The California WIC Program promotes, supports and protects exclusively breastfeeding for approximately the first six months of life, and continued breastfeeding for at least the first year.

The Orange County Heath Care Agency WIC Program promotes and supports breastfeeding. WIC sites are breastfeeding friendly and have staffs that are well trained and ready to help mothers to be successful at breastfeeding.

County Wide

Orange County Breastfeeding Coalition

To help address this issue, Nutrition Services and others from the community have formed the Orange County Breastfeeding Coalition. The group consists of doctors, dietitians, nurses, lactation consultants/ educators and other health professionals. The group uses the expertise and diversity of its members to educate the community about the benefits of breastfeeding.
Examples of the Orange County Breastfeeding Coalition activities include:

• Professional Education - Educate health care providers, medical students and nursing students.
• Public Education - Increase public awareness of breastfeeding through education and outreach.
• Workplace - Conduct surveys on breastfeeding and work relationships.
• Mother-to-Mother Support - Provide and up-to-date Breastfeeding Resources Directory.
• Research - Collect baseline data on breastfeeding practices.
• World Breastfeeding Week, Celebrate the first week of August (August 1 - 7) with different activities to promote breastfeeding.

During the first three years of operation the Coalition in collaboration with OCHCA conducted a survey of twenty Orange County Hospitals and over 80 businesses to find out about their breastfeeding promotion and support practices.

Breastfeeding Helpline - (714) 834-8363

• Several Activities are scheduled every year for World Breastfeeding WeekDisplays in bookstores and libraries
• Display at the County Hall of Administration
• Displays in hospitals
• Visits to selected ob/gyn physicians
• Distribution of promotional flyers through Santa Ana Resource Network
• Letters to selected businesses asking them to include a breastfeeding message with the employee's paycheck during the month of August. A camera ready copy of two breastfeeding messages is attached to the letter

  

Breastfeeding Resource List
[PDF format]

Working in collaboration with Maternal and Child Health to develop and administer a comprehensive survey to find out reasons why some women choose to breastfeed while others do not. The results will be used to develop plans to reduce barriers to breastfeeding.

For County employees

• Free access to a Certified Lactation Educator 5 days a week
• Lactation lounge at 17th Street
• Breastfeeding Reference Helpline
• Lending library with books and videos
• Breastfeeding Resource List
• Breastfeeding Times Newsletter
• Breastfeeding pamphlets and other educational materials
• Technical assistance to anyone who would like to establish a lactation lounge in their building
• Reference list and website addresses provided on request
• Breastfeeding information packet being developed for employees going on Maternity Leave
• Breastfeeding information packet being developed to help supervisors support their breastfeeding employees returning to work

For WIC participants

• Breastfeeding education and support prenatal and postpartum
• Series of (3) three breastfeeding prenatal classes
• Postpartum group education
• Individual breastfeeding counseling
• Access to electric, manual and pedal breast pumps
• Breastfeeding handouts available in (3) three languages
• Breastfeeding Helpline
• Breastfeeding friendly clinic setting
• Monthly breastfeeding messages
• Special World Breastfeeding Awareness Month activities
• Free access to a certified Lactation Educator
• Referrals to Lactation Consultants in the community
• The above are only a few of our Breastfeeding Promotion and Support Activities.
• Please call your County Breastfeeding Coordinator for more information.