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South
Sound Breastfeeding Network's
Breastfeeding Welcome Here Campaign
 About
the Campaign
In the summer
of 2008 the South Sound Breastfeeding Network launched the
Breastfeeding Welcome Here campaign to support breastfeeding
in our local community.
This campaign
utilizes the new International Breastfeeding Symbol from Mothering
Magazine.
The goal of
this campaign is to encourage more women to breastfeed their babies
and for a longer duration by making our community more friendly
to breastfeeding families.
The use of this
symbol will be to both alert moms to public locations where they
can breastfeed comfortably, and to encourage the belief that breastfeeding
is normal, accepted, and welcomed.
Why
Do We Need To Support Breastfeeding In Public?
Breastfeeding
mothers have many reasons to be out in public and the fact is that
babies cannot wait to be fed. This means that we need businesses
and community leaders responsible for public spaces to be active
in helping to create a breastfeeding culture.
Why not just
use a bottle? The reason is simple: Many breastfed babies will not
or cannot take a bottle, and many mothers are unable or unwilling
to express their breast milk.
The American
Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for
six months and continued breastfeeding for a minimum of one year.
The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for
a minimum of two years.
Women who follow
this advice are not just making a lifestyle choice; they are following
doctors' orders.
The risks of
not breastfeeding are significant. The "2005 Progress Report
on Breastfeeding" concluded that increasing the incidence of
exclusive breastfeeding in the US would reduce under-five mortality
in children by 19%.
The Healthy
People 2010 goals of the US Department of Health and Human
Services call for a minimum of 75% breastfeeding initiation,
50% breastfeeding at six months, and 25% at one year.
According to
the American Academy of Pediatrics, the lack of public support
for breastfeeding is one of the obstacles to its success. If our
culture embraced breastfeeding as the normal way to feed infants,
more women will breastfeed and the health statistics will likely
change for the better.
Breastfeeding
is not just a personal choice; it is a medical choice that has a
huge impact on the health of women and babies and the community
at large.
How
to Support Breastfeeding
Consider posting
the International Breastfeeding Symbol in a prominent place, such
as the front door or at the check-out and adopt breastfeeding friendly
policies.
Below is a list
of guidelines for businesses and an FAQ about the symbol. Usage
of the symbol is not legally-binding and the South Sound Breastfeeding
Network will not monitor or regulate its use. These guidelines are
offered as a voluntary way for business to become more breastfeeding
friendly regardless if they display the symbol.
Check
out the article on our campaign in The Olympian!
Usage
Guidelines for International Breastfeeding Symbol 
1. Welcome
Breastfeeding Mothers
If you
display the International Breastfeeding Symbol, mothers are to be
welcomed to breastfeed their children within your establishment.
This means that
they will never be harassed, treated poorly, and asked to leave,
cover up or move as a result of breastfeeding.
2. Provide
a Designated Breastfeeding Area (optional)
Offer breastfeeding mothers a quiet, private area in which to breastfeed.
If the symbol designates a particular room, this should be a room
for breastfeeding or pumping that is clean, private (not a bathroom)
and has a comfortable chair, an outlet for an electric breast pump,
and hand-washing facilities nearby.
Note: It is
not imperative to have a separate nursing room to be considered
"breastfeeding-friendly" - just welcomed.
3. Establish
an Official Policy and Train Employees
Establish an official policy on breastfeeding and actively educate
your employees about your policy. Post the policy and these guidelines
where employees can see them.
With stories
in the news about breastfeeding mothers being kicked off airplanes
and out of shopping malls, it is important to educate your staff
about state laws so that if faced with a complaining customer, the
breastfeeding mother will not have to choose between feeding her
child in peace (i.e. leaving and taking her business elsewhere)
or educating people about her rights in order to do so, both of
which are disruptive to the breastfeeding relationship.
4. Support
Breastfeeding Employees
Encourage, support, and protect breastfeeding for nursing employees
by offering frequent breaks for pumping, a place to pump and a place
to store breast milk.
You may also
consider additional options such as flexible schedules, telecommuting,
and job-sharing.
International
Breastfeeding Symbol FAQ
This
FAQ is provided from Mother Magazine's website www.mothering.com
What is the
purpose of the International Breastfeeding Symbol?
- To increase
public awareness of breastfeeding
- To designate
breastfeeding and family friendly facilities in public
- To provide
an alternative to the use of the image of a baby bottle
Where can
the symbol be used?
- In large
public places where people stay for extended periods of time.
In airports, malls, amusement parks, conferences, convention halls,
or expos, for example, to designate a breastfeeding friendly room.
- In professional
offices, retail stores or restaurants to designate the establishment
as breastfeeding friendly.
- In businesses,
to designate a lactation room.
Does the
existence of the symbol mean that breastfeeding should be hidden?
No, of course,
breastfeeding should not be hidden. Breastfeeding does not require
a special place and is appropriate-as the Canadian slogan says-"anytime,
anywhere." The purpose of the symbol is not to segregate breastfeeding,
but to help integrate it into society by better accommodating it
in public.
For example,
sometimes there are no chairs in public, sometimes nowhere to change
the baby, or for the mother separated from her baby, nowhere to
plug in an electric breast pump. Mothers welcome quiet, private
places in public where they can collect themselves and their children.
The symbol could designate these kinds of places.
If the symbol
is used to designate a family or breastfeeding friendly room in
a public setting, what should that room have?
- Privacy
- A comfortable
chair
- An electric
plug for a breast pump
- A changing
table
For more information
on the International Breastfeeding Symbol visit: www.mothering.com/breastfeedingsymbol
Become
a SSBN Breastfeeding Buddy!
The
South Sound Breastfeeding Network (SSBN) is showcasing businesses
and public locations on our website that are breastfeeding friendly.
"Breastfeeding Friendly" means the business encourages and supports
breastfeeding for all patrons and employees.
Click
here for information on how to become a SSBN
Breastfeeding Buddy.
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