Breast/Chest FeedNHV

Providing community support for breastfeeding & chestfeeding
in New Haven

About BREAST/CHEST FEEDNHV

  • The New Haven Breast/Chestfeeding Task Force is a city-level task force working to build partnerships to support breast/chestfeeding work in New Haven, address racial/ethnic and income disparities in breast/chestfeeding services and rates, and advocate for policies and create initiatives that can empower people to breast/chestfeed.

    We are convened by the Community Alliance for Research & Engagement (CARE) and New Haven Healthy Start.

  • Racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in breast/chestfeeding rates persist in New Haven due to a number of structural barriers, inequities, and institutional racism. Black and African American communities are disproportionately affected by these systemic barriers.

    We formed this Task Force to actively work toward dismantling these barriers and addressing bias and racism in our institutions.

  • The Task Force is made up of community organizations, community leaders, clinicians, researchers, caregivers, and people who breast/chestfeed—all working together on the following projects and initiatives to support our aims. Click here to review past Task Force agendas and here to read through major documents that have come out of our collective work. Read below to learn more about our many projects and initiatives

Did you know?

Infants who are breast/chestfed have a lower risk of infections and illnesses. They also have significantly less healthcare costs than those who are not breast/chestfed. 

Breast/chestfeeding has benefits for the parent as well. The longer a person breast/chestfeeds, the less at risk they are for breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

Breast/chestfeeding makes a difference! 

The Story Behind the “Any Time, Any Place” Initiative

Our City-Wide Initiative

Breast/chestfeeding is an important feeding practice for parents of infants and young children. However, where a person will be when they need to pump milk or breast/chestfeed their child can be unpredictable. Therefore, after various conversations with community members, the Task Force started the "We support breast/chestfeeding: Any time, any place" campaign to encourage all places—but especially worksites, where many New Haven-based working parents have reported difficulties breast/chestfeeding—to become more breast/chestfeeding friendly by having a time, space, and policy for supporting their lactating employees. We also ask businesses to post a "We support breast/chestfeeding: Any time, any place" decal on their storefront window to publicly show their support in our efforts to normalize breast/chestfeeding in our communities.

“Any Time, Any Place” Window Decal

We are encouraging businesses, organizations, and worksites throughout New Haven to put up a window decal that says “We Support Breast/Chestfeeding Any Time, Any Place.” This simple action makes a huge difference to the people in our communities who breast/chestfeed. It lets them know that we support them! The decal is absolutely free and is accompanied by a swag bag of other breast/chestfeeding materials. 

Breast/Chestfeeding-Friendly Worksite Designation

We are also supporting worksites in receiving the Connecticut Breastfeeding Coalition’s official Breast/Chestfeeding Friendly Worksite designation. This designation requires that employees have a time, space, and policy for pumping in the workplace. This is only one step more than what Connecticut law requires, which is a time and space to pump. Creating a policy can be as simple as taking the recommendations and guidelines that a business already has and making them more official. Receiving the designation indicates to employees that the worksite supports their breast/chestfeeding goals. 

Why Should Your Business Become a Breast/Chestfeeding Friendly Workplace

Becoming a Breast/Chestfeeding Friendly Business gives your company bottom line benefits.

  • Lower absenteeism: One-day absences to care for sick children occur more than two times as often for parents who do not breast/chestfeed their infants.

  • Lower health care costs: One study found that allowing parents to breast/chestfeed for at least 6 months could save over $3.5 billion in healthcare costs (adjusting for inflation).

  • Lower Turnover Rates: A study of multiple companies with lactation support programs found an average retention rate of 94.2% compared to the national average of 59%.

  • Positive Return on Investment: Employers receive a 3:1 return on investment for every $1 invested in lactation support.

By becoming a breast/chestfeeding friendly business, employers are not only benefiting their employees, but their employees' children as well.

If you are interested in receiving the Breast/Chestfeeding Friendly Worksite designation ot displaying a window decal, email us!

For more information about why your business should become a breast/chestfeeding friendly worksite, read our Business Case for Breast/Chestfeeding flyer below.

Want more info?

Click the links below to download PDFs with more information on how to become Breast/Chestfeeding Friendly.