Babylon Town Celebrates World Breastfeeding Week

BABYLON, NY— The Town of Babylon is celebrating World Breastfeeding Week to support Suffolk County mothers and babies in their breastfeeding journey, town officials announced.

Babylon's Breastfeeding Support and Awareness Celebration will be held on Saturday, August 3, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Tanner Beach Senior Center., Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine announced Thursday. It's open to the public and honors World Breastfeeding Week, which takes place annually from August 1 to 7 and is supported by WHO, UNICEF and health organizations worldwide.

“This World Breastfeeding Week, we recognize the importance of breast milk for babies to help them grow healthy and strong,” said Romaine. “To show our support, we invite families to join our staff and community partners for a morning of camaraderie and fun at the beach.”

The event aims to help mothers and their families learn about breastfeeding and how to support mothers in their breastfeeding journey. There will be food, games, activities, face painting and prizes. No parking fee or proof of residency will be required to attend the event.

“Our staff and partners are huge advocates of breastfeeding and strong proponents that breastfeeding mothers get the multi-level support they need,” said Dr. Gregson Pigott, Suffolk County Health Commissioner. “I thank our partners in the Suffolk County Breastfeeding Coalition who promote healthy families and who have helped make our breastfeeding awareness event a success since 2017.”

The event follows Governor Kathcy Hochul's recent decision to pass a law requiring New York employers to provide 30 minutes of paid break time for breastfeeding employees

to pump breast milk while at work for up to three years after a baby is born.

Prior to the new legislation, employers were only legally obligated to provide reasonable unpaid break time for expressing breast milk.

Under the new law, employees can also use their existing paid break time or mealtime for any time in excess of thirty minutes.

The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) recommends breast milk as the first food for infants and because it supplies "all the necessary nutrients in the proper amounts." In addition, NYSDOH recommends that infants feed on breast milk exclusively for the first six months and that parents supplement a solid food diet with breast milk for "two years or longer, if mutually desired by mother and child."

Comprehensive information about employee rights and employer requirements regarding breast milk expression in the workplace is available on the New York State Department of Labor’s (NYSDOL) dedicated resource page.