National Breastfeeding Month

UCLA Health Supports Breastfeeding

World Breastfeeding Week is recognized annually from August 1 – 7 and this year’s theme is “Enabling Breastfeeding: Making a difference for working parents.” With the appropriate planning, you can ease your transition back to work and continue to meet your breastfeeding goals while you are working. See “Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Working Parent” for important information and tips about breastfeeding and returning to work.

National Breastfeeding Month is celebrated throughout August, and we’d like to share how UCLA Health is committed to supporting breastfeeding families not only during the month of August but each and every day.

UCLA Health:

• Promotes and supports lactation throughout our health care system in policy and in practice. Find more on UCLA Health breastfeeding support.
• Reduces inequity and increases food security by protecting breastfeeding for at-risk families, especially Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC.)
• Promotes compassionate, inclusive and equitable care for LGBTQ+ patients. We encourage you to share your preferred pronouns, terms and plans for infant feeding so we can support your goals. 
• Lifts up our community partners to increase lactation support.
• Supports students, faculty and staff with a lactation accommodation policy and campus resources and support.

National Breastfeeding Month asks us all to step up to protect, promote and support breastfeeding in all arenas.  Here are some ways our UCLA Health providers will support breastfeeding:

• Health care providers:Give basic breastfeeding support and encouragement, safe treatment and avoid medications that can affect milk supply or the baby.
• Obstetricians and midwives: Enable skin to skin after delivery and support breastfeeding in the first hour after birth, even after a cesarean birth.
• Pediatricians and family medicine physicians:Provide breastfeeding support and avoid unnecessary formula use.
• Nurses:Support the decision to breastfeed by providing practical support for breastfeeding, and optimal breastfeeding immediately after birth.
• Faculty: Contribute to educating and training our future health care professionals on the initiation and maintenance of breastfeeding using research and evidence-based clinical protocols. 

UCLA Health and UCLA Campus Resources:

• UCLA lactation accommodation procedures
• Supporting nursing mothers at UCLA
• Child care resources for UCLA faculty, staff, and students
• Lactation rooms are available for UCLA Health faculty, staff and students in the locations listed below. You will need to provide your University ID number to be granted access.
  • 17-311 CHS. This lactation room has two stations within the same room. New mothers interested in using this room should contact School of Medicine Safety at [email protected]or (310) 825-9356.
  • 33-337 CHS. This lactation room has two stations within the same room. New mothers interested in using this room should contact School of Medicine Safety at [email protected]or (310) 825-9356.
  • Geffen Hall, 204. This lactation room has one station. New mothers interested in using this room should contact School of Medicine Safety at [email protected]or (310) 825-9356.
  • Jules Stein Eye Institute, 3-144. This is a private lactation room with a couch, two armchairs, small table and a restroom with sink. New mothers interested in using this room should contact Melissa Rocha, at [email protected]or (310) 206-5402 between the hours of 8am-5pm.
  • Ronald Reagan Medical Center, B706 (B level, go past the vending machines and make a right). This lactation room has two stations with chairs, tables and curtains. There is a sink in the room and a Medela Symphony pump. Supplies include gloves and wipes. Employees are responsible for purchasing their own Medela Symphony pump kit in order to use the pump. Contact [email protected]for the access code or for more information.
  • Rehabilitation Center, Room A376. This lactation room has two stations within the same room. New mothers interested in using this room should contact School of Medicine Safety at [email protected]or (310) 825-9356.
  • The Care Connect Train Station located at 936 Westwood Blvd, 1st Floor (across from reception desk). This lactation room has one station with a chair, table, and sink. The room is available M-F, 7:30am-3pm. It is not locked and there is a sign on the door to indicate that the room is in use.
  • UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, Room 2448 (Merle Norman Pavilion). This lactation room has one station with a chair, table, sink, and pump. Supplies include gloves and sanitizer. The access code is on the door and there is a sign inside that can be put on the door to indicate that the room is in use. Room is available 24/7. 
  • UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, Room 2242. This is a private lactation room equipped with an armchair, small table, sink, and sanitizing wipes.  Those interested in using this room should contact their department approver who can request access by emailing [email protected]. Access will be granted within 24 hours M-F and 48 hours on weekends. Badge access will last for 2 months and then need to be renewed, as needed. Please utilize sign on the door to indicate that the room is in use. Room is available 24/7.
  • UCLA School of Dentistry, CHS 53-079A. This lactation room is located in the School of Dentistry and has one station with an arm chair, a table, and a sink. Mothers interested in using this room should contact Marcela Hamparsumian at [email protected]or (310) 206-6063.
  • Additional lactation rooms on campus can be found on the UCLA Lactation Facilities interactive map.
• The California Department of Public Health Breastfeeding Initiative provides breastfeeding data and information about breastfeeding laws enacted to address and support a parent’s right to breastfeed.