Breastfeeding Friendly San Diego

Breastfeeding has endless benefits for both mothers and their babies and helps create a unique bond. For mothers who are returning to work or school after their maternity leave it might be difficult to find a private and supportive space to pump their breastmilk. First 5 San Diego advocates for Breastfeeding Friendly environments through our funding of Breastfeeding-Friendly San Diego (BFSD), a project of Live Well San Diego: Healthy Works and implemented by UC San Diego Center for Community Health. BFSD helps licensed family childcare homes and childcare centers support and promote breastfeeding friendly practices and offers free trainings, resources for families and employees, and materials to assist in creating a breastfeeding friendly environment.

What makes a workplace breastfeeding friendly? Providing working mothers, a private space where they feel comfortable and safe to pump breastmilk or breastfeed; enacting policies that support time for lactation; and education/training for staff to create an inclusive workplace culture that is understanding and acceptive and educating new moms on available resources.

First 5 San Diego Commission Chair, Supervisor Kristen Gaspar, has supported the implementation of a countywide lactation policy that will provide lactation rooms in all county buildings so mothers can feel empowered to continue to breastfeed and pump breastmilk when they return to work.

If you would like information and resources on how to make your work environment breastfeeding friendly, please visit the links below.

Additional Resources:

https://ucsdcommunityhealth.org/work/breastfeeding/child-care/

http://www.livewellsd.org/content/livewell/home/Topics/worksite-wellness/breastfeeding-friendly.html

https://ucsdcommunityhealth.org/work/breastfeeding/child-care/

San Diego Mothers’ Milk Bank

https://health.ucsd.edu/specialties/obgyn/maternity/newborn/lactation/Pages/mothers-milk.aspx
Google Play store APP: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.a1appworks.milkbank

Best,

Alethea Arguilez
Executive Director, First 5 San Diego