BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — If you're a mother who has ever had questions about breast feeding or felt uncomfortable about breast feeding in public, there's a new place for you.
Oishei Children's Hospital introduced their Baby Café Wednesday. The private space provides breastfeeding mothers and mothers-to-be the opportunity to breastfeed, educate themselves about breastfeeding and ultimately, relax.
“There are so many great benefits to giving breast milk to a baby, it sometimes gets hard for moms and they tend to feel guilty about giving bottles and giving formula. We don’t want that stigma to be out there, we want to stop that, a mom should be able to feed her baby whichever way she chooses," Lactation Consultant, Courtney Wahoski says.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends babies are breastfed for at least the first six months of their life. Although a study conducted by the CDC in 2015 shows that 59.5 percent of babies in New York are still breastfeeding at the half year mark.
“A think a lot of women are a little afraid of breastfeeding, there’s a lot of horror stories out there about challenging things that other moms have gone through and that scares a lot of moms," Wahoski says. “We are giving moms the opportunity to have a voice, to come and share their experiences, to get support, to get help, to get a snack, to get a comforting hug, to get a box of tissues.”
The Baby Café will be open to all mothers and expecting mothers every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.
