Empowering Teen Moms through Breastfeeding

• Use simple, relatable language
• Visuals and demonstrations are better than written instruction
• Use available apps
• Peer-led support groups may make teens more receptive and comfortable

• What to expect after birth
• Benefits of breastfeeding
• Breastfeeding and pumping techniques
• Debunking myths
• Addressing fears
• Encourage questions and normalize concerns

• Pain Management
• Poor Latch
• Engorgement
• Cracked or Sore Nipples
• Concerns About Milk Supply
• Fears of Public Breastfeeding
• Emotional Challengese
  • Frustration
  • Embarassment
  • Guilt

• Professional
  • International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)
  • Provide professional, evidence based, clinical lactation support and management. Educate families and other health professionals about human lactation.
• Certified
  • Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC), Certified Lactation Education Counselor (CLEC), Certified Breastfeeding Educator (CBE), Lactation Education Specialist (LES), etc.
  • Provides basic education and guidance for families on common breastfeeding challenges.
• Peer
  • La Leche League, WIC Peer Counselor, etc.
  • Provide encouragement, basic education, and support to families in the community.

• Healthcare Providers
• Hospitals
• Community Clinics
• Online Directories (International Lactation Consultant Association)
• WIC Programs
• Breastfeeding Peer Counselors

1. Check referral requirements based on the mom's insurance plan
2. Identify lactation support sources
3. Contact the chosen lactation support source
4. Provide necessary information
5. Follow-up

• NMSA 1978, Section 28-20-1 (1999) makes it legal for a mother to breastfeed her child in any location, public or private, where the mother is otherwise authorized to be present.

NMSA 1978, Section 28-20-2 (amended in 2007) requires employers to provide flexible break times and a clean, private space, not a bathroom, for nursing mothers to express milk.

New Mexico School Excused Absences for Pregnancy Act (2013) is a statewide standard that includes a 10 day excused absence for the documented birth of a child and 4 excused absences per semester when pregnant or caring for a child requires the mother to miss school.