Programs and health organizations across the island are working together to support breastfeeding mothers inside and outside of hospitals and clinics.
The East Hawaii Perinatal Consortium on Thursday gathered at Hilo Benioff Medical Center with a table full of educational materials and a mobile care unit to kick off World Breastfeeding Week, which is Aug. 1 to Aug. 7.
World Breastfeeding Week is held during the first week of August every year, and this year’s theme is about supporting breastfeeding for all moms in all their diversity, according to the World Health Organization.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly encourage breastfeeding as “a key strategy to improve public health,” as it lowers risk of chronic illness in children, according to Dr. Melissa Robey, a family medicine physician at HBMC.
According to WHO and the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is recommend that infants be exclusively breastfed for the first six months and then continue breastfeeding with supplemental nutrition for two years or longer.
Over past 20 years, Hawaii has made progress in promoting and supporting breastfeeding. In 2020, 89% of mothers started breastfeeding newborns after giving birth. However, Hawaii has struggled to improve the length of time that babies are breastfed.
To improve exclusive breastfeeding rates, HBMC and Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital have been chosen as two of 101 hospitals to participate in Communities and Hospitals Advancing Maternity Practices, or the CHAMPS program.
CHAMPS provides education about the safest, most equitable practices for successful breastfeeding to health care workers consistent with standards set by WHO.
“We are working hard in the hospital to improve our practices and help families get on the right foot when it comes to breastfeeding,” Robey said. “We just want families to know that if there are no medical issues with mother or baby, colostrum and breast milk are all a baby needs.”
By 2030, HBMC aims to increase the proportion of infants exclusively breastfed for six months from 26% to 42% and to increase the proportion of infants who continue to breastfeed for at least 12 months from 47% to 54%.
Early last year, the Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii started operating a mobile health care unit on Hawaii Island to support expectant and postpartum mothers who are unable to access providers for any reason.
“We are working to fill in the gaps for expectant and postpartum mothers who may be unsheltered, not established with a provider, or just unable to come to an appointment,” said program director Pennie Bumrungsiri. “We provide prenatal and postpartum care, clinical and social services, lactation support, doula services, and mental health care.
Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies will be having some giveaways, virtual talk stories and pop-ups throughout World Breastfeeding Week as they work to reach communities in need of care and support.
“We want to ask people what their barriers are and see how we can increase access to health care and social services,” Bumrungsiri said. “When talking about lactation, it is a sensitive time. There are a lot of feelings about wanting to breastfeed right away, but sometimes there is a learning period for mother and baby.”
Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies has a 24/7 telehealth line that anyone can call with health questions, which can be great for late-night lactation support, according to Bumrungsiri. More information can be found at hmhb-hawaii.org.
Leila Ryusaki with Hui Malama Ola Na ‘Oiwi has been providing another source of personalized care, education and counseling for expectant mothers through the Healthy Hapai Program for eight years.
The five-week program is for parents looking for education and tips for having a healthy baby before, during and after birth. Topics range from what to eat, childbirth preparation, breastfeeding education and what to know postpartum.
“Many of my clients reach out to me after baby is born, but if they don’t, I try to keep my relationships with parents going and support them through breastfeeding if they need it,” Ryusaki said. “I also offer one-on-one counseling for mothers or for parents during pregnancy and postpartum. Some people just need to know that there is support out there for them.”
Ryusaki also hosts an online, drop-in support group for mothers and mothers-to-be, so they can talk about their experiences, get their questions answered and create a supportive community.
“While seeing babies thrive two years later is a great reward, an even greater reward is seeing a wahine help her sister or a cousin with breastfeeding because of what they’ve learned in my class,” Ryusaki said.
The five-week program and support group are free and offered islandwide. For more information, visit hmono.org/healthy-hapai-program.
For more information about birthing services, classes and clinics through HBMC, visit hbmc.org/maternity.
