Chandler, Arizona
Sweet Pea ​Births
Sweet Pea ​Births
...celebrating every swee​t pea their birth
...celebrating every swee​t pea their birth
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3 Breastfeeding Resources To Keep at Your Fingertips
| Posted on January 13, 2015 at 10:14 AM |
 We are starting to work through a breastfeeding
questionnaire in our classes – we answer about 4-5 questions a week. Whenever we have an alumni return for a second series with their next baby, we ask them to chime in anytime. We appreciate their perspective as they hear the information again and reflect back. They are invited to share their experiences with their classmates. The peer confirmation that the information garnered in classes actually does apply “in real life” is reassuring to the class of first-time parents. It's easy for students to assume everything was easy for us since we are the teachers (BTW it was not - lol); it feels like hearing from another student who has used the information makes the classes more realistic for them. Cathy
Carothers, IBCLC, FILCA from Every Mother, Inc. presented the seminar I attended yesterday. She confirmed that peer-to-peer counseling is one of the
tried and tested ways of improving breastfeeding rates. She said that the research shows that mothers
care about what other mothers have learned, and can and will learn from each
other’s experiences. When we asked our alumni mama to share her breastfeeding
experience with the class in relation to the questions we reviewed this is what
she shared: In sum, they never had a problem in the early days. It was the support through the learning curve
that made a difference to this mom. She
encouraged her current classmates to learn about the resources available to
them, and use them as often as needed or desired. Getting out and asking questions at meetings
like La Leche League or the hospital-run support groups, meeting other
MotherBaby pairs at get-togethers where breastfeeding was normalized and
encouraged; all those contributed to her confidence in breastfeeding. Part of Cathy’s presentation yesterday listed a plethora of
resources available to breastfeeding mothers today. Yeah!
I am so excited to share three that jumped out at me. If you are not an Arizona resident, skip this
first resource and scroll down for two more 24/7 resources that you can access
via the Internet. If you are an
employer and/or business owner who wants to comply with the Affordable Care Act so you can support nursing mothers, there are resources for you at the end of this post. Resource #1: Arizona
Baby Steps 24 hour breastfeeding hotline for Arizona residents (800) 833-4642
Here are two of the resources Cathy shared that any mother
with an Internet connection can take advantage of. Resource #2: Speak Up Campaign This resource provides a list of questions families can ask
before, during, and after their hospital stay to ensure that they get
breastfeeding off to a good start. Even
if you are birthing in a birth center or at home, it would be great to review
these bullet points to make sure your environment and your care team is a go
for the successful initiation of breastfeeding.
Even if you have successfully breastfed before, it is a good read to
remind you of what you know, and maybe even learn something new like I did!
Resource #3: Making It Work There are five *free printable* individual toolkits in the Making
It Work initiative. Three of them offer
practical tips and solutions for moms, family members, and employers. The other two offer an overview of the
breastfeeding laws and other materials that may be useful to the family,
including form letters your pediatrician can sign as a “doctor’s orders” to
give to your employer/ school administrator, and sample policies that your
employer/school can implement. Even if you are planning on staying at home, take a look at
these resources. This is information
that many mothers across different breastfeeding situations would find
helpful. *Cough* especially the “For
Family Members” – sometimes, new information is better received by your mom or
mother-in-law when it is delivered via an official document from the State of
NY Health Department instead of from you.
You’re welcome ;)
This is just a smidgen of what we heard across her presentations. I have other ideas that arose from her seminar I will be sharing as I create resources for our students. Huge thanks again to Cathy Carothers, IBCLC, FILCA, for pointing 180 of us in the
right directions yesterday!! I am
excited to be able to share these resources via the internet…all the women in
the direct line of delivering breastfeeding information to clients are
well-informed with more practical resources, too. Which resource have you taken advantage of to help get
breastfeeding off to a good start? Please leave us a comment – it will be moderated and posted. If you are an employer, here are some resources Cathy
offered for you: Supporting Nursing Moms at Work: Employer Solutions – best practices examples from worksites including videos, photos and toolkits The Business Case for Breastfeeding – HHS publication with information for decision-makers, HR directors, employees
and breastfeeding advocates US Department of Labor Fact Sheet #73 – guidelines for implementing the workplace breastfeeding provisions as per the
Affordable Care Act The material included on this site is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®. |
Categories: Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding 101, Breastfeeding Awareness Month, Breastfeeding Challenges, Breastfeeding support
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