Community Support

"In the Pacific, the state of Hawai‘i and and the territory of Guam are mandated to provide several accommodations within the workplace for new mothers. All employers are to required to allow breastfeeding mothers adequate break time to pump or nurse in location other than a bathroom. To learn more about Hawai‘i’s laws visit http://health.hawaii.gov/wic/files/2013/04/WorkplaceBreastfeeding_02_2014.pdf and for Guam’s laws visit http://www.guamcourts.org/CompilerofLaws/GCA/10gca/10gc092A.pdf. Members of a community can also promote and support breastfeeding. New mothers can join peer counseling groups or turn to other women within their community who have previous experience with breastfeeding. In addition, community-based programs can provide education and support. The US Department of Agriculture’s Women, Infants, and Children program provides information on breastfeeding for low-income families. Launched in 2004, the Loving Support program combines peer counseling with breastfeeding promotion efforts to increase duration rates across the United States. La Leche League is an international program that provides mother-to-mother support, encouragement, and education about breastfeeding for women around the world. For more information on La Leche League, visit http://www.llli.org. Although breastfeeding should be recommended and encouraged for almost all new mothers, it is important to remember that the decision to breastfeed is a personal choice and women should not be made to feel guilty if they cannot, or choose not, to breastfeed their infants. In some rare cases, a woman is unable to breastfeed or it is not in the baby’s best interest. Nutritional choices that parents make, such as the decision to breastfeed or bottle-feed, not only affect early childhood development, but also a child’s health and wellness later in life. Therefore, it is imperative to promote and support the best practices for the well-being of infants and mothers alike."