Lactation
Support Programs in Federal Workplaces
The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
In September 1996, the CDC administration established an official
Lactation Support Program for pregnant and nursing CDC employees
nationwide. To date, more than 200 employees have participated in the
program, with a large percentage of mothers successfully breastfeeding for
longer than 6 months.
The lactation support
program provides the following:
- Breastfeeding
Classes. A two-part series for expectant employees and their spouses.
- Breast-feeding
Counseling. A board-certified lactation consultant is available for
telephone counseling from the time the baby is born until nursing ceases.
- Return to work
Consultation. An individual session at the work site approximately
two weeks before returning to work covering tips and suggestions for
making breast-feeding and working easier.
- Electric Breast Pump.
A Medela double pump is provided at the work site in special
lactation rooms.
Contact information:
Address:
Work and
Family Programs
Human Resources Management Office
CDC Mail Stop K-17
4770 Buford Highway, NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3717
E-mail: Cblalock@cdc.gov
The National Institutes of Health (NIH)
In September 1998, NIH started a 2-year pilot program to help nursing
mothers make their transition back from maternity leave easier. The pilot
was so successful that the NIH Lactation Program is now a permanent part of
the Work and Family Life Center's services. Since 1998, over 300 women have
participated in some aspect of the Lactation Program. Of the 111 women who
completed the program during fiscal year 2000, 60% successfully provided
breastmilk to their babies for the first 6 months of life and 12% provided
breastmilk for 12 months. This is well above the national average of
approximately 20% of babies receiving breastmilk for 6 months, and is above
the Healthy People 2010 goal of 50% for the nation.
The NIH Employee
Lactation Program includes the following:
- prenatal breastfeeding
education classes taught at various locations on campus
- telephone support
while on maternity leave, providing advice and problem-solving during
the first critical weeks
- return-to-work
consultation
- onsite lactation rooms
in various buildings, all equipped with breast pumps.
For more information
about this comprehensive work site lactation support program, visit http://lactation.od.nih.gov/
Contact information:
Address:
NIH Work and
Family Life Center
Building 31, Room B3C15
31 Center Drive, MSC 2205
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-2205
Telephone: (301)
435-1619
TTY: (301) 480-0690
E-mail: balkamj@od.nih.gov
Web: http://lactation.od.nih.gov/
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