The non-profit, Champions for Children wants to make sure moms who can breastfeed get all the information and access to support that they need.


What You Need To Know

  • Champions for Children is a group that wants to help mothers breastfeed their children

  • They are opening up two new locations, bringing their clinic total to five

  • They specialize in helping mothers get information that need to succeed

"Nationally we would like 65% of moms and babies to sustain breastfeeding for about two months, and we're only at about 25% here in Hillsborough County," said CFC CEO Amy Haile. "And that number’s even lower for mothers of color."

So, with funding from Baycare Health, the group opened two more walk-in breastfeeding clinics — Baby Café's — in Plant City, and Town 'n' Country, for a total of five now in the Bay area.

Mothers can get answers to questions from a professional lactation consultant about everything including managing feedings to pumping, bottle feeding and weaning.

New mom Na'imya Chew is learning about breastfeeding with her first son, 3-week-old Julian.

"I definitely think this is something that we don’t talk enough about as women," said Chew. "Like, I didn’t think breastfeeding was going to be such a challenge, and I think it’s important that we do talk about it so we know, it’s not us, we’re not the issues, it’s not the babies, they’re not the issues, they’re learning, we’re learning, there’s help."

Chew went to Baby Café for that help. Amy Bohler, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant goes over a variety of topics with mom, including the physical and mental health benefits of breastfeeding.

"Babies who are breastfed have a lower risk of respiratory illnesses, both in infancy, and also when they are older," she said. "They have a lower risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), actually."

"When you are breast and chest-feeding your baby, you have the opportunity to be skin-to-skin 10 to 12 times a day," she continued. "And both of your bodies are releasing all of that oxytocin, that hormone that really basically makes you addicted to each other, and that's some of the beauty of what breastfeeding does."

That beautiful bond comes with with questions and some challenges. Bohler, a mother of two who has been working in breastfeeding support since 2010, thinks she might have an idea why breastfeeding might be a challenge for this mom and baby.

"Definitely this is something to consider and think about — the tongue tie, lip tie thing, because if we can fix that and we could just breast feed, that would be great," said Chew who said she will be bringing Julian back to the Baby Café. "It’s hard to get the information, so, like, everybody has their own opinions on what you should be doing or what could be possibly happening, but being able to come to someone who has lots of experience, I feel like is very helpful."

Bohler said she loves supporting families like Chew's.

"I feel that there’s so much pressure in America to breastfeed but not a lot of support," she said. "So, if we can give families the support that they need to meet their feeding goals, I think that’s a win. And I really love holding babies."