August is annually recognized as Breastfeeding Awareness Month. All major medical authorities recommend that babies receive human milk for at least the first year of life and beyond. Breastfeeding reduces the baby’s risk of many illnesses and diseases and can also reduce the risk of cancer, Type II diabetes, and heart disease in mothers.
Returning to work is often identified as a major reason for discontinuing breastfeeding even though many employees say they know breastfeeding is best for themselves and their baby. However, it can be challenging to continue after they return to work. Some say they are afraid to ask about expressing or pumping milk at work.
“We often find that lactation accommodations for a woman returning to work after having a baby are never discussed until the day she returns,” said Deanna Grube, lactation consultant at Crawford County Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Department. “Feeling supported by their workplace can make all the difference in a woman’s success to breastfeed her baby. We provide free guidance for all local businesses on how they can support a nursing mom returning to work. Plus, employers need to remember it is a requirement by law to have a place other than a bathroom for their employees to express milk for their babies. I can easily help businesses understand how they can support their employees while being compliant with the law.”
The Crawford County Board of Health, in collaboration with their WIC division staff, feels August is the perfect month to recognize local places of employment that have taken efforts within the past 12 months to improve their support of breastfeeding with a Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace Champion Award.
To complement efforts completed by local businesses, the Board of Health established the Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace Champion Award Program in 2022. To qualify for the award, an employer must have two things:
• A new, updated lactation support policy (template policies are available)
• Provide or upgrade an existing lactation area.
Six local workplaces were recognized as 2023 award winners for the Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace Champion Program. Those workplaces were the City of Galion, Crawford Park District, Crawford Success Center, Galion City Health Department, Pioneer Career and Technology Center, and Timken Company.
This is the second year workplaces have been recognized by the Crawford County Board of Health for efforts to support breastfeeding. Twenty-four businesses received an award during the inaugural year. All local businesses are welcome to reach out and learn how they can support their breastfeeding employees. To schedule an appointment to learn how to receive recognition as a Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace Champion, contact Grube at the Crawford County WIC office by calling 419-562-5859.
Submitted by Crawford County Public Health.
