We are very proud to announce the recipients of the DC and MBC Breastfeeding Friendly Awards for 2023! Awardees were recognized at a ceremony today.
This year’s Awardees:
CHILDCARE:
• Busy Bees Childcare – Church Hill, MD
• Homewood Early Learning Center – Baltimore, MD
• UPO @ Frederick Douglass – Washington, DC
HEALTHCARE PROVIDER:
• Children’s Choice Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics – Washington, DC and New Carrollton, MD
• Healthy Home Pediatrics – Washington, DC
• Strong Ties – Rockville, MD
WORKPLACE:
• Children’s Choice Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics – Washington, DC and New Carrollton, MD
• Homewood Early Learning Center – Baltimore, MD – Childcare and Workplace Award

See press release and list of awardees here.

DC/Maryland Breastfeeding-Friendly Awards are back for 2023!!

The DC and Maryland Breastfeeding are seeking nominations of Workplaces, Childcare Providers and Healthcare Providers who play critical roles in supporting breastfeeding.

Since 2010, close to 150 Breastfeeding-Friendly Awards have been granted. Our Workplace Award recognizes businesses who have demonstrated support for breastfeeding through a conducive office environment. Our Healthcare Professional Awards, which began in 2014, recognizes demonstrated support for breastfeeding in the office, along with education of fellow healthcare professionals, office staff and families. Lastly, our Childcare Provider Award, launched in 2021, acknowledges the critical role daycare providers play in supporting breastfeeding. The full press release can be viewed HERE. Previous awardees can be viewed at HERE.

• To nominate your Business for a Workplace Award click HERE
• To nominate your Childcare Provider click HERE
• To nominate your Healthcare Provider Office click HERE

• Nomination deadline is February 28, 2023.
• Our Hybrid In-Person/Virtual Awards Ceremony will take place in April 2023

Questions? Please email media@mdbfc.org or jnash@dcbfc.org

In order to cultivate a community of diverse professional lactation supporters, the Maryland Breastfeeding Coalition has funds for scholarships for people who identify as members of historical underrepresented groups in the field of lactation in our state. In the first two years of this program, MBC has supported 6 people from historically underrepresented groups through the final requirement of IBCLC training, exam application, and fee payment. We are accepting applications for the third year of this successful program. The scholarship covers tuition for a 95-hour Lactation Consultant Training Program through Lactation Education Resources, plus payment of IBCLC exam fee and mentoring by an IBCLC-member of MBC. Please click HERE to read more about the scholarship, including eligibility and application.

Meet one of our previous award recipients and read her story about being an MBC Scholarship Award recipient by clicking HERE.

Our goal to raise $2300, which covers the annual costs of two persons, has been met for this year and we welcome donations for expansion and continuation of the program. Please click HERE to donate to the scholarship fund. If you are a lactation consultant, and wish to donate in the name of someone who mentored you through your own training, please include their name and we will recognize them on as a “Mentor Champion” on our website.

View Maryland’s Proclamation here: https://health.maryland.gov/phpa/wic/Documents/bf_resources/Breastfeeding%20Month%20Proclamation-2022.pdf

The D.C. and Maryland Breastfeeding Coalitions are pleased to announce the 2021 recipients of their Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace and Childcare Awards! Awardees were recognized at a virtual ceremony on February 16th. The awards program had taken a hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year a Childcare Provider Award was launched in appreciation of the critical role daycare providers play in supporting breastfeeding. See press release and list of awardees here.

We know you may have questions about the safety of your family and the safety of breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are sharing a list of website resources compiled by The United States Breastfeeding Committee and advocates around Maryland for you as a breastfeeding parent and for you as healthcare and public health providers. Please click here to visit these websites regularly as this is an evolving situation and information may change.

The American Academy of Pediatrics updated their guidelines on care of newborns born to SARS-CoV-2 positive or PUI mothers and birthing parents on July 22, 2020 and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their guidance on August 3, 2020. The updated guidelines reflect the current best evidence and advise mothers to wear a mask and wash their hands while caring for their newborns, including rooming-in and breastfeeding. The full updated guidelines for AAP can be found here and for CDC here.