Mother Support Task Force (MS TF )
World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action
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Volume 2 Number 3 - Quarterly newsletter - Published in English, Spanish and French July/August/September 2004
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Coordinator WABA MS TF: Rebecca Magalhães(USA)
Co-coordinators: Nair Carrasco Sanez-IBCLC(Peru), Dr.Prashant Gangal (India)
Editors: Pushpa Panadam, Pili Peña, Asunción, Paraguay
Translators: Spanish-Pili Peña, Pushpa Panadam; French-Katharine Greathead(UK), Anna Cook(France)
MOTHER SUPPORT TASK FORCE COMMENTS AND INFORMATION
1. Supporting Mothers 52 weeks in the year!: Rebecca Magalhães, Coordinator
2. MS TF update: Rebecca Magalhães, Coordinator
MOTHER SUPPORT FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES
3. Supporting the Breastfeeding Mother: Strengthening breastfeeding committees and fulfilling the norms for the use of breast milk: Nair Carrasco, Peru
4. USA Campaign Launch: Babies Were Born To Be Breastfed! USA
5. Training Crèche Owners in Mumbai (India) to become Baby Friendly: Dr. Charu Suraiya, India
6. Maternity Benefits in Norway: Elin Sebjornsen, Norway
7. Breastfeeding and Support at the CONGO Seminar: Monica Tesone, Argentina
MOTHER SUPPORT - BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS RELATE THEIR EXPERIENCES
8. Taste of mama ..................extended in time: Monica Casis, Argentina
NEWS FROM THE BREASTFEEDING WORLD
9. Women of Peace Award: Irma (Mimi) de Maza, Guatemala, wins the Women of Peace Award
10. International Breastfeeding Community Loses a Wonderful Breastfeeding Advocate
11. Study: Breastfeeding in 4 neonatal referral centers: Dr. Marta Sanabria, Dr. Julia Coronel, Dr. Cinthia Díaz, Dra. Carolina Salinas, Julio Sartori. Paraguay
12. Breastfeeding advocacy: Breastfeeding cannot be a free lunch: Anneke Greta, Germany
13. Checkout these Websites
14. MSTF Newsletter Survey
16. Submission of Articles and Next Issue
17. How to Subscribe/ Unsubscribe
MOTHER SUPPORT TASK FORCE COMMENTS AND INFORMATION
1. Supporting Mothers 52 weeks in the year!: Rebecca Magalhães, Coordinator
In one month, the message of "breastfeeding" will be heard and seen all over the world, in different locations, languages and in different ways. World Breastfeeding Week is almost here! J This is always an exciting time of the year and a lot of people work really hard to disseminate the message as broadly as possible.
I am pretty sure that all of you are either planning an activity or preparing to take part in one to promote WBW and this year's theme "Exclusive Breastfeeding: the Gold Standard. Safe, Sound, Sustainable". For example, I'm looking forward to taking part in a walk for breastfeeding and being with many breastfeeding mothers, babies and children.
WBW is only one week out of 52 weeks, though, so I am also very sure that none of you stop at just one week! You promote, support and protect breastfeeding all year long. This is evident by the articles in this issue, as the Ministry of Health/Peru supports breastfeeding mothers through strong breastfeeding committees and hospitals: day care centers/crèches in India become breastfeeding friendly; conference delegates speak to others about the need for attention to breastfeeding, and we read about maternity benefits in Norway.
Mothers, also, need support all the time...not just one week out of the year! I especially enjoyed the text in the WBW Action Folder that describes a caring environment and how mothers benefit from the encouragement and support of health professionals, family and community and mother support groups. So true!
As you celebrate WBW, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you for your ongoing efforts to support breastfeeding mothers and babies, that last much longer than just one week.
WABA Mother Support Task Force
2. MS TF update: Rebecca Magalhães, Coordinator
The Global Initiative for Mother Support (GIMS for Breastfeeding) has been presented and promoted at three different events over the past 3 months.
At the First National Workshop of Breastfeeding Mothers' Support Groups that took place in Mina Clavero, Argentina, 23-25 April, Monica Tesone, LLL Leader, Argentina, was able to present information about GIMS and received GIMS Endorsement Forms from workshop participants who were interested in working with this Initiative.
From June 1-4, in Santiago, Chile, Nair Carrasco, funded by WABA, represented the WABA Mother Support Task Force and GIMS at a Seminar for Latin America and the Caribbean. The purpose of the Seminar, sponsored by the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Status with the United Nations (CONGO) was to develop a regional plan to accomplish the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In attendance were 130 participants, representing more than 120 NGOs from 13 countries. Nair was able to present GIMS and participated in a work group on maternal health and child mortality. She joined Monica Tesone, who was representing LLLI (brief report about her attendance is in this newsletter) and Graziana de Bozzo, LLL Leader, Chile, who was instrumental in securing space for Nair and Monica in the Seminar. A report will be posted on the WABA website in the near future.
Nair communicated with the president of FEDALMA, Spain, regarding a GIMS presentation by Eulalia Torrás at the 1st FEDALMA Congress of Mother Support Groups and Associations, which was to take place 25-26 June. Nair sent all the information she had on GIMS to Eulalia. We hope to hear about this event in the next issue of the newsletter.
MOTHER SUPPORT FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES
3. Supporting the Breastfeeding Mother: Strengthening breastfeeding committees and fulfilling the norms for the use of breast milk: Nair Carrasco, Peru
Peru has the highest number of Mother and Baby Friendly hospitals in the Andean region. This is reflected in the percentages of infants breastfeeding exclusively in the first hour of birth: 54% in the year 2000 as compared to 17.5% in 1992, as noted by Dr. Mario Tavera Salazar, UNICEF Representative, who congratulated health personnel for their work in increasing the number of mothers who start breastfeeding their babies in the first hour after giving birth.
This information was part of other information shared during presentations at the Work Meeting of the Breastfeeding Committees of all the hospitals in the country held by the Ministry of Health(MINSA) on May 27-28 in San Isidro, Peru.
Breastfeeding Committees: The meeting goal was to strengthen the breastfeeding committees of the Mother and Baby Friendly hospitals, verify the application of the 10 steps in " Successful Breastfeeding" and ensure the fulfillment of Regulations and the International Code of Breastmilk Substitutes. Another objective was to reaccredit the 90 hospitals in the country certified since 1994 as "Mother and Baby Friendly". This initiative was supported by USAID/Peru, UNICEF and the World Health Organization.
During the meeting, in which 35 hospitals participated, MINSA emphasized its lines of action: technical training of breastfeeding committees, training of the personnel of Mother and Baby Friendly hospitals and self evaluation and accreditation by these hospitals in the presence of MINSA.
Among the themes emphasized were "Breastfeeding Situation in Peru", "Action Plan for Exclusive Breastfeeding, Complementary Food and Maternity Protection", "Norms of Breastfeeding in Peru - Effectiveness of these Norms" and "Global Standards in the 10 Steps for Successful Breastfeeding".
Breastfeeding: Dr. Urbano Durand, MINSA, stressed the importance of implementing the 10 steps for successful breastfeeding at every place where maternity services and care of the newborn is offered. Of the 10 Steps, he emphasized that there should be a breastfeeding plan/policy which is communicated routinely to all health personnel, training them so that they inform pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
Also, breastfeeding on demand should be encouraged, mothers should be helped to breastfeed and how to maintain milk production, in cases where the mother needs to be separated from her infant/child; prepare mothers to give their newborns only breast milk and no other food nor drinks unless medically indicated.
The Ministry of Health will also strengthen the breastfeeding committees to counteract/check the negative effects of the formula companies which are advertising their products in the different establishments. This way the Infant Nutrition Regulation and the International Marketing Code of the Breast milk Substitutes will be complied with which at this moment are being violated by these companies.
Executive Director of CEPREN/ Peruvian Network for Breastfeeding.
Co Coordinator/ WABA Mother Support Task Force
4. USA Campaign Launch: Babies Were Born To Be Breastfed! USA
The much anticipated launch of the National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign, U.S.A. took place on June 4, 2004.
Representatives of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council met with members of the press to announce that campaign materials (public service announcements intended for newspapers, magazines, billboards, radio and television) had been forwarded to media outlets throughout the United States prior to the official launch .
The United States Breastfeeding Committee applauded the efforts of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office on Women's Health, and the Ad Council in pursuing a national campaign that will deliver the clear message that babies exclusively breastfed for six months are less likely to develop a variety of acute and chronic diseases including diarrhea, ear infections, respiratory infections and obesity.
USA citizens are encouraged to do the following to assist in the Campaign:
Contact local media outlets to ensure that a media kit containing the campaign ads has been received.
Identify strategies for giving the campaign local roots and significance.
Raise awareness about breastfeeding issues specific to the specific community e.g. child care, employment, school.
Help media outlets identify the benefit of supporting breastfeeding.
Provide the community with local resources and services.
The Campaign can be viewed by visiting the website of the Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health www.4woman.gov
5. Training Crèche Owners in Mumbai (India) to become Baby Friendly: Dr. Charu Suraiya, India
BPNI(Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India) Maharashtra State Branch established in 1995 works for Protection, Promotion and Support of Breastfeeding in the state of Maharashtra (Population: Approximately 110 million). BPNI has developed a strong Mother Support Group (MSG) programme for the first time in India. Realizing the need to make crèches baby friendly, the Créche project was initiated in 2002 with Dr. Charu Suraiya (President) as the coordinator. Presently the programme covers 40 crèches in North-Western suburbs (Population 2.5 million) of Mumbai (Capital city of Maharashtra). MSG Leaders headed by Ila Mahidhar were instrumental in implementing the programme.
Multiple interactive sessions have been conducted for the crèche owners and parents. These were conducted by pediatricians and MSG Leaders affiliated with BPNI Maharashtra. The sessions aimed at improving the crèche owner's knowledge in the areas of breastfeeding (including support required for working mother), child nutrition, development and primary health care in common childhood illnesses. Literature on these topics as well as kits for first aid were provided. A module has been designed for the training. These sessions helped to change attitudes of crèche owners. They stopped using the bottle, started motivating mothers to express their milk and helped them to continue breastfeeding for at least 2 years.
The project was started with support from UNICEF (Maharashtra). It is now being supported by a WABA seed grant. Ines Fernandez (Philippines) who has carried out similar projects had a good interaction with these crèche owners in Feb. 2003 and also visited the largest crèche(90 children). The project will continue to involve more and more crèches in the area. Satellite activities in other places will be planned in the future.
President, BPNI Maharashtra
6. Maternity Benefits in Norway: Elin Sebjornsen, Norway.
In Norway, women have the right to take 42 or 52 weeks of maternity leave. If they do decide on 42 weeks, they receive 100% of their pay. However with 52 weeks, they receive 80% of their pay. It is compulsory that the mother take the first 6 weeks of the leave. After which it can be decided between the couple, whether the father will take the rest or the mother, to stay at home. Of course, the couple can each decide to take half time off or do what they feel is best in each situation. Those who want could stay at home for 6 weeks, return to work but for only 40% of the time. That way they could prolong the leave to 2 to 3 years. Upon returning to work, they have the right to reduce their work period by 2 hours each day. These hours are for breastfeeding the baby. I do know that we are lucky to live in a very rich country but this does not mean that we have to stop fighting for the rights of women and babies here in Norway and for the rest of the world.
7. Breastfeeding and Support at the CONGO Seminar: Monica Tesone, Argentina
I was invited to be a member of a panel at a seminar at the Conference of the Non Governmental Organizations in consultative status to the United Nations( CONGO). The Seminar " Latin American and the Caribbean(LAC) entitled: Societies for a New Era, Achieving the Goals of the Millennium Development" was held from the 1st to the 4th June 2004 in Santiago, Chile.
During the General Assembly of the Millennium Summit 2000 of the United Nations, 189 countries adopted an agenda to reduce poverty and to improve the quality of life. At the CONGO seminar, work groups were formed. The group that I was in looked at 2 goals: to improve maternal health and reduce infant mortality. We had to work on an action plan that would achieve the goals of the Millennium Development for our theme.
Our group was a very special and different group from the rest because there were representatives from the Health Ministry of Chile, the UN, Pan American Health Organization, the president of the NGOs(Graziana Bozzo, LLL Chile) and Nair Carrasco/CEPREN; WABA MS TF Co-Coordinator, Peru.
In the first 2 days we analyzed the trends of the indicators and the determinants that influence infant mortality and maternal health. Later we presented our findings: Nair spoke on the GIMS(Global Initiative for Mother Support) and I spoke on breastfeeding and its influence in decreasing mortality, infant sickness and in improving maternal health. Finally we presented an action plan of our work group and until the end we had to fight last minute changes to keep breastfeeding wording in the document.
In conclusion, for me it was an excellent experience and I learned a lot. I am greatly thankful to Graziana for having given me the opportunity to participate.
Monica Tesone, LLL Argentina
MOTHER SUPPORT - BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS RELATE THEIR EXPERIENCES
8. Taste of mamá ............extended in time: Monica Casis, Argentina
Two months after my 41st birthday, we received the beautiful news of a new pregnancy.........What joy!!!!!! The whole family got involved. My teenage children could not get over their amazement: mama pregnant? but yes we are grown ups! A baby? how rare! how beautiful! And of course, it is not a small matter: Cecilia was 15, Nadia 16 and Maxi, 19. And as I started to get bigger, this mixture of curiosity, joy, acceptance and love that captivated my whole family grew as well.
This was my fifth pregnancy and although I had miscarried the previous one at 8 weeks.......I had this feeling that at any moment of my life my breasts would flow once more with milk.
November 2000, Juan Ignacio was born. Such tenderness!! What a fantastic gift life had given us!!! And how much love we had to offer him!!! I had prepared myself well in order to receive him, attending regularly my doctor appointments and connecting with this little person growing inside of me. I started to breastfeed him knowing that this was the best gift that I could give him......and I was not wrong. From then on and thanks to La Leche League, I continue to breastfeed Juani (as we lovingly call him), who is now 3 years and 8 months and who enjoys as much as I this beautiful communion of love, affection, looks and breast milk. The taste of mamá ........extended in time.
Monica Nadima Casis, LLLArgentina in Bariloche. Mother to 4 children.
NEWS FROM THE BREASTFEEDING WORLD
9. Women of Peace Award: Irma (Mimi) de Maza , Guatemala, wins the Women of Peace Award
In April, The Women's Peacepower Foundation, Inc. named Irma (Mimi) de Maza, Latin American representative to La Leche League International's Board of Directors, as a recipient of the Women of Peace Award. The Women of Peace Award, formerly known as the Amigas Award, honors women involved in cutting-edge society building.
Since 1989, Mimi de Maza has facilitated breastfeeding and mother-to-mother support programs in low-income communities near Guatemala City. Mimi de Maza is addressing poverty and malnutrition by promoting and supporting exclusive breastfeeding. Using mother-to-mother support is an innovative approach in Guatemala as well as in other parts of the developing world.
10. The International Breastfeeding Community Loses a Wonderful Breastfeeding Advocate
Bibi Vogel, enthusiastic and energetic breastfeeding advocate, passed away on April 3, 2004. Bibi was born in Brazil, but lived in Argentina from 1976 until her death. After she left Brazil, Bibi often visited Brazil and in 1980, she founded, "Amigas do Peito" , a Brazilian breastfeeding mother-to-mother support nongovernmental organization (NGO) that continues to be very actively involved in breastfeeding advocacy and support. Bibi was a tireless worker for breastfeeding and for the rights of women. Those who knew Bibi personally or knew of her activities admired her persistence and her dedication to her work, as well as her ability to enjoy life. She leaves behind a daughter, Mayra Zemma, 25 years old. With her passing, Bibi leaves a hole in the international breastfeeding community.
11. Study: Breastfeeding in 4 neonatal referral centers: Dr. Marta Sanabria, Dr. Julia Coronel, Dr. Cinthia Díaz, Dr. Carolina Salinas, Dr. Julio Sartori. Paraguay.
Objective: To determine the profile of breastfeeding during the prenatal and postnatal periods in 4 public neonatal referral services/centers.
Methodology: 328 women were interviewed after childbirth in the Hospital Barrio Obrero and in the Maternal Infant Hospitals of San Lorenzo, San Pablo and Fernando de la Mora. The study was carried from June to September 2001. The variables that were studied were: maternal age, days of hospitalization, type of birth, rooming in, prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding, nipple care during the prenatal period, counseling on the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, observation of signs of grasp and positions of the newborns.
Results: Among the results were: The average maternal age was 24 years (range from 14-41), the number of prenatal visits was 5 (0-15), 22.8% less then 4 consultations; days of hospitalization were 2 (2-44). 58% of the births were vaginal and 42% were cesarean. During the prenatal period only 39% of the mothers received counseling on nipple care. 74% of the mothers breastfed their babies in the 1st. hour and 70 % received information on the benefits of breastfeeding. 83% of the mothers breastfed their babies exclusively. However, 57.6% of the mothers were not told where to seek help when facing breastfeeding difficulties.
Conclusions: During the prenatal period there is a high prevalence of lost opportunities in the care of the breasts and counseling on the benefits of breastfeeding. A high prevalence of uncertainty/mistakes in the breastfeeding techniques was observed soon after childbirth. There was a high prevalence of rooming together and of early attachment.
For the complete article, please contact Dr. Marta Sanabria
12. Breastfeeding advocacy: Breastfeeding cannot be a free lunch: Anneke Greta, Germany
Breastfeeding optimizes a child's survival into an adult who can be a useful asset for her or his country. In light of this importance, we all need to participate actively in its preservation. Yet, in our conduct, our ideology might be too tactless with respect to mothers. This is a subject of my current work, which I shall very briefly share here.
The contention began with the idea, "breastfeeding is a free lunch," which some individuals believe to be the truth. We have, nevertheless, reasons to doubt it. Every individual in this world faces two rudimentary facts, i.e. limited resources and relatively unlimited needs-a combination that creates scarcity. Applying this idea to breastfeeding, we see that it cannot be a free lunch; breastfeeding requires mother's resources, which are also necessary to fuel other needs of both mother and child.
Despite this fact, it is peculiar that we have not discussed it openly, especially if we want to be mother-friendly, which means being sensitive to a mother's reality. We still know very little about mother-child interaction, especially beyond infant feeding. Now, suppose we enforce mothers to allocate her resources to breastfeeding while believing that breastfeeding is a free lunch: Do we have strategies to encounter possible consequences if it turns out that breastfeeding is not a free lunch? Because, given scarcity, such effort would mean a reduction in spending on other needs, which may be just as crucial for mother and child survival.
Is it not the time now for a reflection?
Anneke Greta, c/o Group Schiefenhövel (Human Ethology), Max Planck Society, Von-der-Tann-Str. 3, 82346 Andechs, Germany. E-mail: a-greta@SoftHome.net
Author is currently a doctorate student at Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, working on a reappraisal of mother's decision-making with respect to infant feeding. In doing so, she uses a model of utility maximization and Bayesian Theorem to explain why mothers opt for one feeding pattern rather than another. She holds a B.Sc. degree in Biology and a M.Sc. degree in Community Nutrition.
(Note from Editors: The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the MS TF, the Editors or WABA. If you would like to dialogue with Anneke, please email her.)
NEWSLETTER INFORMATION
13. Checkout these Websites
World Breastfeeding Week:
14. MSTF Newsletter Survey
Thank you for responding to the Survey. We wanted to make sure that you are getting the Newsletter with ease. From the answers of those who responded, it appears that you are downloading the attachment easily as well as selecting the language with no problems. Since only a few of you responded, if you did not have the chance to reply and would like to do it now, please write us and we will send you the survey. We are looking forward to hearing your opinion about the mailing of the Newsletter.
The Editors
15. Announcements
Events during July, August and September, 2004
August 5: Meeting "Breastfeeding Promotion Consortium" Washington DC USA, USA Dept. of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service
August 6-7: Meeting "United States Breastfeeding Committee". Washington DC, USA
September 10-14: " Breastfeeding : Early Influences on Later Health", Queen's College, Cambridge, England. The International Society for Research into Human Milk and Lactation.
September 17-19: Conference "The Past - Our Gateway to the Future" Wellington, New Zealand. New Zealand College of Midwives (100 years of midwifery in NZ). Contact email: conference.registration@nzcom.nz
September 16-19: VI Regional Workshop of LLL Latin America, Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico
September 24-26: "Making a Difference: Celebrating 40 Years of LLL in New Zealand" Upper Hutt (Wellington) New Zealand. LLL New Zealand 40th Anniversary Conference - Contact: irgordon@xtra.co.nz
September 28-30: Nutrition and Breastfeeding Conference Women, Infants and Children (WIC) "Growing Healthy Families", Phoenix Arizona, USA. The National WIC Association.
16. Submission of Articles and Next Issue
We would like to receive articles of interest for this newsletter. The themes of interest should refer to any actions taken, specific work done, investigations and projects carried out from different perspectives and from different parts of the world which have provided support to women in their role as breastfeeding mothers. In particular, please send articles that support GIMS for Breastfeeding.
The guidelines for contributing an article are as follows:
Up to, but not exceeding 250 words.
Name, Title, Address, Telephone, fax and e-mail of the author
Brief biography (5-10 lines)
Please be specific in including details where relevant: names of places, persons and exact dates.
To be received by the date specified in each issue.
If there is a lot of information, please write a summary of 250 words or less, provide a website url for readers to access the full report or article or send the full report/article and the MS TF will send it to WABA to place on the WABA website.
The date for submitting articles for consideration for the October/November/December issue is September 10, 2004.
If you submitted an article and it didn't appear in this issue, it is being reserved for a future issue. To those of you who have submitted articles, a big THANK YOU!
Volume 2, Number 4, will be sent on October 6, 2004
17. How to Subscribe/ Unsubscribe to the Newsletter
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Please share this newsletter with your friends and colleagues. For more information about this newsletter write to the Editors: Pushpa Panadam, ppanadam@telesurf.com.py , Pili Peña, vapena@pla.net.py
The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) is a global network of individuals and organisations concerned with the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding worldwide based on the Innocenti Declaration, the Ten Links for Nurturing the Future and the WHO/UNICEF Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. Its core partners are International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), La Leche League International (LLLI), International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA), Wellstart International, Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) and LINKAGES. WABA is in consultative status with UNICEF and an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC).
International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN),
La Leche League International (LLLI),
International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA),
The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine,
WABA, PO Box 1200, 10850 Penang, Malaysia
The MS TF is one of eight task forces that support the work of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action
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