Breastfeeding Task Force Of Greater Los Angeles

Culturally Congruent Support Groups

Culturally Congruent Support Groups - In 2021, we launched three Baby Cafés in an effort to increase culturally congruent lactation support. Baby Café is a free, infant feeding support group open to parents virtually. In the BreastfeedLA Baby Cafés, lactation students from the community provide culturally congruent care to community members while being actively mentored by International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants who are from the same community. The Dede Diner centers the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community. The Chi-Chi lounge centers the Latinx and Chicanx community. The Titties N Tea Baby Café centers Black families in South LA. In 2022, we also established the Lactation Liberation Lounge, a free lactation clinic for cases that require a higher level of care.

Black Infant Health Program Orange County

The Black Infant Health (BIH) Program addresses disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes among Black/African American families in Orange County. It serves self-identified Black birthing individuals aged 16 or older who are pregnant or up to six months postpartum regardless of income. Project activities include: Group Sessions: A series of 10 prenatal and 10 postpartum sessions, delivered weekly for 8-12 participants, covers topics like cultural pride, healthy pregnancy, and newborn care. These sessions empower women through education and support. Life Planning Meetings: Participants receive at least four prenatal and four postpartum individual meetings with Family Health Advocates (FHAs) to set personal goals, access resources, and receive tailored support. Case Management: For participants unable to attend group sessions, the program offers individualized case management. Outreach and Recruitment: The program recruits at least 160 participants through partnerships with healthcare agencies and community organizations. Eligibility: Black/African American individuals aged 16+ who are pregnant or up to six months postpartum are eligible for services, with those 18+ and less than 30 weeks pregnant prioritized for group sessions. Evidence-Based Strategies: The program uses culturally congruent care and CDPH MCAH’s curriculum, proven to enhance maternal health outcomes by addressing stress management, healthy relationships, and prenatal/postnatal care. Group sessions and 1:1 support help pregnant and parenting Black birthing people develop life skills, set and attain goals, learn strategies for managing stress, build social support, and reduce isolation.

Lactation and Continuing Education

Lactation Education Program - BreastfeedLA’s Lactation Education program was developed to provide access to lactation education for underrepresented communities. Witnessing the serious deficit of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) lactation consultants across the nation, BreastfeedLA saw the need for a culturally competent, intersectional, holistic, and financially accessible lactation course. In 2019, we launched our Lactation Education Program. In 2020, our program received accreditation, the highest recognition of lactation education globally. To date, we have graduated over 1000 students from our program. We have provided over 150 scholarships to BIPOC individuals to take the course. In 2020, we launched our Clinical Lactation Training (CLT) program, where students are placed at clinical sites throughout OC and LA County to obtain the required 500 hours of clinical experience required to sit for the International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) exam. Finding clinical placements are one of the biggest challenges people face when working towards becoming IBCLCs. In 2023, we created first-in-the-nation partnership with Santiago Canyon College where we offer the lactation course free of charge to those enrolled. To date 300 students have taken this class. Continuing Professional Education - BreastfeedLA provides evidence-based continuing education for nurses, lactation consultants, and breast/chestfeeding advocates by offering eleven seminars per year and biannual summits reaching 1500+ people annually.