BreastfeedLA is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of infants and families through education, outreach, and advocacy to promote and support breastfeeding. Your donation is urgently needed to strengthen and grow the work of BreastfeedLA. If you like the work we are doing, please consider giving today. Your generous gift will help offset our costs and will support our mission.
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Two years ago, in the spring of 2017, BreastfeedLA started working on our Milk Depot project. The purpose of establishing local milk collection sites (depots) was to make communities aware of the need for donated breastmilk and make the process of donating breastmilk easier for local mothers. A milk collection site (depot) is a facility with a tissue license that keeps a freezer for collecting milk from screened donors, and where collection containers are kept. Through a grant from Kentec Medical, we were able to provide organizations with the necessary equipment and staff protocol to set up local milk depots in the LA area. After local mothers donate their milk, the milk is shipped to
The Mothers’ Milk Bank
in San Jose, who then screens, collects, processes and dispenses donated human milk as a community service, thus providing pasteurized human milk to medically fragile infants whose own mothers cannot supply the milk to meet their baby’s needs.
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When we started this project, statistics from 2016 showed
43,658 oz. of donated breastmilk provided to Southern California hospitals. There were
0 milk depots
in existence in Southern California.
We are so excited to report, that as of today, we have helped establish
4 distinct donor milk depots
in the LA area. In 2018, 49,845
oz. of donated breastmilk came to Southern California from the Mother's Milk Bank.
Our three milk depots in LA County received a total of 7,412 oz. in 2018!
As projects get established and integrated into the community, it is a marker of success that we think of them as always being there, I am so proud to call renewed attention to the wonderful service that these milk depots are providing. Please see more in Partner News below to learn about our new depot at Eisner Health and to find our about their milk drive coming up in May. Be on the lookout in August as Antelope Valley also hosts their annual milk drive. Our website
http://breastfeedla.org/milkdepots/
has the contact information and links to find a milk depot near you.
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Arissa Palmer
Executive Director
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Upcoming Events-Continuing Education
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California Family Leave Laws
April 11, 2019
9:00AM-3:00PM
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This Spanish/English training will equip lactation consultants, nurses, home visitors, health care workers, and child care providers who serve low income and new immigrant communities with information on Paid Family Leave and related workplace rights. Help us create a strong county-wide network of support which will positively impact the number of parents and families who can access these benefits.
The training will provide resources and connection to a statewide network/coalition for regular updated information and feedback when questions arise. This innovative, interactive training incorporates hands-on practice and role play in Spanish and English. Participants will leave the training with new skills, information, and resources that will enable them to help parents and families of Los Angeles thrive.
Only $35 includes a full day of CERPs and CEUs!
Early Bird extended to April 1!
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Protecting the Breastfeeding Continuum of Care in the Community: What We Can Do
April 26, 2019
9AM-4PM
Early Bird ends soon!!
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With Emily Bernard
Continuity of Care is not a new topic in the healthcare world. It focuses on reducing negative outcomes such as safety and mortality across many specialties. When we apply this to breastfeeding we can translate this into what creates these gaps of continuity which contribute to less than ideal rates of initiation, exclusivity and duration of breastfeeding and the negative outcomes associated with this.
Improving breastfeeding is more than one person, agency or department can tackle. Partnerships and collaboration are essential to creating a continuity of care. We will discuss what partnerships mean to breastfeeding, where to look for them and ways to move forward together towards a common agenda of community continuity of care for breastfeeding.
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Lactation Support In the High Risk Infant Population
May 31, 2019
9am-4:15pm
Featured speakers:
Julie Matheney MS, CCC-SLP
L. Hope Wills, MA, RDN, CSP, IBCLC,
Dr. Christine Bottrell Mirzaian, MD, MPH, CLC
Please join us for a day-long seminar focused on serving the high risk infant population. The seminar will cover sensory development, torticollis, longitudinal outpatient breastfeeding support, how to integrate lactation care in a pediatric setting, the role of the IBCLC in supporting the maternal infant dyad and the unique needs of babies in the NICU and their parents during lactation. This seminar will feature 3 amazing speakers and 4 incredible presentations!
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RHBC North
Community Meeting
April 4, 2019
9:30AM-12:00PM
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We're excited for our first RHBC Community Meeting of the year! The LA Department of Public Health will be hosting this meeting at the Zev Yaroslavsky Family Support Center. We have invited our local hospitals, community clinics, CPSP providers, Welcome Baby teams and community organizations.
The focus of the day will be
Motivational Interviewing: A Patient-Centered Counseling Approach
. We will also have the opportunity to network with other hospitals, community clinics and organizations.
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RHBC South Community Meeting
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
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Held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Public Health
The Regional Hospital Breastfeeding Consortium (RHBC) meetings provide ongoing support and guidance for staff from participating hospitals and community partners.
The next meeting will be our yearly Community meeting. Some of the topics covered will be Durable Medical Equipment (DME, Doulas, and Centered Pregnancy). Please join us to network with others and to learn from eachother on some best practices regarding breastfeeding.
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Upcoming Events-Lactation Consultant Education
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LES TRAINING PART 2
June 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 2019
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Taught by Brandi Jordan, MSW IBCLC
BreastfeedLA's Lactation Consultant Education Course
is an advanced and comprehensive educational course that provides part 2 of the 90 hours as mandated by the IBLCE for certification as a Lactation Consultant. This information will allow graduates to have the background necessary to prepare students to pass the educational components of the IBCLC exam for certification as an IBCLC.
To sit for the IBCLC certification examination, an individual must meet eligibility criteria in three areas: Health Sciences Education, Lactation Specific Education, and Lactation Specific Clinical Experience. This course satisfies one of the three requirements: Lactation Specific Education.
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For more information and to register for ALL of our events visit us at
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Legislative/Advocacy Updates
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California Infant Feeding Guide Updated
As reported by
SDCBC
: This guide is an update to Chapter 9: Lifecycle: Normal Infant Feeding (0-12 months), found in the California Food Guide: Sacramento, California. California Department of Health Care Services and California Department of Public Health, 2008. It is meant to be a resource for consistent messaging across California providers and programs. The Guide is available in 3 languages:
English (PDF)
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Chinese (PDF)
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Spanish (PDF)
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FAMILY Act Action Tool
As reported by the
CA WIC Association
: ZERO TO THREE has launched an online action tool titled "
Tell Congress to Support the FAMILY Act
." Individuals can use the action tool to contact their Members of Congress in support of the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act. Messages to Members of Congress include specific language about why the
FAMILY Act
is unique compared to other paid leave proposals in Congress - note that the FAMILY Act would benefit private sector workers and self-employed people, not just federal employees as with FEPLA.
ACTION:
Tell your member of Congress to support the FAMILY Act, and see more
background information and resources
from the National Partnership for Women and Families.
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In celebration of Valentine's Day, and all the love you show us and our breastfeeding community, over the next few issues of the Bee we will be sharing our love by featuring some of our most dedicated volunteers and staff who give their time and energy to further breastfeeding equity everyday.
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This week we celebrate the newest member of our BreastfeedLA team, our new Education Coordinator Hannah Halliwell!
Spotlight on
Hannah Halliwell
Hannah Halliwell, CLEC, ICCE has worked supporting women and children as an advocate and educator for over a decade. Since 2008, she has worked as a birth/postpartum doula, childbirth educator, and lactation educator/counselor throughout Los Angeles. Hannah’s approach to supporting families during their transition into parenthood is strength-based and focuses on informed decision making, building self-efficacy, and developing communication skills. Driven by an ardent belief in the inherent dignity of all people, Hannah seeks to increase the number of safe spaces for children and women of color, particularly during major life transitions such as childbirth and early parenting. Hannah is thrilled to be joining the staff at BreastfeedLA and looks forward to using her position as Education Coordinator to continue to promote cultural awareness and social equity in breastfeeding.
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Partner News & Opportunities
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A Brunch Honoring LA Midwives
Sun, April 7, 2019
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Altadena Town & Country Club
2290 Country Club Drive
Altadena, CA 91001
“When women support each other, incredible things happen." -unknown
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Eisner Health Milk Depot Open for Donations
Eisner Health Milk Depot is open for milk donations and will be holding their first Milk Drive on Saturday, May 11
th
. You are welcome to share the flyers below with your clients, communities, and partners!
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For more information on local partner events visit our website at
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CDC Researchers Report on Trends in Hospital Breastfeeding Policies
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A new study from the CDC showed modest improvement in optimal hospital breastfeeding policy from 2009 to 2015, with more than 2 times as many hospitals having a model breastfeeding policy and increases in early initiation of breastfeeding and limitation of non-breast milk feeds of breastfed infants. Despite a nearly 4 times increase in the percentage of hospitals not receiving free infant formula, more than 70% still do, according to the article published in
Breastfeeding Medicine
, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.
Click here
to read the full-text article free on the
Breastfeeding Medicine
website through April 18, 2019.
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When you invest in one lactation student from BreastfeedLA, you invest in a multiplier effect that has a profound impact on Los Angeles' most complex problems of discrimination, poverty, and violence.
It only costs $495 to champion one student to complete our 45 hour lactation education specialist course and $990 to complete our 90 hour lactation consultant course. However, we greatly appreciate gifts of any amount—a single contribution holds the potential to ignite the power of a future lactation consultant and forever change our world!
When she is strengthened, she advocates for herself and changes her community.
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Welcome in spring with a
NEW
job that
you
love!
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Thank you!
Your generous contributions in 2019 help make our work possible.
Our programs are made possible through the generosity of our supporters like YOU! Join the
elite
and be recognized! Please
donate
and help us to continue and remove breastfeeding barriers for mothers and babies in the greater Los Angeles area. Support BreastfeedLA with a monthly donation of just $10 or more per month.
Leaders
of BreastfeedLA are those who gave $500 or more in 2019 or are monthly donors who support the ongoing mission of BreastfeedLA.
Patrons
of BreastfeedLA are individuals who gave $100-$499 in 2019.
Friends
of BreastfeedLA are those who gave $99 or below in 2019.
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Oluwapelumi Adeboyejo
Lori Berkemer
Michele Bragger
Lindsey Rei Branker
Allison Casciato, MD
Leticia Casillas-Sanchez
Rosemarie Cervantes
Jessica Claire
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Tanya Colligan
Wendy DeLeon
Judith Dunaway
Wilhelmina Gandionco
First 5 Los Angeles
HealthConnect One/Birth Equity Leadership Academy (BELA)
Melinda J. Kiely
LA Best Babies Network
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Jill Nighswonger
Joan Ortiz
PAC/LAC
Denise Parker
Linda Robinson
Gail Spivak
Katie Waters-Smith
Magdalene Whitman
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Gwendolyn M. Brown
Jennifer Finnigan
Amy Wolff Kahan
Christopher Keyser
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Wendy McGrail
Deborah Myers
Lina Nahue
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Sally Pacholok
Rita Shertick
Rebeca Pastrana Sheng
Patricia Spier
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Christine Bennett
Jennifer Davidson
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Linda Goldman
Alexis Grizzell
Sara Hahn
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Arissa Palmer
Zanette Pettersen
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We strive to make the Bee an informative source of breastfeeding education and events throughout greater Los Angeles and breastfeeding research and resources from across the globe. Send comments (we LOVE feedback), ideas, announcements and resources to us.
Just click HERE
.
Please note: Inclusion of an item in the Bee does NOT imply endorsement or support of such item by BreastfeedLA, unless specifically noted.
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together we can create a healthier LA for every baby!
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BreastfeedLA
2851 West 120th Street, Suite E #335,
Hawthorne, CA 90250
Phone: 323-210-8505
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