iPod Shuffle by H. Rotgers

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

I suppose I can see some people’s concern with the “flowers” that represent the nipple and areola. Personally those do not bother me one bit. I teach my seven-, four- and one-year-old girls the correct anatomical names for the parts of their bodies (and mine) and I certainly hope that they learn that the nipple and areola are for breastfeeding! That being said, I do not think that any special doll is necessary for girls to model the practice of breastfeeding. My own daughters have used their “regular” dolls to nurse — you can see my then 2.5-year-old nursing her doll in this picture. And here is a video of two sweet little girls (not mine) nursing their stuffed animals to sleep. It’s wonderful to see them cradling their babies, gently bouncing them, and quietly shush-shush-shushing them!

Rather than being worried that such playacting at breastfeeding will hurt my girls, I only hope they remember that that’s how babies should be fed and comforted when they have their own babies.

What do you think about the Bebe Gloton doll? Would you buy it? Does your child pretend to nurse a doll or stuffed animal?

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Graphic by Sachin Ghodke

She created a site that lists upcoming breastfeeding education events including conferences and classroom, at-home, and online education courses. Educators can click a button on the site to list events, and those seeking continuing education credits can search the site by state, region or type of continuing education credit. Because the site depends on conference organizers to list their events, the site does not claim to be comprehensive. So check out my list of ways to find breastfeeding conferences as well.

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

You can choose to stay overnight at the conference location or simply drive daily to attend for one or two days. I have found it most fun to make a trip out of it. My family goes with me to the conferences and while I listen to lectures, my older children play with their dad and swim in the hotel pool! If cost is an issue, there are often scholarships available (ask the conference coordinators, your local breastfeeding group, or the professional association).

There are several La Leche League and professional association conferences coming up soon! Keep in mind that some conferences (LLL for example) are more kid-friendly than others and you should inquire about whether or not children are welcome to accompany you to the sessions. Here’s how to find a conference near you.

~ La Leche League lists area conferences in the U.S. at the LLLI webpage. Conferences in other countries generally are listed on the LLL homepage for that country.

~ There is an annual National Breastfeeding Conference in Canada sponsored by INFACT Canada, Toronto Public Health and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center. INFACT Canada also lists other conferences on its homepage.

~ The International Lactation Consultant Association has an annual conference for lactation professionals and others who assist mothers with breastdeeding.

~ The Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) has a conference coming up in April 2010: “100 Years of Milk Banking: Looking Back, Reaching Forward.”

~ The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action also lists conferences on the WABA homepage, including the annual “Breastfeeding: Practice and Policy Courses” (PDF) in London.

~ Ask your local breastfeeding coalition about its conferences or others in your area!

~ There is a one-stop site for health care professionals to access worldwide continuing education credit opportunities: www.breastfeedingconferences.com. Organizers can list conferences there and those seeking continuing education credits can search by state, region, or type of continuing education credits.

Have you ever attended a breastfeeding conference? Which one? What was your experience like? Will you go again?

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Back to the question at hand. What is the best way to educate mothers about breastfeeding? What is the best way to educate the general community about breastfeeding (so we don’t get comments like this one asking why a small business should have to provide a place for women to pump)? What is the best way to educate medical professionals?

Those questions (and the answers) are difficult ones, but they remind me of a couple of proverbs. “A stitch in time saves nine.” “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” If we don’t educate our young people about the benefits of breastfeeding, and don’t provide adequate information and support to pregnant women and new mothers, then some of them are going to turn to formula-feeding. My point is that we need to put the work in on the front end.

There should be breastfeeding education in the K-12 curriculum. More women should be preparing for breastfeeding during pregnancy. Medical professionals should be given training on breastfeeding so they can provide good medical advice about breastfeeding.

Hospitals and communities should support breastfeeding clinics, like the one run by Dr. Jack Newman, author of The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers: The Most Comprehensive Problem-Solving Guide to Breastfeeding from the Foremost Expert in North America, Revised & Updated Edition. I heard Dr. Newman speak at a La Leche League conference once. Not only was he a funny, dynamic, and inspirational speaker, it was obvious what a passionate advocate of breastfeeding he is. So I was saddened to read this City News article that says the Newman Breastfeeding Clinic and Institute faces closure due to lack of funding. One of the quotes by clinic co-founder Edith Kernerman stood out to me:

“Breastfeeding, like walking, is natural, but it’s a learned behaviour. And so when your child goes and falls the first few times you’re not going to say, okay, that’s it, it’s off to crutches for the rest of your life. No, you’re going to pick that child up and you’re going to learn how to walk with that child and that child will learn to walk with you….

And it’s the same with breastfeeding. We need to learn, we need to learn by watching women around us breastfeed and we don’t see women breastfeed because women are afraid to do it out in public.”

I totally agree. One of the best ways to educate women about breastfeeding is from one mother to another, or a mother to her daughter, or sister to sister, etc. Women need to see other women succeed at breastfeeding, and to receive support, encouragement, and advice from other mothers. It saddens me that La Leche League, which was founded on the principle of mother-to-mother support, sometimes gets a bad and erroneous reputation for being extremist. I have found leaders to be supportive of breastfeeding in general, whether a mother chooses to breastfeed for a day, a year, two years or beyond. If a new mother even goes to a La Leche League meeting, she might initially be taken aback to find other mothers who are breastfeeding toddlers. I wish those new mothers would realize that La Leche League members do not have some agenda to get everyone into extended breastfeeding. They want to support women to have a successful breastfeeding relationship in the early months (which then, not surprisingly, often leads to extended breastfeeding!) If you haven’t already, please take a moment to vote in the poll about La Leche League in the sidebar or at this post.

To sum up, my hope is that more emphasis will be placed on breastfeeding education and awareness — starting at a young age and continuing through to adulthood — so that more mothers and babies can enjoy the benefits of breastfeeding!

Enjoy these carnival contributions from the following bloggers:

~ BreastfeedingMums: The Perfect Breastfeeding Teacher
~ Hobo Mama: Breastfeeding Education
~ Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog: Podcast: So You Want to Work in Breastfeeding Support
~ Beautiful Letdown: How I Learned to Breastfeed
~ Momopoly: Q&A with a Lactation Consultant
~ Babyfingers: Let’s Take Our Perverted Society to School
~ Stop, Drop, and Blog: Breastfeeding: With a Little Help from My Friends, Books, and Professionals
~ Nurturing Notes: Breastfeeding and the Registered Dietitian
~ Poked and Prodded: You Have to Prepare for Breastfeeding

Post from: Breastfeeding 1-2-3