) and would like to nominate them for the Breastfeeding-Friendly Business Award because:

Business Name:  

 

Business Address:

My Positive Feedback:

 

In addition, The Connecticut Breastfeeding Coalition is interested in knowing if you have had any negative experiences breastfeeding in public places. We will use this information in our efforts to educate the business and legislative community about the importance of supporting breastfeeding families Connecticut.

I had a negative breastfeeding experience at: (name and address of business/agency)

Business Name:

Business Address:   

My negative experience was because:

 

The following information is optional.

 Name:

       Phone: 

I am a member of the following organizations: :

 

Email Address:

 

If you would like to submit by regular mail rather than email - print this form out and mail to Jennifer Matranga, 45 Grist Mill Road, Monroe, CT 06468.

 

Special Section for Hospitals

Ban the Bags Campaign

In addition to receiving the Breastfeeding-Friendly Employer Award, hospitals are also being recognized in the Ban the Bags Campaign http://www.banthebags.org. We can assist you in making sure you hospital is compliant with the laws that protect women’s rights to breastfeeding in public and express milk in the workplace. We can also assist you with the Ban the Bags Campaign information.

Many hospitals have actually found they saved money by not receiving free formula from the formula companies. Let us tell you how - many Purchasing Departments in hospitals have reviewed in being compliant and in accordance with the anti-kickback laws and corporate compliance statutes, they know they can no longer accept products for free from any company. The link below provides more information on this matter:

http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/AJPH.2006.103218v1

Awards to be presented this fall by CBC for Hospitals in compliance with the Ban the Bags Campaign are:

• Hartford Hospital

• Middlesex Hospital

• St. Vincent's Medical Center

 

Hospitals should market “Health” and “Nothing Else.” Let us help you proudly add your hospital’s name to the above list. Please call Jennifer Matranga, RN, CCE, IBCLC at 203-895-7630 or you can email me at Jenmatr@aol.com.

Web Resouces and Links for Nursing Families

You can keep breastfeeding when you return to work. To get off to the right start, or address new challenges, use these web resources:

·         Workandpump.com

Kirsten Berggren offers strategies for working without weaning on her web site

·         Babiesatwork.org

Carla Moquin has extensively researched how trailblazing companies are allowing mothers to bring their babies to work.

·         Working and Breastfeeding

Information from the Texas Department of State Health Service (also available in Spanish).

·         Employed / Working Mothers' Breastfeeding Resources

·         California Department of Public Health Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program

Tips for making the transition, collecting and storing milk, and making sure your baby is getting enough.

·         Working and Breastfeeding

From the International LaLeche League http://www.llli.org//

·         Pumping and Bottle Feeding

Information on pumping from kellymom.com  

Breastfeeding and Working

Continuing to breastfeed after you return to work or school can be challenging, but with good support and information, it's an accomplishment you can be proud of! The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends breastfeeding for a full year and exclusive breastfeeding for about six months. In addition to meeting these goals, expressing milk for your baby during your workday provides many benefits to you and your baby, including:

• Provide your baby with the best possible nutrition
• Experience the special bond of breastfeeding even when you need to be apart
• Protect your baby against common diseases - especially important if your child is in a daycare center!
• Protect your child against diabetes, allergies, and asthma later in life
• Provide the best start for a lifetime of good health for your baby
• Protect yourself against breast cancer and diabetes

Handouts for Child Care Providers

As a child care provider, you are one of the most important support system a breastfeeding mother has after she returns to work or school. Your daily support and encouragement make all the difference to her. Supporting a breastfeeding mother means respecting the effort she puts into providing her own milk for her baby, and making it as easy as possible for her to continue to do so. She may be to overwhelmed to tell you now, but she'll always look back and be thankful for the help you were able to provide.

Once you start to support your breastfeeding mothers, it's easy to make your child care center a breastfeeding friendly employer as well!  The following links will help you to provide information to your breastfeeding mothers.

• Breastfeeding Support in the Child Care Setting - A one-page flyer you can post explaining the simple ways a childcare provider can support breastfeeding
• Child Care Provider Sample Policy - A sample policy you can put right into your handbook, outlining the simple steps to being breastfeeding-friendly.
• Human Milk Storage Guidelines - Everything you need to know about safely storing, heating and feeding human milk.
• Caring for Breastfed Babies - Information about helping a breastfed baby adapt to the child care setting, guidelines for bottle-feeding in a way that supports breastfeeding, and ways to offer support and encouragement to breastfeeding mothers.

 

The Connecticut Breastfeeding Coalition would like to thank Massachusetts, Vermont, Washington and California for leading the way in Employer Recognition Programs.