Boston Breastfeeding Coalition Newsletter
June 2022
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"I don’t have a lot of words today, except to say that there is a concerted effort right now to convince you that 'nothing can be done.' It is designed to make you give in to the exhaustion of this moment. Don’t believe it. It’s a lie. We have power if we mobilize it."
- Sherylynn Ifill
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Saying 'enough' will never be enough
To Our Beloved Community
The events of the past few weeks have rocked us to our core. There are no words for our present reality. As a Network that comes together to promote child wellbeing and advance equity, we must evolve to meet this moment and ensure that every child and family has the opportunity to thrive in a safe and flourishing community. Saying 'enough' will never be enough. Community-led mobilization and collective actions are required.
May we all find the space and connections we need in this moment and look to our collective garden for range, room to heal in community, and affirming the necessity of change and movement. Challenge us to do more - contact us to share your reflections and ideas for how we can work together to create space for healing and collective action.
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Meet the 2022 Certified Lactation Counselor Cohort!
We are excited to welcome this year's CLC Cohort to our growing community of Breastfeeding Scholars.
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Charu Dhiman
"I am an aspiring postpartum doula and I am very committed to help mom on their journey to motherhood by providing lactation support and postpartum needs."
Fun Fact: "I can speak Hindi and Punjabi fluently."
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Jisca Philippe
Jisca is a mom of 5 and proud Haitian American. She comes from a line of women committed to uplifting other women. She has worked in government for many years and is passionate about providing pre and post partum support to birthing families.
Fun fact: "I am obsessed with breastfeeding and is excited to make it a full time career."
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Carla Mendoza
"¡Hola! My name is Carla Mendoza, a proud Latina wombman! My family is from El Salvador and I grew up in East Boston, MA. I am the second oldest of six, three sisters and two brothers. I am currently working as a family liaison/advocate for families at an early elementary school in East Boston. My doula journey began in 2018 and since then I have been digging deep into birth work. I have been very blessed to be a part of births and guiding other wombman on their motherhood journeys. I love to learn, explore, and expand on my knowledge. I look forward to meeting other wombman from all walks of life to connect and share our stories as well as help one another through our experiences."
Fun fact: "I love to make herbal soap from the herbs I grow in my garden."
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Corinne Kielbasa
"Hello! My name is Corinne Kielbasa and I am the proud mom to three girls, all who were breastfed until almost 2 years old. I am the Family Engagement Specialist at the Kennedy Center in Charlestown, developing and facilitating programming for families with children ages 0 to 8 yeras old. I am excited to have the opportunity to work with Boston Breastfeeding Coalition to offer our prenatal and new moms breastfeeding support!"
Fun fact: "I used to be a physics and math teacher."
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Andrena Muhammad
"I am honored to be a mother of 2 daughters and I am eager to support other women and children in their breastfeeding journeys!! I remember how difficult it was to learn how to nurse, but I also recall the sweet joy of finally clicking into gear with my daughters. The joy and peace nursing gave me is indescribable. I hope to support those in need of encouragement in this lovely walk of bonding with their own mother-self and with their blessed, blessed babies."
Fun fact: "I love to cook and quilt!"
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Katherine Lucas
"I am a mom of two beautiful girls, a 5 year and my most recent 5 month of preemie. As a NICU mom I developed a passion to try and see how else I could help moms in my shoes. I also became devoted to breast feeding and knowing it is the best medicine for our preemie babies."
Fun fact: "I am bilingual and love to cook."
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Alexa Saint-Fort Canton
Alexa is a mother of 2 who overcame her breastfeeding challenges with the help of Codman Squares Baby Cafe in 2014. She is passionate about supporting families and does so in various ways; as a First Teacher Boston Parent Leader, a Visiting Mom with JF&CS, a Stronger Generations Council member and a Birth Doula. Alexa plans to continue learning and developing herself as it relates to perinatal health so she can become a Certified Professional Midwife.
Fun fact: "My placenta is still in the freezer, 6 years later, waiting to be planted."
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Respecting and affirming diverse gender identities and sexual orientations is essential for safe and dignity-affirming lactation support.
Below we've added a variety of guides for parents and providers alike to ensure that we are providing inclusive and adequate care for everybody who may need it.
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Breastfeeding and lactation can be a special moment between mom and baby. There are also many ways to ensure that dads and coparents are aware of the importance of their role and can increase breastfeeding initiation and duration rates.
For example, "in one study, when fathers were given a two-hour presentation on how to support breastfeeding, the mother was 1.8 times more likely to initiate breastfeeding," according to Board Certified Lactation Counselor and former La Leche League Leader Alyssa Schnell. She also writes that the partners of fathers educated prenatally on breastfeeding difficulties were five times more likely to be breastfeeding at 6 months.
Below are some resources for fathers and families, as well as providers, to help involve fathers in lactation and ensure that the breastfeeding dyad is successful and helps both parents bond with one another and their child.
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Formula Shortage Guidance
The American Academy of Pediatrics has also released a guide on what to do if you cannot find any formula, which you can find here.
If you are interested in learning more about specific advice for those partially breastfeeding, currently not breastfeeding, and those exclusively breastfeeding, please consult the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine Guide here. |
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Resources from Embrace Race:
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The Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) has partnered with Mass Cultural Council to offer free or discounted admissions to many of the Commonwealth's museums and cultural institutions through the EBT Card to Culture Program. Residents who receive DTA benefits can get discounted admission by showing their EBT card. Through 2022, these organizations are also accepting P-EBT cards. This program includes 127 discounted or free locations in Greater Boston, such harbor tours, music lessons, museum tickets, concerts, etc. Learn more here!
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Breastfeeding & Equity Summit in New Orleans, LA
August 25-27, 2022
Presentations will center on equity in breastfeeding, maternal health, fathers and partners, and infant health initiatives. Interested in speaking? Email Halle Neeley at HalleNeeley@breastfeedingrose.org. Visit this website for more information. |
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Providing Urgent Maternal Protections
The Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act (H.R. 3110/S. 1658) was advanced by the Senate HELP Committee with unanimous, bipartisan support on May 25, 2021, but has not yet been considered by the full Senate, even though it was passed in the House with a strong bipartisan vote last October. The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act is the strongest workplace lactation law ever proposed in Congress and would close the coverage gap by expanding protections, as well as provide further guidance for nursing employees and employers.
If you are interested in more information, you can find a variety of tools and resources, press the button below.
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Research Assistant in Equity in Pregnancy Initiatives
The OB/GYN department and the Health Equity Accelerator are looking to hire a new Research Assistant II for our Equity in Pregnancy initiatives. The person in this role will support research operations and participate in evaluation of projects within the Equity in Pregnancy portfolio. You can read more about the role and apply here. Please reach out to Giavanna Gaskin (Giavanna.Gaskin@bmc.org) if interested, or with any questions. You can find the LinkedIn posting here.
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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.
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Parent Leaders/Innovators will bring the voice of those with lived child welfare experience into program planning and implementation to improve outcomes for the children and families engaged in the Safe Babies Court TeamTM (SBCT) approach. If you are a parent with lived-experience in child welfare and are interested in being a parent leader, please complete the online form linked below.
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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!
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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.
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TBK empowers children, youth, the elderly and families to take charge of their health and well-being through hands-on cooking classes. These classes are led by professional chefs and teach students to create cost-effective meals at home with kitchen safety and nutrition lessons. The program also works closely with partners to build culturally aware curriculums, respecting the diversity of our foods while teaching youth to cook healthier versions of ethnic dishes. If you are interested in TBK classes for your group or organization, please email Haley House's Program Director Jay Vilar, to get started: jvilar@haleyhouse.org and if you are interested in volunteering with Haley House, you can click here to learn more.
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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.
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Educational Materials, Resources, and Webinars |
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Black Mothers' Breastfeeding Association (BMBFA) has announced the launch of its Birth & Breastfeeding Leadership Institute. The Birth & Breastfeeding Leadership Institute is a virtual national leadership development program designed to advance community-level leadership for racial justice and equity in maternal-child-health.
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To build equity capacity of individuals and organizations, and address health inequity, National Healthy Start Association’s Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health Community Care Initiative (AIM CCI) provides this web-based comprehensive curriculum for professionals who work in community-based service organizations. RELS is accredited by APHA, meaning learners can receive free continuing education credits for the successful completion of each module.
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With all we know about the nutritional, therapeutic, and neuroprotective properties of breastmilk, as well as its role in supporting bonding and attachment, how can we best support mothers in the NICU who want to breastfeed their premature or sick babies?
Join us on June 24th as Dr. Raylene Phillips, current President of the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health (APPPAH), will discuss:
- 4 ways to support optimal milk supply for NICU mothers
- 4 ways to increase the use of human milk nutrition in the NICU
- 3 ways to support use of early colostrum as oral care for ELBW infants
- 3 ways to support mothers in breastfeeding their preterm infants before NICU discharge
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Regularly updated with descriptions, contact info, locations, hours, and website links for important basic family needs.
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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.
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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 interested in receiving this newsletter in Spanish?
Le interesaría recibir este boletín en español?
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Por favor déjenos saber si le interesaría recibir una versión de este boletín en español!
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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.
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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. |
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