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Breastfeeding in a Globalized World — Celebrating Connections

posted on March 02, 2009 11:18

Idaho CareLine: Dial 2-1-1 or 800-926-2588

Breastfeeding in a Globalized World:
Celebrating Connections

Breastfeeding in a Globalized World, focuses attention on the barriers and benefits globalization creates in promoting, protecting, and supporting breastfeeding.

Click here.

Idaho’s celebrations will focus on connections and partnerships critical to helping Idaho families’ breastfeed their infants for one year and beyond, as is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and health care organizations in Idaho, the United States, and throughout the world. These connections and partnerships are vital to building community-based support systems for new parents — beginning with systems that support, protect, and promote breastfeeding.

Barriers to Breastfeeding

Most women recognize the benefits of breastfeeding and value the protection from disease, bonding, and the multitude of other health benefits breastfeeding provides. Although women value these benefits, research shows that many perceive that barriers exist, keeping them from breastfeeding for as long as recommended and desired.

These perceived barriers include concerns about breastfeeding hurting; having to feed their baby if hungry when in public, which might be embarrassing; lack of support from family, friends, or health care providers; lack of confidence about making enough milk; and having to return to work or school.

Strategies for Overcoming Barriers to Breastfeeding

Communities throughout Idaho are implementing strategies to help women and their families overcome their perceived barriers. Here a just a few ways Idaho organizations and communities are getting this done:

Perceived Barriers to Breastfeeding	Idaho Strategies to Celebrate!
Breastfeeding May Hurt	Pain prevention through Prenatal Education and Early Support are Key Solutions! Health care professionals are attending trainings and conference so that they can better teach mothers how to position and attach their babies to the breast to minimize pain and tenderness. Most of Idaho’s hospitals provide special help with correct positioning and attachment to the breast after delivery. WIC clinics and childbirth education classes are offering prenatal education that includes the basics of correct positioning and attachment to the breast.
Embarrassment	Health care professionals, WIC clinic staff, IBCLCs, Childbirth Educators, La Leche League, and others are educating mothers about ways to breastfeed comfortably and discreetly in public and providing ideas to meet each mother’s specific concerns. Health Departments and Rock and Relax Tents at local Idaho fairs provide comfortable spaces for women to breastfeed. An Idaho legislator proposed a bill in 2002-03 to protect the right to breastfeed in public.
Returning to Work and School	IDHW has created an information packet for Idaho employers on ways to support breastfeeding employees and the benefits employers receive for providing this support. Many Idaho businesses and health departments have employee policies and mothers’ rooms that accommodate breastfeeding employee needs related to expressing breastmilk for their infants while separated due to work duties.
Lack of confidence	Mother-to-mother breastfeeding support groups help bolster a woman’s confidence that she can successfully breastfeed. Mother-to-mother support groups are offered through LaLeche League; some WIC clinics; and many hospitals throughout Idaho.
Lack of support from friends, family, or health care professionals.	Health care organizations are training staff to enhance breastfeeding support for women in their communities. Many hospitals are hiring Lactation Consultants to provide in and out of hospital support. Breastfeeding councils and coalitions throughout Idaho maintain local area breastfeeding resource and referral lists for distribution to families in their communities. Each Local Agency WIC Program has a designated Breastfeeding Promotion Coordinator who work to enhance breastfeeding support for WIC participants.

Additional Articles/Resources

www.GotMom.org — Created by the American College of Nurse-Midwives to provide breastfeeding information and resources for mothers and families.

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