The Breastfeeding Task Force (BFTF) of Humboldt County is providing a Breastfeeding Rest Stop booth at the Humboldt County Fair, Aug. 18 to 28, in Ferndale.
The booth will be located in Friendship Square, between Belotti Hall and the Dairy Barn. The Rest Stop will be a quiet place where mothers can relax while breastfeeding their babies. The booth is open to all families.
The Rest Stop was created to increase awareness about breastfeeding, and to decrease community stigmas about breastfeeding in public. According to the California Civil Code, a mother has the right to breastfeed her child in any location, public or private.
The booth will also have information about breastfeeding support. According to the California Department of Public Health, Humboldt County’s breastfeeding rate is 92.6 percent upon leaving the hospital after birth, and the rate decreases rapidly during the first three months.
The BFTF’s goal is to boost the duration of breastfeeding by increasing community awareness and support for breastfeeding mothers. The group encourages parents to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation of “exclusive breastfeeding for about six months, followed by continued breastfeeding as complementary foods are introduced, with continuation of breastfeeding for one year or longer as mutually desired by mother and infant.”
Members of the BFTF include lactation consultants, health care providers, nurses, doulas, peer counselors and mothers. The Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services Maternal Child & Adolescent Health program helps coordinate the BFTF.
For more information about the BFTF and how to get involved, please contact Emily Adams at 707-441-5573 or visit www.humkids.org.
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