Infants and young children are vulnerable in emergencies and are at high risk for malnutrition, infection, and death. Pregnant and postpartum women have special health, nutrition, and psychological needs in emergencies. In an effort to improve infant, maternal, and community health outcomes during and after disasters, the New Orleans Breastfeeding Center developed an emergency infant feeding program called Infant Readyᵀᴹ

This program provides training, educational materials, and an emergency feeding kit.

• Our training, available both in-person and on-demand, provides information on perinatal emergency preparedness to emergency response workers, lactation support professionals, and health care providers.

• Our educational materials are low-literacy, visually diverse tools that contain essential teaching on safe infant feeding. They are useful for caregivers, emergency responders, and health professionals. 

• Our emergency feeding kit is lightweight, portable, and has the supplies families need to safely feed their young children ages 0 to 2 years old in an emergency. 

During emergency situations, it is crucial that breastfeeding be protected, promoted, and supported as the safest feeding option for infants, and that families, emergency responders, and health professionals understand how to safely and appropriately use formula when human milk is not an available option. You can find our parent tip sheet, plus more preparedness information for families, on the NOLA Ready website. 

This article by The Healthy Children Project | Center for Breastfeeding features Birthmark's emergency preparedness work after Hurricane Laura in 2020.

Learn more about the this program, the training and its impact in this recent article on 19thnews.org 

Why Emergency Preparedness Matters for Pregnant and Postpartum Families ?
Pregnant and postpartum individuals, along with their infants and young children, are particularly vulnerable during emergencies such as natural disasters. This guidance aims to help pregnant and parenting families enhance their emergency preparedness, providing peace of mind and practical strategies for handling unexpected situations.

Please contact us at infantready@birthmarkdoulas.com for more information!