Boston Breastfeeding Coalition Newsletter
December 2021
"It wasn't until my daughter, Florida, was born HIV-free that I finally realized that I didn't have to give in to fear and despair. I could choose to fight, despite that fact that my doctors were telling me that I probably wouldn't live to see Florida's tenth birthday." - Fortunata Kasege, Mother, Activist, and Ambassador for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Join us December 16th at 6pm to celebrate this 2021 cohort of Community Peer Lactation Scholars and leaders, mentors, innovators throughout the Boston Breastfeeding Coalition and Vital Village Network. With gratitude, let's celebrate collaboration, dedication and service to children, families and communities.

2021 World AIDS Day Report
Take Action to End Inequities
HIV and AIDS have been a worldwide issue for decades, impacting generations and disproportionately affecting LGBTQ+ folk, people of color, and low-income individuals.

While there has been significant progress in preventing mother-to-child transmission, globally testing rates are still lagging to prevent early HIV diagnoses and access to medication is low and the COIVD-19 pandemic has increased challenges. The United Nations AIDS Committee has declared we must end inequities to address HIV and COVID-19.
Read the stories of HIV-positive individuals from all over the world and learn more about their experiences as parents, students, partners, and educators. 
Organization Highlight
The Black AIDS Institute was founded by two LGBTQ Black doctors and an HIV-positive Black man, dedicated to mobilizing and educating the Black community about HIV/AIDS.

BAI sees health equity as a fundamentally racial justice issue, and has been actively promoting research and educational initiatives aimed at this intersection of social justice, medical research, and community empowerment.

December is the National Month of Giving
This December, which is both the National Month of Giving and the National Safe Toys and Gifts Month, make sure to check your child's toys or toys you may be getting for others. Focus on age-appropriateness, loose parts, and of course, the child's interests! Safe does NOT mean "not fun"!

Check out these tips, as well as the tips available below!
Join MJE's Free Virtual Yoga Sessions!
Wednesday December 22nd and 29th at 11am
Employment Opportunities
Playgroup Leader for the Hugs and Play Group


Do you want to conduct outreach and recruit families and help lead a weekly Parent-Child Playgroup via Zoom or in-person? Maybe this position is for you! Check it out with the button below.
Food Access Coordinator/ Assistant to Food Access Manager

The Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition is looking for a part-time Food Access Coordinator to represent MFFC on various councils and aid in coordinating educational engagements for the community regarding food access and food assistance programs.

OMH launched the HIV Challenge: Innovative Community Engagement Strategies to Reduce HIV-Related Stigma and Disparities, a partnership with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP), to identify innovative and effective approaches to improve pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication and antiretroviral therapy utilization among racial and ethnic minorities.

During this second phase of development, participants in the challenge will create well-developed approaches for community engagement strategies to reduce stigma related to HIV prevention and treatment. 
  • Submission Period: Monday, November 22, 2021 — Thursday, March 17, 2022 (Closes at 11:59 pm EST)
  • Prize: Up to 7 submissions may be selected to each receive a prize of $40,000 each. The participants selected to receive a prize for Phase 1 may compete for consideration to receive a prize in Phase 2.
  • Winners Announced: April 2022
Volunteer Opportunities
Boston Breastfeeding WARMLINE Lactation Counselor

Seeking virtual peer counseling opportunities? Our WARMLINE is seeking volunteers who have completed lactation counseling training and have experience as peer counselors.

Boston Breastfeeding Virtual Support Group Counselor

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
This toolkit contains a guide to enacting culturally-appropriate services for Latino grandfamilies, explains the concepts and the applicable legislature, and considers the impact of family separation on Latino family and culture.

Inspired by lessons gathered from community work done during the COVID-19 pandemic, this presentation critically examines the history of milk sharing and its modern implications for Black women and babies. This presentation will consider which populations carry the risks and burdens of supplying donor human milk and which most often receive the benefits of donor human milk both historically and currently. Approved for 1 E-CERP, 1 nurse’s contact hour, 1 social work CE hour, and 1 dietitian CPEU until December 15, 2021.

This presentation will center Queer Black Indigenous birthers and aims to provide accessible knowledge about breastfeeding and chestfeeding for queer birthers and families. Approved for 1 L-CERP, 1 nurse’s contact hour, 1 social work CE hour, 1 dietitian CPEU, 1 community health worker CEU, 1 certified health education specialist CECH, and one CME until February 16, 2022. 

The PUMP Act strengthens the Break Time for Nursing Mothers law by expanding workplace protections for lactating workers, clarifying employers' obligations under the law, and ensuring breastfeeding mothers have access to appropriate remedies. For more, press the button to read a blog post from the United States Breastfeeding Committee.
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 pregnant and recently pregnant people, breastfeeding people and new parents caring for infants protect their health and help people who serve these communities communicate with them. 
Information about pregnancy-related concerns with warning signs to keep in mind and to empower pregnant people to raise their concerns.
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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.