OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital Collaborates With WIC at Delaware County Breastfeeding Coalition Baby Expo
On August 17, OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital joined Women, Infant and Children, (WIC), and other community organizations to support mothers and their families at the first ever Delaware County Breastfeeding Coalition Baby Expo. The event, hosted by WIC, was held at 470 S Sandusky St, Delaware, OH, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“It is significant that we are a part of this event to let moms, partners, and families know the resources Grady Memorial Hospital has to offer, not only with breastfeeding, but as a unit as a whole” Katie McKenzie, Grady Family Birthplace lactation consultant said.
Medical professionals from Grady memorial meet once a quarter with the Delaware Breastfeeding Coalition to discuss ways to bring awareness to the needs of a breastfeeding or pumping mother. The group also goes over what resources are available in the county and how they can share those resources with families.
“Our goal was for breastfeeding partners to get together and have families see all the resources in one spot,” Sara Bayless, breastfeeding peer helper at Delaware Public Health District said, “Many families may not realize all the partners and resources within the community for families. The baby expo is a place for families to see the wide variety of resources available in Delaware County and beyond.”
The event was open to the public to enjoy with a target audience of pregnant families and families with infants. Each vendor at the event had a table with information about what they have to offer for mothers, their babies, and families. Grady Memorial Hospital associates had a table to share more information on inpatient and outpatient lactation consults, prenatal consults, free helpline details, breastfeeding classes, hospital grade breast pump rentals, assistance with breast care for formula feeding mothers, and more.
“Exclusive human milk feeding is recommended for at least 6 months. We know that infants who are provided human milk have improved health outcomes including reduced risk of disease, illness, and allergies,” Lauren Robinson, breastfeeding coordinator at Delaware Public Health District said, “Many families do not meet these recommendations for a number of reasons which could be preventable if they were connected with the right resources. Currently only 29% of WIC participants across the state are still providing human milk to their infants at 6 months. We hope that coalitions and events like this will improve cross agency collaboration and referrals to raise breastfeeding duration rates for all infants.”
There was education at the event on infant safety including car seat information, infant CPR, breastfeeding and birthing resources, and opportunities to get vaccinations. There was also a light lunch for the attendees and families had the opportunity to enter a raffle that included car seats, diapers, newborn care baskets, clothing, toys, gift cards, and free services.
