Boston Breastfeeding Coalition Newsletter
March 2022
“It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a whole society to build a breastfeeding-friendly environment. Mothers need trusted information, timely counseling and adequate support from families, health facilities, workplaces, and policy makers to confidently breastfeed.” — Dieu Linh Nguyen, Regional Knowledge Management Officer at Alive and Thrive
March Breastfeeding Coalition Events
Please join us today for the 4th Trimester Subcommittee Launch Meeting!
Join us to discuss the experience of being a Certified Lactation Counselor and upcoming training opportunities!
Application for 2022 R.O.S.E. and CLC Training Scholarships Opening Soon!

Are you interested in becoming a Certified Lactation Counselor? The Boston Breastfeeding Coalition will be offering scholarships to various Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Trainings and the applications will open soon. Please let us know if you would be interested in a notification when the application opens.


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5th Annual Black Maternal Health Conference!
The Role of Policy in Addressing Black Maternal Health Disparities
This conference will benefit public health/medical professionals, community organizers, students and anyone invested in supporting Black maternal health.
Friday, April 8th from 10AM - 5PM. Register Today!
Black Maternal Health Week Is April 11-17th
#BMHW22 Social Medial Toolkit is live!
The week of April 11-17 is Black Maternal Health Week. 
The #BMHW22 social media toolkit is now available. This toolkit offers key messaging, resources, and shareable graphics for promotion across your digital and social media channels.
You can download the toolkit by clicking the link.
March 8th was International Women's Day
Although the International Women's Day has a long history, it was first celebrated on March 8th in the mid-1910's, with some differentiation between countries due to the use of Julian versus Gregorian calendars. The UN adopted International Women's Day in 1975, proclaimed the International Women's Year, honoring women's social, political, and historical contributions to our shared history.
Climate Justice and #BreaktheBias: the UN's 2022 Themes for International Women's Da
This year the UN celebrated March 8th with a particular emphasis on Sustainability During Climate Change and their slogan #BreaktheBias.

They write, "gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow" and explain that women are both more vulnerable in landscapes affected by climate change, but that women are often at the forefront of global grassroots initiatives for climate action.
How will YOU #BreaktheBias?

This International Women's Day, we are all challenged to imagine a world free of bias, stereotyping, and discrimination for all.

People all over the world participated in the media campaign and you can view IWD's educational videos here and access their children's resources on how to help advance gender equity and equality here.
The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is pleased to invite eligible and interested maternal and child health grassroots workers to apply for free conference participation and recognition via three award categories.

  • The Drs. Ruth Lawrence & Audrey Naylor Emerging Leader Award is offered to dedicated individuals who are actively involved in maternal and child health in their communities, and/or are active members of a state, territorial, tribal, local, or cultural breastfeeding coalition.
  • The Native Knowledge Award honors talented and dedicated individuals who are actively involved in maternal and child health and promoting and supporting breastfeeding in their communities. This award is for individuals of American Indian/Native American, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native heritage.
  • Leaders and members of cultural breastfeeding coalitions and community-based organizations actively engaged in the birth and breastfeeding fields are invited to submit for the Cultural Changemaker Award.

Award recipients will receive a free full-access registration to the online conference, promotion of their work, and more!



Please email conference@usbreastfeeding.org with any questions. 

Join Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere for the first Stakeholders Meeting for the Health Equity Action for Lactation (HEAL): Breastfeeding Program for African American Mothers and their Families! All whose work impacts African American/Black families are invited to engage and learn about this project.

Fill out this form to RSVP. March 29th, 2022 at 1pm est. If you have questions, please contact Andrea Serano.
Research Highlight
The Black Mamas Matter Alliance and A Better Balance co-produced a report titled "Centering the Experiences of Black Mamas in the Workplace: How the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Can Support Black Maternal Health." The report highlights the urgent need for the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and draws lessons learned from a listening session the two organizations hosted with Black birthworkers and organizational leaders from nine states.
Paid Research Opportunities
Employment Opportunities
Program Manager for Health Equity Accelerator's Equity in Pregnancy Initiative

The person in this role will help to roll-out and expand innovative interventions aimed at reducing racial inequities in pregnancy outcomes. Please reach out to Gwyneth Jones (Gwyneth.Jones@bmc.org) if interested or with any questions. 
Employment Opportunities at Rosie's Place

Rosie's Place is a multi-service community center that offers a variety of services, including shelter and meals, legal assistance, community outreach, ESOL classes, and more. Open positions include Volunteer Services Associate and Essential Services Worker.
Open Positions at Boston While Black

Boston While Black, a network of young professionals, community activists, creatives, and politicians, all with a focus of advancing Boston's Black communities and creating a space to network and connect, is looking for team members! Current open positions include Director of Marketing, Director of Operations, and Community and Events Manager.

To apply, email a cover letter and resume to hiring@bostonwhileblack.com.
Volunteer Opportunities

There is a variety of volunteering opportunities at Rosie's Place! You can help out in the food kitchen, teach a class, high school students can learn about social justice issues while earning community service hours, and you can coordinate a drive for much-needed items!

Our support groups are still meeting, just virtually! We are looking for more volunteers to help us support mothers. Any direct lactation mentoring done during virtual support groups can count towards IBCLC hours.
We love staying up-to-date with your news! If you want us to share out updates, events, flyers, webinars, or job opportunities, let us know. You can email us at bostonbreastfeeding@bmc.org or tag @bostonbreastfeeding on relevant Facebook posts and we can re-share on social media or add to our Coalition Newsletters.
Educational Materials, Resources, and Webinars
Enhancing and Diversifying the Lactation Workforce; April 7, 2022 at 2-3 PM Eastern

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials is hosting a webinar session titled "Enhancing and Diversifying the Lactation Workforce" on Thursday, April 7, from 2-3 p.m. ET. Speakers will discuss challenges faced in diversifying the breastfeeding workforce and initiatives that are working to enhance the lactation workforce. The session is part of the Fostering Breastfeeding Equity Through Community Engagement webinar series.
Registration closes on April 29, 2022 at 11:59pm

For any specific questions about the event, sessions or your registration, please contact: meetings@astho.org.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will host a webinar titled "Strategies for Success: Community-level Approaches to Support Breastfeeding" on Thursday, March 31, at 2 p.m. ET. A panel of speakers will highlight community actions to improve breastfeeding rates. Presentations will provide an overview of county-level breastfeeding data, highlight the recently released Continuity of Care in Breastfeeding Support: A Blueprint for Communities report, and share about the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Lactation Collaborative.
The Mass. PPD Fund in partnership with Strong Roots Counseling is pleased to announce a free, virtual two-hour training for providers on perinatal mental health, screening, treatment approaches, and resources.

This training is appropriate for a range of providers serving pregnant, postpartum and post-adoptive families, including: lactation counselors, doulas, medical assistants, WIC staff, home visitors, Community Health Workers, Social Workers, and others. The panel will provide a specific emphasis on serving BIPOC parents, barriers to care, and culturally appropriate treatment resources. The program will also offer access to a prescriber to address ways to approach medication questions for pregnant and lactating people.

Through our Mississippi CHAMPS program, CHEER worked with the Bower Foundation, Inspire Health, and the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), to script and create the Breastfeeding | Human Medicine IPE in 2020. Now, CHEER has received a grant to distribute the IPE across disciplines, nationally and globally! The project will leverage existing partnerships and collaborations to scale up medical and professional breastfeeding education and promote a culture of support for people who choose to breastfeed.
Resources
Breastfeeding and Mental Health Pocket Guide
Mental health providers should know the positive correlation between breastfeeding and mental health and the negative correlation between weaning and mental health and speak to patients about the importance of breastfeeding for positive mental health outcomes. Download the Breastfeeding and Mental Health Guidance Pocket Guide at mibreastfeeding.org/tools under the “Mental Health” tab.
This guide lists programs and organizations that provide free diapers to community members with updated contact information and eligibility requirements. The guide includes locations for Greater Boston, Northeastern Massachusetts, and Southeastern Massachusetts.
Regularly updated with descriptions, contact info, locations, hours, and website links for important basic family needs.
Resources and tools to help institutions, community organizations, schools, and worksites to improve consistency and collaborations with other organizations to ensure a seamless support system for lactation.
The Blueprint, developed with a public health lens, aims to increase local capacity to implement community-driven approaches to support chest/breastfeeding, centered on the needs of populations disproportionately impacted by structural barriers that leads to low rates of breastfeeding.
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Are you a Breastfeeding Scholar who is looking to connect with other Scholars?
Join the private Facebook Group just for Breastfeeding Scholars - a centralized location to stay updated on CERP offerings, scholarship opportunities, network with peers, and share and find resources.
Vital Village Network's Boston Breastfeeding Coalition is committed to improving access to breastfeeding support for every parent in Boston, promoting connections between individuals and organizations that engage in breastfeeding advocacy, and supporting pathways for professional lactation counselors.