Many organizations do great work promoting breastfeeding education and advocacy. The tremendous health benefits of nursing to both mother and child are numerous and well-documented, and the organizations below provide services to support pregnant and nursing mothers and protect their rights.
Breastfeeding Partners - designed to help mothers and those who help mothers with breastfeeding. Its is funded by the NYS Department of Health’s WIC Program.
Best for Babes is a non-profit organization working to make breastfeeding as mainstream as motherhood itself. Their Credo is "All moms deserve to make a truly informed feeding decision and to be cheered on, coached and celebrated without pressure, judgment or guilt. All breastfeeding moms desere full institutional and cultural support to achieve their personal breastfeeding goals."
La Leche League includes breastfeeding information, peer counseling, chat rooms etc.
Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to encourage and recognize hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for lactation. The BFHI assists hospitals in giving breastfeeding mothers the information, confidence, and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies and gives special recognition to hospitals that have done so.
Worksites for Wellness is a not-for-profit company whose mission is to assist employers and employees to create and maintain clean, private lactation rooms in workplaces, so that women returning to work from maternity leave will not have to choose between weaning their babies and quitting their jobs. Worksites for Wellness consults with non-profit organizations, for free, to help them choose and equip the space that will be suitable for mothers pumping breast milk during short breaks at work, and offers other kinds of technical assistance as needed to help these organizations abide by the New York laws protecting nursing mothers' rights.
www.health.state.ny.us The New York State Department of Health oversees a vast number of public health programs including WIC and Breastfeeding Promotion and Support.
New York State Breastfeeding Coalition - an organization of lactation consultants, health care providers, regional breastfeeding coalitions and the major statewide maternal and child health organizations whose mission is to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website includes information regarding governmental agencies initiatives to promote and support breastfeeding. Included on the site is a downloadable booklet, The CDC Guide To Breastfeeding Interventions, published in June, 2005. The CDC Guide to Breastfeeding Interventions offers guidance to policy and program professionals in selecting promising breastfeeding promotion and support activities. The site also has breastfeeding statistics from the National Immunization Survey and growth charts.
