Health News
World Breastfeeding Week is Aug. 1-7, so the state Department for Public Health is pointing out the importance of providing support for breastfeeding families. ?We encourage mothers to breastfeed to ensure that infants are getting the nutrition they need to grow and thrive,? said Health and Family Services Cabinet Secretary Audrey Haynes. ?Even the most committed mothers can struggle to successfully breastfeed when they don?t have the kind of support system they need at home, at the workplace and in the community. If we want to send the message that breastfeeding is important and improve our breastfeeding rates, we need to support mothers who choose to breastfeed.?
The World Health Organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical organizations recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, and continue to be breastfed, along with other food sources, for at least a year. The cabinet and the department want fathers, other family members, friends, employers and others to know that, and the importance of support for breatfeeding mothers, especially in the workplace. ?Continuing breastfeeding after returning to work is a tremendous challenge,? said Fran Hawkins, director of the state's Women, Infants and Children nutrition program. Public health officials stress that continuing breastfeeding after returning to work is often necessary to meet the recommendations for optimal infant nutrition.
The state says four steps help make workplaces more conducive to breastfeeding: support from managers and coworkers; flexible time to express milk (10 to 15 minutes three times per day); education for employees about how to combine breastfeeding and work; and a designated space to breastfeed or express milk in privacy. Kentucky law protects women who wish to breastfeed their babies in public. This law permits a mother to breastfeed her baby or express breast milk in any public or private location. This law also requires that breastfeeding not be considered an act of public indecency or indecent exposure. For more information, contact Marlene Goodlett at (502) 564-3827 ext. 3612 or [email protected]. Information on breastfeeding can be found here.
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Health News
National Breastfeeding Week, Aug. 1-7, focuses attention on need for supportive families, friends and employers
The World Health Organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical organizations recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, and continue to be breastfed, along with other food sources, for at least a year. The cabinet and the department want fathers, other family members, friends, employers and others to know that, and the importance of support for breatfeeding mothers, especially in the workplace. ?Continuing breastfeeding after returning to work is a tremendous challenge,? said Fran Hawkins, director of the state's Women, Infants and Children nutrition program. Public health officials stress that continuing breastfeeding after returning to work is often necessary to meet the recommendations for optimal infant nutrition.
The state says four steps help make workplaces more conducive to breastfeeding: support from managers and coworkers; flexible time to express milk (10 to 15 minutes three times per day); education for employees about how to combine breastfeeding and work; and a designated space to breastfeed or express milk in privacy. Kentucky law protects women who wish to breastfeed their babies in public. This law permits a mother to breastfeed her baby or express breast milk in any public or private location. This law also requires that breastfeeding not be considered an act of public indecency or indecent exposure. For more information, contact Marlene Goodlett at (502) 564-3827 ext. 3612 or [email protected]. Information on breastfeeding can be found here.
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Expectant mothers need to get a flu shot as soon as it is available in their area, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only the flu shot, not the nasal-spray vaccine, is recommended for pregnant women because it is made with the inactivated...
- Uk Hospital Chosen To National Program To Improve Breastfeeding Rates
Photo courtesy of University of Kentucky Chandler HospitalUniversity of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital has been chosen to participate in Best Fed Beginnings, a national effort to improve breast feeding rates. Improvement is badly needed, with...
- Kentuckians Gather To Support Breastfeeding; Part Of World Event
Kentuckians gathered in several places Saturday to show their support of breast feeding. Events were held in Ashland, Edgewood, Lexington, Louisville, Nicholasville, Owensboro and Paducah as a part of the Big Latch On, ?a one-minute synchronized nursing...
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