Pasco Health Department Paves Way For Breastfeeding Employees

PASCO COUNTY, FL -- The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County is piloting a new program, Baby on Board, which allows exclusively breastfeeding mothers to bring their babies to work with them until the baby is 6 months old.

The program was introduced in January 2018, just six months after DOH-Pasco received a Gold Level Florida Breastfeeding Friendly Employer Award in June 2017. The Florida Breastfeeding Coalition presents this award to recognize organizations that provide support in the workplace to their breastfeeding employees.

More recently, DOH-Pasco was awarded the 2018 Gold Level Loving Support Award of Excellence for providing exemplary breastfeeding promotion and support activities. The purpose of this award is to provide models for local agencies and ultimately increase breastfeeding initiation and duration rates among WIC participants.

The Baby on Board program is another example of the steps DOH-Pasco has taken to become a benchmark for breastfeeding in the community.

"We're providing an environment that welcomes new moms back to work with their breastfeeding babies," said Pasco County health officer Mike Napier. "They can return to work sooner and still give their babies the best chance at a healthy start. The surprising result has been co-worker support and increased morale across all departments."

"Participating in the Baby on Board program was a life-changing experience," said Rachel Romero, the second DOH-Pasco employee to participate in the Baby on Board program. "It was so amazing to have the opportunity to bond with my baby and provide for my family while doing a job I love at the same time. Because of the Baby on Board program, I came back to work after six weeks rather than the six months I had originally planned to be out. I loved being able to get my job done with my sleeping baby wrapped to my chest or nursing. So many clients loved seeing the baby. I'm very proud to work for an organization that truly cares about healthier moms and babies and strives to be a role model in the community."

The third and fourth Baby on Board participants are currently bringing their babies with them to work, and both the previous and current participants are available to provide support and assistance to each other, as well as those considering the program.

DOH-Pasco employee Vanessa Wood was able to go back to work four weeks earlier than she planned.

"Bringing my baby to work has had a profound impact on the staff and soon-to-be mothers that I see in the WIC clinic each day," said Wood. "Staff have embraced my little guy and support my decision to breastfeed. Knowing I can provide the best nutrition to my baby, continue to do my job, and provide hope and support to working mothers is an honor."

"Being able to bring my baby to work with me has been such a blessing," said participant Janet Ortiz. "I'm so fortunate to have been able to bond with my baby for the first six months of his life."

Image via DOH

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