#phoenix_az

Ездили недавно в центр города Финикса - downtown. Начинаю понимать, что Андрей имел в виду, когда говорил, что здесь скучно долго жить)

Я когда в первые дни увидела столько здоровенных и необычных кактусов и столько солнца - подумала, что это ж райское место! А скучно, потому что этот город - как белорусский дачный кооператив!)  Не очень весело долго жить на даче...  

We had a very busy day in Phoenix, Arizona!  Not only did we have an incredible event we also went to a workplace that allows moms to bring their babies to work. First up, we had a packed house at Midwives Rising.  There were so many moms and babies, it was tough to move!  I was very surprised to learn that many moms felt that Phoenix wasn’t supportive of breastfeeding.  There was such energy and support in the room I would have assumed that the whole city was pretty welcoming.  But instead, many shared that if you can plug into the support community you can find incredible support, but outside of this tight knit group the rest of the city is much less supportive.  I spoke to a mom who was initially unaware of the community and these resources, and she said she felt very alone and isolated during her breastfeeding journey.  Fortunately, she met someone who introduced her to the community and she said her journey changed dramatically right then and there.  We wished that we could snap our fingers and have all the moms who felt just like she did walk in the room and see all the support and encouragement that was available in Phoenix.  As we build out the community on-line on Milk for Thought, our goal is to make it easy and fun for moms to find all their local resources. After the event, we made our way to the Arizona Department of Health & Human Services to interview members of an office that have a Babies at Work program. Back at our Salt Lake City stop in July, we'd met Carla Moquin, the founder of Babies at Work, so we were very excited to see a workplace that has had a successful program for more than 10 years! 

Not only did we meet one mother who had her son with her in the office, we met a colleague who was initially very skeptical about having to work amongst babies.  The program is very progressive and allows a mother or father to bring their baby to work to promote bonding and continued breastfeeding.  This program has proven very effective at retaining employees and getting employees to return to work earlier than they otherwise would.  While a typical concern is, "How can someone be productive with their baby at work?" the counterpoint is that the parent isn’t spending time worried about being separated from their child and eventually can come up with a routine and method that brings their productivity back to about 80-85% of their pre-baby productivity.  This is a much better alternative that losing good employees or having them stay away from the workplace for a long time after birth.

At ADHS, we learned that the office enjoys having babies in their company and that it can change the mood and help ground people and “put things in perspective.”  I was sold on the benefits of this program and can picture myself in work meetings and in my office with my baby strapped to my chest!   

The Big Pink Bus is almost at the end of its cross-country tour, with a Thursday stop in the Valley of the Sun! A ton of local organizations and supporters have joined up to make this day great, so mark it on your calendars!

Highlights of the Phoenix stop include ...

Midwives Rising is hosting the Big Pink Bus crew and a bevy of breastfeeding resources, advocates and supportive organizations! We'll beat the heat inside -- so bring your friends and babies!

The Latch On America Documentary Crew will be interviewing several people and employees at Arizona Departament of Health Services about their amazing Babies at Work program that's been in place for more than 10 years! We'll meet an employer, mom, and coworker who was skeptical of the program but has since become a huge supporter. Babies at Work is such an important organization and movement to support, and we're thrilled to have this chance to talk to moms who are reaping the benefits.

See you in Phoenix for a great morning!