Baby Café Bakersfield is a free service which offers a full range of breastfeeding support, from education to hands-on help to peer support.
We hold weekly in-person and virtual support group meetings and answer questions via text and phone daily.
Our highly-trained and experienced staff of IBCLCs and lactation counselors are committed to helping you meet your own goals and feed your baby the way you want.
Summary
In this episode, we discuss the vital services provided by Baby Cafe, a nonprofit organization offering free breastfeeding support to families in the community. We highlight the challenges of funding, the importance of community support, and the need for expanded services to ensure accessibility for all families. The conversation also touches on the adaptations made during the COVID-19 pandemic and the critical role breastfeeding plays in infant health. Christine calls for community involvement and donations to sustain and enhance the services offered by Baby Cafe.
Takeaways
Baby Cafe provides free breastfeeding support to families.
The organization relies on community donations for funding.
Accessibility to breastfeeding support is crucial for new families.
Baby Cafe has adapted its services in response to COVID-19.
Community referrals are essential for Baby Cafe's operations.
The organization aims to expand its services to better serve families.
Breastfeeding is vital for infant and maternal health.
Baby Cafe operates without major funding sources.
Community involvement is key to sustaining Baby Cafe's services.
Financial donations help cover indirect costs of operations.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Baby Cafe Bakersfield
02:06 The Importance of Free Breastfeeding Support
05:26 Funding Challenges and Community Support
09:17 Expanding Services for Better Accessibility
11:10 The Role of Community in Sustaining Services
13:31 Conclusion and Call to Action
The one thing that moms who contact us at Baby Café Bakersfield have in common is that they want to breastfeed their baby.
Our role at Baby Café Bakersfield is to help them sort through it all, figure out what they want to do, and provide them with the information and skills they need to follow their plan.
Because our staff are board-certified lactation consultants, they are prepared to provide instruction and clinical care on:
latching and positioning
normal breastfeeding behaviors
how to assess milk intake in breastfed babies
understanding normal newborn weight changes
how to manage breastfeeding problems
how to use a breast pump properly
how to store, handle, and feed expressed breastmilk
how to safely prepare and feed infant formula
and much more
By attending a Baby Café session in person or online, or by contacting one of our IBCLCs using our dedicated text and phone line, mothers are able to get personalized help with feeding their baby.
This is so much more than they can find in an online search or by asking their friends.
Breastfeeding care is specialized health care, and no other health care provider has the amount of training and clinical experience that an IBCLC has completed.
Clinical care by an IBCLC has been proven to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies*, and Baby Café Bakersfield makes it accessible and free to Kern County.
This is why you should support Baby Café Bakersfield when it’s time for giving back to your community - healthier babies and mothers means a healthier community!
If you’re ready to lend a helping hand, it’s the perfect time of year!
We’re counting down the days to May 6th and Give Big Kern. We need your help to make our campaign a success, and we’ve included a few easy ways that you can support us.
Share and share alike. Online days of giving are successful because of our own networks. Help us grow our network by sending this to your network and ask your friends to do the same.
Be socially (media) active. Use your social media networks: post on Instagram and Facebook. Share your love for your particular passion, whether it’s education, health care, animals, or the arts. Ask others to do the same.
Become a fundraising champion. Everyone loves a champion, including us! We really need fundraising champions to help drive our fundraising efforts.
Thank you in advance for your support!
Keep up with everything we offer
on IG @BabyCafeBakersfield
and online at www.babycafebakersfield.org
Text or Call us at (661)228-0230 to reach out to our team of highly-experienced, board-certified lactation consultants.
With gratitude,
Christine, Leslie, Mary, Stephanie, Alysia, and the entire Baby Café family
We work to ensure everyone who attends Baby Café in person or online are able to feel welcomed, comfortable, and supported in their feeding plan.
Our staff are highly-trained and firmly committed to helping you optimize your breastfeeding journey.
We are funded by in-kind donations from the community, and we accept donations year-round.
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