Breastfeeding 1-2-3 » WBW

Breastfeeding: Prepared for Life Theme

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:44:43 +0000

The August Carnival of Breastfeeding coincides with World Breastfeeding Week the first week in August. Do you have thoughts on La Leche League’s World Breastfeeding Week theme: “Breastfeeding: Prepared for Life”? Perhaps breastfeeding helped you in the wake of Hurricane Katrina or another natural disaster. Maybe nursing helped you cope with a medical crisis? Did breastfeeding allow you and your child to undertake a trip you might not have otherwise? Please email me your post on “Breastfeeding: Prepared for Life” by July 27, 2009, for consideration for the blog carnival on August 3, 2009.

As a reminder, here are the guidelines that will increase the chances a post will be selected for inclusion in the carnival:

– A well-written, grammatically correct post
– Thoughtful commentary directly on point for the carnival subject
– Overall quality of the rest of your blog and whether the general subject matter is something of interest to our readers (breastfeeding, parenting)

If your post is selected for inclusion, you will be asked on the day of the carnival to edit your post to link back to each of the other participants in the carnival.

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La Leche League Charity Auction

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:20:51 +0000

Want to get a good deal and benefit a charity in the process? Bid on the items in LLL USA’s charity auction running now through July 15, 2009.

The money raised will help fund World Breastfeeding Week Celebration Grants to support the important work La Leche League Leaders do in the United States. So visit the “LLL USA page” on eBay. LLL USA reports that some items to be auctioned throughout the next several days include an Ergo baby carrier, a Glamourmom ® Nursing Bra Tank, and an assortment of historical transcripts from early LLLI conferences. Be sure to check back often and get your bids in!

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WABA Breastfeeding Photo Contest Winners

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:52:13 +0000

The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) has announced the 10 winners of its annual breastfeeding photo contest. This year the contest centered around the 2009 theme of “Breastfeeding: A Vital Emergency Response. Are You Ready?”

Breastfeeding: A Vital Emergency Response

The photos are fascinating but heart-wrenching in some cases, like the image of the woman who was a victim of domestic violence. Here I am grateful to be nursing my baby through a simple case of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease, and there are women breastfeeding in relief camps, in war zones, in areas severely damaged by an earthquake. You can view all of the photos in WABA’s 2009 World Breastfeeding Week Action folder (large PDF download), or you can view them temporarily on the WABA WBW home page.

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World Breastfeeding Week Banners

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:32:26 +0000

If you support breastfeeding and have a blog or website, you can place a World Breastfeeding Week 2009 banner from LLL USA on your site! There are several banners available. World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every August 1 – 7 with many breastfeeding awareness events and fundraisers around the world. Even if you cannot organize or attend an event, you can do your part with a free banner ad!

Simply right click on the image, “save image as” to your computer, upload it to your site and link it to the World Breastfeeding Week page at LLL USA.

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Twenty Breastfeeding-Related Ideas for International Volunteer Day

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:12:42 +0000

In conjunction with International Volunteer Day December 5, 2008, I challenge all Breastfeeding 1-2-3 readers and their breastfeeding advocate friends to choose a volunteer activity to support breastfeeding. Start thinking what you would like to do between now and December 5 to celebrate International Volunteer Day. I’ll remind you again over the coming months, and check in on December 5 to see how you decided to volunteer to support breastfeeding! I have come up with 20 ideas to get you started. Leave a comment with more ideas, or share a link to your own post on International Volunteer Day and the Breastfeeding 1-2-3 Challenge!

20 Ways to Volunteer to Promote Breastfeeding

1. Join your state or regional breastfeeding coalition or task force.

2. Investigate whether you qualify to donate breast milk through one of the non-profit milk banks.

3. If you are qualified to do so, offer to speak about breastfeeding at a birth or parenting class or even the local high school.

4. Donate your pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and parenting books (see Five Ways to Pass on Your Breastfeeding Books). Take up a collection from your friends!

5. Create breastfeeding related crafts to sell, such as t-shirts, cloth nursing pads, slings, nursing covers, bumper stickers, or buttons, and donate the profits to your favorite breastfeeding-related charity.

6. Talk to an expecting mother about your breastfeeding experience.

7. Post in support of other breastfeeding mothers on breastfeeding forums and bulletin boards.

8. Distribute International Breastfeeding Symbol stickers for display in local stores and restaurants.

9. Write an article for your local newspaper on a breastfeeding support group or recent World Breastfeeding Week event.

10. Create a breastfeeding awareness video to enter into next year’s World Breastfeeding Week video contest (assuming there is one) or upload a video to YouTube.

La Leche League Related Ideas

11. Investigate becoming a La Leche League Leader.

12. Take on a non-leader job in your local La Leche League group. Mothers are needed for all different sizes and sorts of jobs such as greeter, snack coordinator, librarian, new mother packet distributor, and treasurer.

13. Submit your breastfeeding story to NEW BEGINNINGS magazine.

14. Start planning for next year’s World Breastfeeding Week.

15. Write a thank you note to one or more of the companies or organizations that sponsored World Breastfeeding Week Celebration prizes in 2008 and encourage them to donate again next year.

16. Coordinate a holiday-related fundraiser (think holiday party with cookie exchange and silent auctions). Hold it on the actual Friday night December the 5th, or any other time!

17. Plan a theme basket and sell drawing tickets at the next local LLL conference. Popular basket themes include a gift card tree (with cards donated by local merchants and/or mothers), pregnancy and birth, day at the beach, and chocolate.

18. Work with your local La Leche League leader to distribute LLL brochures, meeting notices, and business cards to area obstetricians, midwives, pediatricians, and libraries.

19. Design and maintain a website with your local LLL group’s meeting times and locations, contact names/phone numbers/emails, events, and fundraising opportunities. If your group already has a website, see if the group needs someone to maintain and update it on a regular basis.

And last but not least:

20. Spread the word about this challenge to your friends, LLL leaders, and blog readers! Feel free to grab the Breastfeeding 1-2-3 Challenge image shown above for display on your blog with a link back to this post! (Email me if you need help).

Any more ideas? Decided what you’re going to do? Leave a comment with your idea, volunteer commitment, or link!

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Last Minute Low Cost or No Cost Ways to Celebrate World Breastfeeding Week 2008

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:39:40 +0000

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated from August 1 to August 7, 2008. If you are looking for a last minute way to mark the occasion and raise awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding, check out this helpful list of ten low cost or no cost ways to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week, compliments of the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington (State). Check out the coloring page or take the Marvelous Mammals Quiz.

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World Breastfeeding Week 2008 Items Available

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 02:36:49 +0000

INFACT Canada (the Infant Feeding Action Coalition) now offers a World Breastfeeding Week 2008 Kit for sale. For CDN $65.00, one kit contains: seven fact sheets, two mini-posters (2 of each poster), five “Breastfeeding Rights” pocket cards, WABA Action Folder 2008, sample press release, Baby-Friendly Checklist Pad, two “Cost of Formula” wheels, “Risks of Formula Feeding” brochure, Nestlé boycott information, and three “Mother-Baby Friendly Communities” stickers. The items are also for sale individually. Visit INFACT Canada for pictures, additional information, and order forms.

Free resources for World Breastfeeding Week include those offered by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action and La Leche League in the USA.

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“Virtual Torch Run” Registers World Breastfeeding Week 2008 Celebrations

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:22:29 +0000

This month the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) launches a “Virtual Torch Run” around the world, running from June to December 2008. The Virtual Torch Run will be marked by a torch on the world map for each World Breastfeeding Week event registered during that time. To mark your event, submit the simple pledge form to WABA. To view the map, click here. La Leche League (LLL) groups in the United States should also remember to register their events with LLL. Non-LLL groups can also register by filling out a form for other registrants.

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LLL in the USA Banner Ads for World Breastfeeding Week 2008

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 23:04:33 +0000

If you have a blog or other website, there is an easy and fun way to support World Breastfeeding Week 2008. A whole page of banner ads can be found on the LLL in the USA site. I simply right-clicked on each ad, saved a copy to my computer, uploaded it to my site, and linked it to the LLL in the USA WBW 2008 home page. (Really, that’s the best explanation I can give. The banner ads page has a link to contact someone for help putting an ad on your own page).

Here are the available ads:

If you would like, leave a comment with your web address to let everyone know you put up an ad and are a WBW supporter!

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LLL Launches World Breastfeeding Week Site for 2008

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:07:28 +0000

La Leche League in the USA has opened up the 2008 LLL in the USA World Breastfeeding Week Celebrations site. It’s the place to go to register your event, find WBW forms, and take advantage of many fundraising and publicity ideas. The WBW kit is especially helpful.

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