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Work and
Breastfeeding
by Jody Cousins MD
f the 90% of
Owomen in
Washington State
who choose to nurse
their baby, most plan
to continue when
they return to work –
usually just weeks or
▲ months after their babies are born. Many
Another great success – Auxilians staffing the annual Miniature Christmas Tree moms say returning to work is one of the
Sale are (from left) Janice Altomari, Betty-Anne Ely, Joan Simmerman, Julie most common reasons for giving up
Anderson, Julie Hildebrandt, Karen Toedte, Jeri Liggitt and Margaret Read. breastfeeding before they want to.
How can you make breastfeeding fit
Auxiliary lauds members, community support into your plans? Below are a few abbrevi-
by Betty-Anne Ely appreciation. Our thanks to the IH Medical ated tips from Within Reach, a program
of the Breastfeeding Coalition of
IH Auxiliary President staff and Walgreens for assisting us in the pur- Washington.
chase of the candy bars. Know your rights: National law
he Auxiliary again realized a highly March 16: Easter Basket Sale. We put
Tsuccessful year in 2017, and I cannot together pretty baskets and fill them with requires all employers of 50 or more
overstate to whom the credit belongs: you, our goodies and toys for the kids. Also available people to entitle most mothers to
take a reasonable break time to pump
generous community and the talented group are small plants to adorn a desk or a bedside breastmilk as many times as needed
of women with whom I work in the Auxiliary. table for those loved seniors in your life. up until their child’s first birthday. This
Our Vial of Life program offers our island
community additional peace of mind in the ongoing Projects law also requires employers to pro-
vide you with a private, non-bath-
event of a medical emergency. This is made “Heart” & Sports Pillows: Auxiliary mem- room space to pump milk. (FLSA 29
possible, in large part, by our local Walgreens, ber Miriam Montgomery makes our “heart” U.S.C 207(r)).
who donates the vials, and by our two print- pillows for every patient diagnosed with breast Introduce a bottle to your baby about
ers, Anacortes Printing and Westward cancer. This year she came up with sports pil- 2 weeks before you return to work.
Designs, who only charge for their costs for lows, 18” square and made of the fabric of Expressing milk between or after
our needed printed materials. your favorite sports team – college or profes- feedings allows you to collect milk to
Revenue from our Miniature Christmas sional. Perfect! offer in a bottle.
Tree Sale has continued to grow since three Lifeline: We fund 12 community members Try different nipples to see which one
years ago, when Dave Sem from Sebo’s donat- who need this vital medical-alert service but your baby prefers.
ed the trees. We were thrilled by his generosity who could otherwise not afford it. We thank Many mothers find it is best to start
and remain grateful to the Henerys, who pur- the Noon Kiwanis Club, Anacortes storing expressed milk at least 2
chased Sebo’s and continue Sem’s generosity to Soroptimists and the Lions Club for their weeks before returning to work or
this day. The Auxiliary takes it from there, financial assistance. school. If you are one, store the milk in
using our talent and funds to bring these trees Our membership is growing steadily, now small amounts, 2-4 oz.
to life. numbering 22. Our common desire is to sup- If you can, return to work or school
port our hospital in ways both meaningful
mark the date! and fun. If you are considering membership gradually, helping you and your baby
adjust to the new schedule.
Feb. 14: Candygrams. Our decorated and want to support your hospital in the com- For more information visit www.with-
chocolate bars are bought by the hospital staff pany of new friends, I welcome your call at inreach.org or talk with your lactation
to gift another in the hospital as a gesture of (360) 840-3038. specialist.
Dr. Cousins is the Medical Director for
A sincere thank you goes to all in the community who the Center for Maternal & Infant Care at
support our events, and a huge thank you goes to my Island Hospital and a family-practice physi-
fellow Auxiliary members who donate their time and cian with Fidalgo Medical Associates. For
information or appointments call (360)
personal funds for all the projects mentioned above. 293-3101.
Winter 2018 | Heartbeats | 11
