LCW 2022: Community Members
It’s officially Lactation Celebration Week!
Today I am highlighting one link in the warm chain of lactation support: members of our community.
Community members are an essential component to supporting and promoting lactation. They can have a positive (or negative) impact on others for years to come. As we are all members of our community, we must be mindful about how we speak about latching, pumping, and lactation in general at all times. Our words may stick with those around us for years to come.
Thankfully, I have positive memories of several conversations over the past 30+ years that shaped my view of lactation and impacted how I fed my babies.
One interaction that has stuck with me for nearly my whole life was with my cousin. I was 4-5 years old when I saw her breastfeeding her first baby at our grandparents’ house. He was maybe 6 mo old and she had him latched when I came over to see what she was doing. She told me he was eating and when we’re small, we drink milk from our mom. That was it. Simple. Age appropriate. It satisfied my curiosity and I ran away to play. That is my first memory of seeing a nursing baby.
This is just one example of how a simple interaction can stick with someone for many years. We could’ve been at a park and she could’ve been a stranger. The impact would have been similar. A person very simply talking about what was going on and normalizing lactation.
There are many ways community members can support lactation. Here are a few!
Share breastfeeding/chest feeding experiences and evidence-based information with parents and friends
If you loved body feeding your kids, share the “why”
Be realistic but there’s also no need for horror stories
Not sure if the information you’re about to share is still evidence-based?
Make it a question. “When I was lactating, I used to ____. Is that still the latest advice?”
There are a ton of resources listed on my links page
Google it…but be careful. You can find any information you want to find on the internet, even if it’s incorrect.
Remember, a simple and sincere, “You’re doing a great job,” may change someone’s day…and if they need help juggling groceries and a screaming baby, help them with their groceries so they can tend to their baby.
Help expecting families (or families new to the area) find healthcare providers who truly support lactation
Was your midwife/OB/pediatrician a great breastfeeding advocate? Recommend them!
What is “true” lactation support?
A provider who recommends prenatal lactation education and a prenatal appointment with an IBCLC if needed
IME (labor and delivery nurse) a prenatal lactation class impacts you for much longer than a birthing class. Both are important and necessary yet many people skip lactation education completely.
Knowledge allows you (and your partner) to advocate for your family’s needs
A provider who recommends and refers to a network of IBCLCs during the postpartum period for all lactating families
When problems arise, they first refer to an IBCLC before (or while simultaneously) giving a feeding plan
They ask what the family’s feeding goals are and how they can best be supported
They don’t say, “My kids were formula fed and they’re fine. You can always formula feed if this doesn’t work,” as soon problems arise (as if parents don’t already know formula exists for this exact purpose)
Connect families with lactation support groups
Connecting with real people over a similar experience is invaluable and the relationships can last a lifetime!
Share any experiences you had in a lactation support group
Support groups are a great way to start connecting with others during pregnancy and a great first outing (better than the zillions of dr apts!) after baby is born
Here’s a plug for my in-person support group starting back up in 2 weeks!!
If you know of a group near you, tell families about it
La Leche League has meetings nationally and internationally and many private lactation consultants run their own groups
Encourage your employer to set up pumping areas at your workplace
If you are not currently lactating or never will be, step up and advocate for a quiet, private place for parents to pump
Here’s a detailed guide from UNICEF to setting up a warm, welcoming space.
If your employer feels like people “leaving” work to go pump is a burden to other works or the company, imagine if they were gone all the time because their baby was sick. Babies who receive only human milk are more likely to be healthy which allows their parent/s to continue working
It’s the law nationwide (here’s Oregon law) to provide break time and space to pumping parents in a private place with running water that is not a bathroom
Support parents who need to latch their baby during a zoom meeting; babies don’t wait for meetings to finish and it’s often faster to latch a baby than to pump = back to work faster.
Volunteer to support lactation during natural disasters
In emergency/disaster situations, the safest and cleanest way to feed a baby is at the breast/chest
In a shelter?
Help set up a private place where families can latch their babies
Ensure lactating parents are never separated from their babies in lines (can be unpredictable)
If babies normally use bottles, help families obtain dixie cups and show them how to cup feed their little ones. Babies can cup feed from day 1!
Provide extra water to lactating parents
Encourage skin to skin contact to reduce stress for the parent and baby
Do not donate formula to disaster organizations
In a disaster situation, formula feeding (the use of bottles, unclean water, and limited availability of resources) can be dangerous
Donate money to organizations instead so they can buy the items they need, including formula
For more information about Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies, click the link.
Normalize body feeding in public and as the biological norm
In the US, breasts are associated more with sex than with milk and it’s up to our communities to flip the narrative
Call out people who shame or judge parents who are latching their babies, toddlers, and children in public. The biological, evolutionary age of weaning is around 5+ yrs old!
Teach kids that babies drink milk from their parent(s), just like my cousin did
Buy children’s books that depict nursing babies
We Drink Milk written by Nanda Gasparini and illustrated by Maggie Martinez is a favorite in my house (not a sponsored link)
Don’t buy dolls/toys that have bottles and pacifiers
Ask your local library to purchase books about lactation for adults and kids
Donate to organizations that support lactating families
Look here for your nearest milk bank
Sponsor a lactation professional’s education or exam fees
Don’t accept any gifts, samples, sponsorship or displays of infant formula, bottles or teats from companies
It’s all marketing. They’re just trying to sell a product. Is the product evil? No. But the marketing is deceitful.
If your workplace or healthcare provider displays infant formula or coupons for infant formula, has posters or equipment with a formula logo, or takes lunch from formula representatives, tell them it is not ok and work to remove the offending items
Healthcare workers and hospitals should adhere to the World Health Organization’s International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (AKA “the Code”)
This is a fancy document that calls on nations to support lactation by not advertising for formula companies and not endorsing brands that market certain products to healthcare professionals and families
It’s just about advertising not shaming people into breastfeeding or shaming people for formula feeding
In some countries, The Code is part of the law and there is punishment for not following it
Formula companies spend $480 million/year on advertising in the USA. That’s 6 times the amount spent on lactation support. They don’t need your marketing help.
The US government spends $68 million/year on lactation support via the Women, Infants, and Children program and the CDC
Even the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) accepts money from formula companies yet they claim to support lactation
Healthy Children is run by the AAP. The HALF program (Health Active Living for Families) is funded by Nestle and claims to “partner with parents to encourage healthy habits right from the start.” Please tell me how a “health” program funded by a $89 billion formula company can provide unbiased information to families.
Formula marketing gets me fired up…back on track!
How have you been supported by your community?
Share a story about how community members supported your lactation journey
Share a story about how you stepped up for lactation in your community
Finish this thought: My community can support breastfeeding by ______
I can’t wait to read your stories!