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2005 Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace Award Given to Sharp Grossmont Hospital
From left to Right: Marilyn Garner, Lois Scott, Teresa Echegaray, Nancy Wight, Maryann Cone
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The San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition was founded to make healthcare professionals and the public more aware of the benefits of breastfeeding, the risks of artificial feeding, and to help carry forward the art as well as the science of breastfeeding. As one of the major perceived obstacles to breastfeeding is working outside the home, we have paid special attention to the needs and challenges of these women. We have tried to educate employers as to the documented benefits of breastfeeding to their bottom line: less employee turnover, less days lost from work to care for a sick child, less health care expenses, and increased employee productivity, loyalty and morale. When an employee returns from maternity leave, she wants to be productive... and a good mother at the same time. As part of the global campaign to generate public awareness and support for breastfeeding, each year the San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition recognizes an employer or workplace for it's contribution to the support of it's breastfeeding employees.
Past award winners have been:
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2000 - Aetna US Healthcare
2001 - City of Escondido, Kyocera America, Inc. and the San Diego Spirit (women's soccer team) 2002 - Naval Hospital, Camp Pendleton 2003 - UCSD Healthcare 2004 - Solar Turbines This year is very special as over 30 California counties presented over 120 similar awards on the same day! This year it was our privilege to present the Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace Award to Sharp Grossmont Hospital for their demonstrated support of their breastfeeding staff. A dedicated pumping room has been decorated and furnished with all the essentials for comfortable and efficient expression and storage of milk; policies and procedures support staff members who wish to pump for their infants; and administration actively supports breastfeeding both for patients and staff. Accepting the award for Sharp Grossmont staff on Wednesday August 24, 2005 at the Grossmont Women's Center were Marilyn Garner RN, IBCLC and Lois Scott RN, IBCLC of the Lactation Service , Maryann Cone RN, CNO/V.P. Patient Care Services and Jeanine Pyka RN, Manager of OBGYN, parent education and lactation. We salute Sharp Grossmont for their wisdom and action in support of breastfeeding families. |
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| Eve Moeran RN, IBCLC
Milkmade at Home President, San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition The following question is often asked by a new mother: doesn't the baby suck better than a pump? As I spend a lot of my time weighing babies who have not been getting sufficient milk, my response is somewhat measured. When breastfeeding is going well, i.e 8 or more feedings a day, the appropriate number of stools and voids, and baby is gaining weight, the answer will be yes. In a mother who has had low milk supply, who has been pumping and keeping records, who then breastfeeds, the answer is not as certain. In certain circumstances with a newborn baby we can only tell how much milk a baby is getting by doing pre- and post weights. It is very difficult for a new mother who wants to do the very best for her baby to grasp that there are |
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circumstances when this gorgeous baby is not able to move milk from point A (the mother's breast) to point B (the baby's mouth). Although milk is coming from the corner of baby's mouth, and you can hear suckling, he is not always moving milk. The baby who is very fussy at breast, repeatedly pulling away, or a baby who sucks twice and falls asleep, is a baby who needs to be observed and evaluated.
The causes of failure to transfer milk can be many: a disorganized suck, a mother who will turn out in the end to have insufficient breastmilk, or a nipple that is too small or too large. We need to respond to this question carefully because there are circumstances when a breast pump will do the job the baby was unable to do at that time. The most important issue is to see this baby is fed, hopefully with his own mother's milk, by whatever method mother decides. For a discussion of alternate feeding methods, please see the article elsewhere in this issue. |
