Healthy Horizons Breastfeeding Centers, Inc.

Ask Sheila: How Long is a Pumping Session at Work? Anne and baby Emily (3.5 months) ask, "When I return to work, how long should I pump during each pumping session?" A: Typically, moms are pumping between 10 and 15 minutes per session. Moms may pump longer if they don't have an efficient hospital-grade breastpump, or if they have time and the milk is still flowing. Remember with younger babies, under six months old, most moms are pumping every three hours while they are away from their baby. It is a supply and demand equation...

How to Discuss Breastmilk with Your Caregiver How to Discuss Breastmilk With Your Caregiver Going back to work and leaving your baby with a caregiver for the first time is stressful and worrisome for all moms. If you plan to have your caregiver give breastmilk to your baby, then it’s important to make sure they know your baby’s schedule and how to handle breastmilk. This not only includes daycares but nannies and grandparents as well. We suggest that you discuss a feeding plan with your caregiver so you know how they will handle your br...

Workplace Breastfeeding Laws Are you familiar with the Break Time for Nursing Mothers law? In 2010 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) amended the FLSA to include this federal law. This law covers non-exempt (hourly) employees covered by the FLSA. What many people do not realize, is that even if ACA is repealed in the future 28 states have their own breastfeeding laws that are similar or more comprehensive than the federal law! The federal law mandates that employers shall provide a reasonable break time...

Building Your Corporate Nursing Mothers Support Group One great way to support the nursing mothers in your company is to have a support group. Many companies have social groups, such as a Parent’s Network, that supports the employees in the company with similar interests or needs. Having a group for nursing mothers with a small amount of funding for activities like a speaker, information sessions, or even a group get-together can really help mothers transition and be productive in the workplace. Supporting a corporate nursing mothers group is a ...

Scheduling, Room Access, and Cleaning Your Mother’s Room Having a mother’s room is an essential for your breastfeeding employees. What makes this benefit even better is to make sure that all moms can have access when they need it and the room is pleasant for all to use. it is important to have usage policies for the mother’s room that work best for your company. If you have several mothers using the room, you need to consider a scheduling system, room access, and policies to keep the room clean. There are several options for each of these. You want...

6 Tips To Get You and Your Baby Ready For Fall! 6 Tips to Get You and Your Baby Ready for Fall As the days get shorter and the leaves change color, it's time to prepare for the change of seasons. Get your family ready for the cooler weather and flu season with these seasonal health tips and reminders! Breastfeeding moms give their baby an extra boost of immunity from illnesses because they pass antibodies onto their baby through breastmilk. If a baby has been exposed to germs that the mother has not, mom will give antibodies to th...

Create Your Breastfeeding or Pumping Space at Home Mothers who breastfeed need to feed their baby 8 to 12 times a day, especially if their baby is going through a growth spurt. Breastfeeding a baby takes time, so it’s a good idea to make the most of your time while nursing. One good way is to create your breastfeeding space. This is an area of your home that is set aside for breastfeeding so that both you and the baby are comfortable. If you are pumping milk for your baby, this is also a great place to do your pumping sessions. Not only does ...

Ask Sheila: How do I travel without my baby while breastfeeding? Jillian S. asks, “My husband and I are going to be separated from our three-month-old baby Jack for several days to be in my sister’s wedding. Jack will be staying with Grandma for the four days and three nights we are away. Can I continue breastfeeding when I return? Will I still have a good milk supply and will he still want to breastfeed?” A: The good news is babies do better with separation than their parents and should adjust just fine. You will most likely be able to continue with your ...

What Does a Comprehensive Corporate Breastfeeding Program Look Like? Comprehensive Corporate Breastfeeding Program Many companies have implemented corporate breastfeeding programs because both the company and the employees benefit. It is also an attractive work life balance benefit to retain employees. The return in cost savings and employee productivity is worth the investment. You may be thinking of implementing or expanding upon and existing breastfeeding program at your company. But other than providing a simple room for a mother to pump milk, there are al...

Breastfeeding Education For Your Employees Breastfeeding Education For Your Employees Breastfeeding education for your employees is an important part of your company’s lactation program. Employees that have information and resources available to them through their work are better prepared to balance breastfeeding with their job responsibilities. This information isn’t just for moms, Dads also are an important part of breastfeeding! Both parents benefit when expectant fathers are also well informed. Companies that provide lactation edu...

Finding The Right Nursing Bra Finding The Right Nursing Bra Shopping for a bra is not a favorite pastime among most women. It’s often a frustrating and time consuming process to find a comfortable bra that fits well. It’s even more daunting when a new mom is expecting and trying to figure out what bra to get. Or for a mom who has delivered her baby and has found that the bra she wore during pregnancy no longer fits. In addition, many women wind up wearing the wrong bra size. For nursing mothers, getting a bra that fits c...

Measuring Your Lactation Program’s Success Measuring Your Lactation Program's Success Now that you have your lactation program in place, you will need to determine the value and progress of your program to see the return on the investment. This will help quantify the success of your lactation program to ensure continued support and funding. Collecting data and documenting it will help develop a process of ongoing improvement to the program. You can set up a process for getting employee feedback, data, and evaluating the process f...

Why Wait Until 6 Months For Solids? Why Wait Until 6 Months For Solids? It’s a common question we get from moms with infants less than 6 months old in our breastfeeding centers. Can I start my baby on solids now? Parents are often told it’s time to give solids from grandparents and relatives who started their babies on solids at an earlier age. However, the latest recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the World Health Organization, and many other organizations say that all babies should be exclusively breast...

The Top Breastfeeding Concerns & How Employers Can Help Breastfeeding Concerns & How Employers Can Help Many working mothers who breastfeed have concerns that impact their decisions with respect to breastfeeding and working. Once your company has a lactation program in place, mothers need to access to the lactation program policy, benefit offerings, and support to make informed decisions and address issues or specific needs they have. Make sure that employee concerns are addressed, and reach out to make sure something has not been overloo...

Mom Hack: Plan Your Holiday Road Trip Mom Hack: Plan Your Holiday Road Trip As we prepare to visit family and partake in holiday traditions, planning around how to get there with baby is also an important piece of the puzzle. Like many families, ours will be traveling this holiday season by taking to the road to visit grandparents and relatives. Before you start that road trip, make sure your car is packed and ready for babies and toddlers! Before leaving make sure your baby's and toddler's car seat is installed proper...

A Mother’s Area For Small Businesses: San Francisco Lactation in the Workplace San Francisco Lactation in the Workplace This past June, San Francisco, California passed the Lactation in the Workplace Ordinance that gives additional protections to breastfeeding mothers in the workplace. In addition to requiring employers to provide a reasonable amount of break time for a mother to pump milk, it also set specific requirements for lactation areas and policies. Designating a lactation area for a small business can be challenging, especially for businesses in multi-tenant b...

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