Mother/Baby is honored and excited to participate in Mayor Kip Holden’s
HealthyBR Initiative to promote healthy nutrition and active living across Baton Rouge. Volunteers are promoting a healthy start by providing
breastfeeding materials and education.
A woman’s decision to breastfeed is strongly influenced by the beliefs and encouragement of her family and friends. When a mother is thinking about how to feed her baby, she values the advice and support of her partner the most, followed by the advice of her mother, family and friends. Educating the community (family, support persons, grandparents, aunts, nieces, etc.) to support mothers’ decisions to breastfeed is key to their success.
Breastfeeding has many benefits for mom and baby. As reported by the CDC in August 2011, a baby’s risk of becoming an overweight child is reduced with each month of breastfeeding. Other health benefits for the baby include fewer sick visits to the doctor or hospital due to ear infections and respiratory infections, as well as a lowered risk of SIDS, or the sudden death of a healthy baby without warning. Breastfeeding also provides health benefits for the mother, such as a lowered risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and/or diabetes.
Mother/Baby volunteers and the Mayor’s Community Outreach Mobile Market will be at the Scotlandville Library on the first Wednesday of each month.