The Cooper Medical School of Rowan University in partnership with the Camden Library has officially opened its first Baby Café on Jan. 23, to create a space for breastfeeding parents to receive support. 

The Baby Café is designed to provide free education and resources on breastfeeding medicine not only for individuals in Camden County, but it is welcome for those in surrounding areas as well. Their mission is to provide breastfeeding services in the community every Thursday from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., located in the city of Camden, at the Riletta L. Cream Ferry Avenue Branch Library. Drop-ins are available, but registering through the library’s website before arrival is helpful, so staff is made aware of those they are expecting to come.

Baby Café provides guidance and encouragement from individuals who have experience and expertise in lactation counseling, to assist breastfeeding mothers. Women who are pregnant and have an interest in breastfeeding can also attend for support and supplies. One of the resources the Baby Café offers is a scale that allows for the babies to be weighed to ensure the mother is transferring and their baby is meeting the growth chart. 

Consultant and facilitator of the Camden location, Sindy Ferreira, knows the importance of having a network that is open to mothers who are breastfeeding, along with those who are considering breastfeeding and simply want to learn more about the process. 

“The goal is to improve health disparities and be able to offer everyone the same support regardless of their social economic status, race, or ethnicity. So, we wanted to welcome the opportunity to offer infants a healthy start from the beginning,” Ferreira said. 

The Baby Café being in close proximity to the Cooper Medicine School at Rowan University is no coincidence. 

“Another reason why we decided to host it there in Camden was because it is close to the medical school,” Ferreira said. 

The collaboration between the medical school and the library allows for students who attend the medical school, residents from OBGYN, and Pete’s, the opportunity to be a part of rotations and gain experience in breastfeeding medicine.

Ferreira, and other experts in this field, aid mothers in spreading awareness of breastfeeding through combining research and techniques. Mothers are also helped in receiving donations if needed. 

The support Baby Café gives is not limited to just mothers but is open for both parents to show up for each other in this process. 

“Other family members are free to join, like fathers as they play a huge role in a newborn’s life,” Ferreira said. 

Additionally, if a mother has older children with her and wants to receive support services, older children are welcome to enjoy story time and participate in arts and crafts.

“There’s much more than just breastfeeding support,” Ferreira said. “It is a peer support and it is a mom support, someone who can certainly relate to what you are going through.”

The Baby Café works to build trust and a non-judgemental atmosphere, as they assist mothers and babies in such a critical stage of life.

For comments/questions about this story DM us on Instagram @thewhitatrowan or email features@thewhitonline.com