Strategy C: Breastfeeding-Friendly Designation

Strategy Description

Increase the number of facilities that are awarded and/or designated as breastfeeding-friendly.

Expected Outcome^*

Increase the number of facilities newly awarded and/or designated as breastfeeding-friendly.

Accepted awards or designations include:  

• NC Maternity Center Breastfeeding-Friendly Designation
• Family Friendly Clinic Award
• NC Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Designation
• Breastfeeding-Friendly Community Partner Award
• Breastfeeding-Friendly Employer Award

*Health departments must select at least one type of breastfeeding-friendly award and/or designation that partner facilities must pursue. Award/designation-specific interim outcomes for the current state program year include:

• Maternity Centers:
  • Increased number of maternity centers with at least two new standards met for the NC Maternity Center Breastfeeding-Friendly Designation.
• Clinics:
  • Increased number of online breastfeeding assessments for outpatient health care clinics completed, and
  • Increased number of outpatient health care clinics with at least 2 new required components met for the Family Friendly Clinic Award.
• Child Care Facilities:
  • Increased number of child care facilities with at least one new standard met for the NC Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Designation.
• Employers:
  • Increased number of employers with all required components of the Breastfeeding-Friendly Employer Award met.
• Community Partners:
  • Increased number of community partners with all required components of the Breastfeeding-Friendly Community Partner Award met.

Recommended Partners

• Local breastfeeding coalitions  
• Local breastfeeding support groups  
• Public health educators  
• Community groups  
• Community coalitions  
• Health organizations (e.g. hospitals, pediatric offices)  
• Women, Infants and Children (WIC) programs  
• Faith communities  
• YMCAs, worksites and/or local businesses  
• Colleges and/or universities  
• Local civic groups  
• Local chambers of commerce  
• Lactation consultants  

Intervention Examples

• A maternity care practice follows eight of the 10 steps to successful breastfeeding, including the development of a written breastfeeding policy for the facility and helping all mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth. They applied for and received the NC Four-Star Breastfeeding Friendly Designation. They are working toward completing all 10 steps and earning the full five-star designation.
• A pediatrics office adopted a breastfeeding-friendly office policy, and its providers have completed more than three hours of continuing education on breastfeeding. They refer clients to lactation specialists regularly.
• A coffee shop welcomes breastfeeding mothers, never asking them to leave, cover up or move. They have applied for the NC Breastfeeding-Friendly Community Partner Award and display the “We’re Breastfeeding-Friendly” window cling.
• An elementary school equipped with a large storage room with a desk, comfortable chair, and small refrigerator for breastfeeding employees to use as a quiet, private space to pump. Breastfeeding teachers are allowed reasonable breaks to pump, and the school meets criteria for the NC Breastfeeding-Friendly Employer Award.
• A small retail establishment earned the NC Breastfeeding-Friendly Employer Award by allowing breastfeeding employees to schedule breaks to express milk in a private office around the time the baby would normally feed.

Related Programs

Statewide Expansion of the Human Donor Milk Program — Partnering with health care systems (including hospitals, pediatric and OB/GYN practices, lactation centers and outpatient clinics) to strengthen and expand the human donor milk network by developing donor milk depots in high-need regions and establishing a coordinated outpatient donor milk distribution system across the state.