SUMMER 2011 SPECIAL BREASTFEEDING EDITION Vol. 11 No. 2

INSIDE Breastfeeding – THIS ISSUE It Takes a Village!

n Breastfeeding Promotion he California WIC community is making huge strides toward our & Support goal of making breastfeeding the norm in the communities we T • Breastfeeding Week/Walk...... 2 serve. Thanks to a “harmonic convergence” of WIC policy and • Riverside APL Leaders...... 2 environmental changes, our exclusive breastfeeding rates have • New Lactation Consultants...... 3 shot up, while formula issuance is way down. • Regional Breastfeeding This issue of WIC Watch describes some of the work you all have Liaisons...... 3 done to pull this off. Frontline employees are sharing clearer and more consistent breastfeeding messages with WIC participants, n CWA News...... 4 and using new Baby Behavior skills to help parents decode the INSIDE THIS ISSUE mysteries of infant care. Every day (and sometimes in the middle n Legislative Update...... 5 of the night!), Peer Counselors and newly minted IBCLCs are giving critically needed support to thousands of breastfeeding moms. n Breastfeeding Updates But we can’t do it all – it takes busting out of the WIC silo to • Peer Counseling Programs...... 6 transform community norms. A brand new cadre of WIC Regional • Peer Counselor Profiles...... 7 Breastfeeding Liaisons is partnering with hospitals, medical clinics, child care, work sites, and local governments. We will collaborate n Staff & State Profiles with them to create a continuum of breastfeeding support and • CNC Scholar...... 8 services for young families wherever they go. • Baby Behavior Campaign...... 8 If we keep up the momentum, we will soon be able to show that WIC is contributing to better health outcomes and reduced n Worksite Wellness obesity in the next generation. Let’s go for it! • Agency Allstars...... 9

California WIC recognizes our n Breastfeeding Goes community partners who support Platinum WIC families in breastfeeding anywhere! • Platinum WIC Stories...... 10

n Book Corner...... 11

California WIC Association 1490 Drew Ave., Ste 175, Davis,CA 95618 (530) 750-2280 • Fax (530) 758-7780 E-mail: [email protected] • www.calwic.org WATCH SUMMER 2011

Breastfeeding Promotion & Support

California Breastfeeding Riverside APL Leaders Promotion Month is August Improve Breastfeeding

World Breastfeeding Week hat started out to be a survey of mothers’ needs August 1-7, 2011 Wfor improved customer service turned into a breastfeeding improvement project for Hemet Clinic, Breastfeeding advocates have reason to cele- Riverside County WIC. In the survey, moms specifically brate this August. Breastfeeding is recognized in health identified their need for more help breastfeeding. Clinic care reform, Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, staff members were adequately trained in the how-to’s the IRS tax code, federal and state worksite lactation of breastfeeding, but the clinic breastfeeding rates left accommodation, and of course at WIC. Time to cel- room for improvement. Something was missing! ebrate and keep the momentum going! APL leaders Eva Arreola and Rosa Martinez were The annual Capitol Breastfeeding Walk, organized both very experienced in breastfeeding support. They by the California Breastfeeding Coalition discussed the situation with other clinic staff and de- (CBC) will take place in Sacramento on termined that staff just needed a confidence boost! August 4. Starting with a walk around Together they set up opportunities to watch and work Capitol grounds, the event focuses on with Eva and Rosa teaching classes and counseling recognizing employers with local and mothers. In a short while, staff felt more confident using state awards for supporting mothers their breastfeeding knowledge and working with moth- returning to work breastfeeding. Many ers. The result? Breastfeeding rates among clinic partici- similar celebrations will take place across pants are rising! Before the intervention (October 2010), the state in local communities throughout 21.6% of moms were breastfeeding. In just a few short August. months (March 2011), that rate was up to 26.6%. Kudos Take time to celebrate our successes and to Eva and Rosa and to all the staff at Hemet Clinic! use these events to highlight the importance of breastfeeding policy in the hospital, work- place and community! To assist local agencies and coalitions in planning an event, the CBC has provided template materials on their website: www.californiabreastfeeding.org.

Hemet WIC staff are proud of the breastfeeding support they provide mothers, and their breastfeeding rates are going up!

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Breastfeeding Promotion & Support

WIC Grows Its Own Making Connections! Lactation Consultants Regional Breastfeeding Liaisons (RBL) alifornia needs more International Board Certi- fied Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) to assist low- C n the past nine months, California RBLs have made income mothers, and WIC is making that happen! The huge strides in getting the word out that WIC is a Grow Our Own program begun by Riverside County I breastfeeding program and wants to work with the WIC was described in the Summer 2010 edition of WIC community on improving breastfeeding rates among Watch. Now in its second year, Grow Your Own has our participants. Below are highlights of two of the expanded to train more community-based IBCLCs in seven agencies with RBLs. the Central Valley (home to some of the lowest breast- Riverside County WIC RBL, Alyson Foote, established feeding rates) as well as Riverside, Imperial, and San a five-step program to help employers become com- Bernardino counties and the Watts area of Los Ange- pliant with California’s lactation accommodation law. les. Since 2009, nearly 200 WIC employees have taken Upon completion, employers achieve the designation advantage of this professional education opportunity, of “Breastfeeding Friendly Employer” from Riverside preparing them for the IBCLE exam. The rigorous train- County’s Lactation Services program. Alyson also pro- ing includes a college-level lactation course followed motes changes in policy and organizational practices by 1,000 hours of counseling experience in order to regarding worksite lactation accommodation through- take the IBCLE exam. out the community by serving on several committees. One of the exciting yet unexpected outcomes of In addition, Alyson works to certify pediatricians this course is the new as “Breastfeeding Friendly Medical Practitioners.” The relationships evident lunchtime training program includes WIC information Congrats to in each community. so pediatricians and their staff understand WIC better, New IBCLCs! Local hospital nurses refer to WIC more, and know who to contact for ques- tions and concerns. and WIC staff now Delta Health Care Community Resource Project WIC RBL, Jen Pettus, work more closely to • Tamesha Valerde recently helped completely revise the Breastfeeding meet families’ needs. Orange County Resource Guide for the Sacramento area. As part of In addition, Riverside • Carmina Estrada her RBL outreach, she markets this guide as an effec- County’s breastfeeding • Nancy Wong tive tool to engage and educate local providers about rates continue to rise. Riverside County breastfeeding resources in the community. The goal By becoming IBCLCs, • Clarese Hill is to have at least one guide (print or USB drive) in the WIC staff and commu- • Raquel Montano Postpartum Units at each local hospital, as well as in nity health professionals • Devona Robertson key pediatric offices for WIC participants. have taken their profes- Public Health Foundation To expand her outreach, Jen was instrumental in sion to the next level. • Wendy De Leon securing a speaker for the Northern California Ob-Gyn Plans for another • Cynthia Castillo Symposium. With feedback that Ob-Gyns are interest- course to begin Fall • Maria Lopez ed in “women’s health” rather than “breastfeeding” as 2011 are underway. For • Luz Sanchez a symposium topic, Jen engaged Dr. Erica Gunderson, more info, go to www. • Yolie Figeroa a leading researcher with Kaiser Permanente and pop- lovingsupport.org and ular speaker at diabetes conferences on the impact of Stanislaus County click on the Contact Us lactation on women’s health. Another creative way to • Ann Casazza tab. get breastfeeding education to providers!

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CWA News

WIC & Breastfeeding Central Valley Policy Day Hospital Summit Despite heavy rainfall in late May (!), nearly Hospitals in the Central Valley have some 100 WIC and Breastfeeding Ambassadors of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the state. brought their message to state legislators about Important steps are being taken at a few hospi- the effective work of WIC and the importance tals to improve their breastfeeding policies. To ex- of breastfeeding health policy. The day included pedite the process, the California Breastfeeding informative presentations on the budget crisis by Coalition (CBC), Babies First Fresno, and partners Scott Graves, Senior Policy Analyst at California including CWA, will sponsor a hospital breast- Budget Project, the soda tax issue by Jennifer feeding summit. Modeled after the wildly suc- Richards, Policy Director at California Center on cessful state summit in January in Sacramento, Public Health Advocacy, and licensure of RDs, this gathering will allow hospital administrators, by Judy Gould, California Dietetic Association. staff and advocates to work together to plan for Senator De León voiced support of breastfeeding improved breastfeeding policies. as a policy issue, and his support for SB 502, the Plan to attend: August 19 at Children’s Hospi- Hospital Infant Feeding Bill, authored by him and tal Central California, Madera. Senator Pavley and sponsored by CWA. Register at PHFE-WIC staff www.californiabreastfeeding.org Anne Kennedy, Kiran Saluja, Samar McGregor and Shelly Lewis meet with LA Fall Conference-Plan Now! Senator Kevin De León, co- author of SB 502, CWA 2011 Fall at CWA’s Policy Management Conference Day on May 25th. PlatinumPlatinum onon aa DimeDime October 18-20, 2011 Best Wishes and Marriott, Bakersfield

Welcomes at CWA Join your colleagues in California’s beauti- It is hard to believe it has been two years ful Central Valley for critical since Jasmine Pettis came to CWA as a student in- trainings on WIC Platinum tern. Most recently, she’s been our Administrative services. We will build on Coordinator, and left in June to pursue her MPH at our strategies for providing San Jose State and work at Tiburcio Vasquez WIC. participant-centered ser- We wish her well at this exciting time in her career, vices, maximizing collabora- and are glad to see she is still with WIC! tive relations and producing Welcome to Meghan Saddler, our new Admin- improved health outcomes. istrative Coordinator. She will be meeting you all Registration will soon be on our at the Fall Conference. Take time to tell her about website at www.calwic.org/events. yourself and your program.

Platinum on a Dime Page 4 WATCH SUMMER 2011

Legislative Update

FEDERAL BUDGET On June 16, the House passed its Agri- culture Appropriations bill (H.R. 2112) by a vote of 217-203 with 19 Republicans joining all Democrats in opposing the bill. Attempts to mitigate the WIC cuts in Committee failed on the floor, so the final bill cut WIC by $733 million – failing to provide adequate funding to support projected case- load needs for the first time in decades. The House bill funds WIC at $6.00 billion, considerably lower than the LA-area WIC staff met with their Assemblymember, Gil recommended level of $6.83 billion. Cedillo. Advocating with your legislators is crucial to the If these cuts are sustained in the final funding bill success of WIC! negotiated with the Senate later this year, California WIC will be looking at funding reductions. While par- CWA STATEMENT ticipation has begun to level off statewide (although it has not dropped), rising food costs, in particular, ON HOUSE BILL mean that a reduced federal funding level is going to CWA is deeply concerned about the proposed make it difficult, if not impossible, for local agencies to WIC cuts in HR 2112. We are hopeful that the serve all participants who need WIC next year. The WIC Senate will reject this bill and start from scratch, Division is still analyzing the exact impact of the House ensuring that there will be sufficient funding for proposal, but it’s important to remember that it’s only a eligible WIC participants and for the critically proposal. important nutrition and breastfeeding services that make WIC so effective. We were particu- STATE BILLS larly outraged by the amendment offered by Rep. Foxx (R-VA) who sought to cut off funds for California’s fiscal crisis remains unre- breastfeeding support. Fortunately this mis- solved due to Governor Brown’s recent guided and damaging amendment was soundly veto of the Legislature’s first attempt at defeated, but still received more than 100 votes passing a balanced budget. We will report on the final in the House. outcome in the next WIC WATCH. CWA-sponsored SB 502 (Pavley and De León) ACTION: passed the Senate Floor and Assembly Health Com- Meet with your member of mittee. Next stop: Assembly Appropriations. The bill Congress this summer! requires general acute care hospitals and those with perinatal units to have an infant feeding policy and CWA is urging all local agencies to set up site routinely communicate the policy to all unit staff and visits or District Office meetings with your Repre- the public. sentatives. More than ever before, they need to Other CWA-supported bills that are still alive in- understand WIC and learn how WIC’s evidence- clude: AB 6 (Fuentes) CalFresh Reforms, AB 581 (Perez) based nutrition services save taxpayers money! Use the tools in our Policy Center web pages Healthy Food Financing; and AB 787 (Mitchell) Healthy (www.calwic.org) to set up these critical meet- State Facilities. Check out the details in our State Policy ings, or call our advocacy whiz Donna Hoffman Center, on line at www.calwic.org. for help at 530-750-2280.

Page 5 WATCH SUMMER 2011

Breastfeeding Updates

50 Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Programs Up and Running!

ongratulations to all of you who have imple- Based on the feedback we received during our Cmented or expanded your Breastfeeding Peer last bi-annual trainings in February and March 2011, Counseling (BPC) program in the last year! California we have secured a location that can accommodate WIC has come a long way since the BPC workgroup all Peer Counseling programs for our bi-annual train- met last year. We now have 65 Supervisors, 103 IBCLC’s ing this fall, to be held September 7-8 at the Double- and 224 Peer Counselors in 50 programs statewide. On Tree Hotel in Sacramento. More details and registra- State WIC visits, staff sees tremendous dedication to tion information for this two-day training were sent via breastfeeding and excellent efforts put into training email in June to each PWPC and BPC Program Co- new staff. ordinator, and registration forms will be emailed out To serve the many agencies with BPC Programs, soon. Questions? Please contact Geanne Lyons State WIC recently divided California into breastfeed- at 916-928-8827. ing regions, each with two staff serving as primary contacts for agencies in a region. This allows state staff to understand better the individual agencies while allowing each agency to have a single point of contact for “Lego Blocks” Handout their BPC Program. Updated California WIC’s vision for breast- feeding is that breastfeeding is the California WIC’s popular handout How norm for WIC mothers and their infants Does Formula Compare to Breastmilk? up to age one year and beyond, and has been updated and will be re-printed that WIC is known in the community soon. After gathering input from local as a source for breastfeeding assis- agencies, the primary “upgrade” is the addition of a tance and information. Toward this few new blocks on the breastfeeding stack: vision, California WIC agencies are See for yourself! How does formula Breastmilk has more of compare to breastmilk? the good things babies need prebiotics, probiotics, creating a new image with the public bies Compared to mother’s breastmilk, formula is missing many things babiesand Breastmilk need to be strong, healthy and disease-fighting stem and medical community in a variety smart. Did you know… Formula-fed babies have a greater risk of: cells, and anti-cancer of ways, from coordinating with local • Ear infections • Diarrhea/constipation • Pneumonia • SIDS (Sudden Infant cells (HAMLET). On the health departments and local breast- Death Syndrome) Children who were formula-fed have a greater risk of: formula side (to be feeding coalitions to working with hos- • Obesity (becoming overweight) • Diabetes • Asthma and allergies Formula pitals. Our goal is to have community • Cancer fair), we’ve added pre- What is the cost of Minerals formula feeding? Vitamins biotics and probiotics. Formula feeding costs money. The dollars partners view us as the program that Fat add up because you must buy extra formula as your baby grows, since WIC does not give you DHA/ARA all the formula your baby will need. But the real The accompanying job Carbohydrates encourages our participants to breast- cost of formula is the cost to your baby’s health… and the time you spend away from work or Protein at the doctor when your baby is sick. Water aide will provide infor- Developed by the California WIC Program feed and provides ongoing support for California Department of Public Health

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor, State of California d! tfee Kimberly Belshé, Secretary, California Health and Human Se Babies are born to breas Mark B. Horton, MD MSPH, Director, California Depar IC# 920095 mation for new and 12/08 rvices Agency breastfeeding women. We all want to tment of Public Health see breastfeeding initiation and dura- existing blocks. Look for tion rates in California increase in the notification soon! next year.

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Breastfeeding Updates

Get to Know Some Breastfeeding Peer Counselors!

Donica Avelino Edelmira Garcia Clarese Hill Shasta County WIC Northeast Valley Health Riverside County WIC Corporation WIC Donica has been interested in “In the beginning it was breastfeeding and helping mothers “I love my job because I the best job ever because long before coming to work for WIC, feel a lot of passion [for…] I could take my nursing breastfeeding her three children as preparing new moms, baby with me to work... a WIC participant teen moms or already Now [it’s great] mostly and volunteering experienced moms for because I meet these at the local crisis breastfeeding.” moms right where they’re pregnancy center. at, in their unique situations When her young- Edelmira’s experience as a and I get to help them be est child turned mother of four, an employee at successful at nursing their five, Donica wasn’t NEVHC WIC for over 20 years, and children. It’s great to get ready to “cut the umbilical cord” as a supporter of breastfeeding paid for doing something of support from WIC staff. When within our agency for just as long that just comes natural...” she heard Shasta WIC might be indicate her level of dedication to expanding the peer counseling pro- the Peer Counselor Program. Her Clarese has a passion for help- gram, she completed regional lac- manager states, “Not only does ing others. She is a dynamo when tation educator training and began Edelmira get along well within our facilitating groups and has the working at WIC soon after. She’s team and the clinic staff, she also ability to con- especially excited about the new connects with participants with nect with the Shasta Mom’s Circle groups that respect and dignity. She is a great moms she meet monthly to support pregnant representative of what we all are serves. Clarese and fully breastfeeding WIC moms. doing in our program—providing is determined moms with the tools and knowledge to help each “When the Peer Counselor mom and to breastfeed.” position became available baby success- I knew ‘This is it; this is fully breast- my career!’ I started feed. Her colleagues also know her my job with a passion as a leader and team player. She to help breastfeeding served on the State Breastfeeding women. Now I see how Education Committee and contrib- each little intervention can uted her insight through the eyes of lead to a success story, a Peer Counselor. Clarese success- but what I didn’t expect fully passed the IBCLC exam last was how much I would year! learn from the moms.”

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Staff & State Profiles

Featured CNC Scholar: The California Baby Eduardo Alaniz Behavior Campaign

irst in his family to graduate high school and attend he California State WIC Program, the UC Davis Hu- Fcollege, Eduardo has already accomplished much. Tman Lactation Center & the Baby Behavior Work- But to achieve his dream of serving the Latino commu- group (pictured) proudly announce the arrival of The nity as a Registered Dietitian, Eduardo was determined California Baby Behavior Campaign. What started as a research project and to go further. While finishing his degree at San Jose Baby Behavior train- State University, already married and working full-time, ings for all WIC staff Eduardo and his wife welcomed an infant daughter. His has now become a roles as a husband and father made him put his dream statewide campaign on hold for a while to work full-time. that will incorporate Not that he forgot his Baby Behavior mes- dream, Eduardo’s job in a lo- sages into the heart cal hospital kept him in touch of WIC education. with nutrition professionals Building on the initial training by Dr. Jane Heinig, the Baby Behavior refresher and the health concerns of trainings, kicked off this past Spring, empower WIC staff his community. He then was to help parents identify and respond to their babies’ hired at Santa Clara County behavior. WIC, where he applied his What happens when parents learn to recognize easygoing, empathic nature their baby’s behavior and become “baby whisperers”? and boundless energy to Babies are fully breastfed more often, are less likely to nutrition education, counseling, and community health be overfed, and parents rely less on formula! promotion. His bilingual/bicultural background, leader- Coming soon: ship skills, and passion and vision for promoting health • Summer 2011—Staff training materials for prenatal among low-income families were additional assets as a participant education available volunteer helping to plan and execute nutrition events • Fall 2011—Prenatal Baby Behavior Education in Gilroy. begins: “Understanding Your Newborn Baby’s Behavior” In March, thanks in part to the CNC Scholarship he • Late Fall 2011—Staff training materials for “Early earned, Eduardo began the year-long Dietetic Intern- Infancy” Baby Behavior education available ship at San Diego WIC. He says, “At a young age I • January 2012—“Early Infancy” Baby Behavior established high goals for myself and through strong education begins will, a positive outlook and hard work I overcame a What WIC staff is saying about these trainings: language barrier, poverty and many other adversities • “I learned to pay more attention to babies at the to meet those goals. As a member of the WIC family I WIC appointment and ask more questions.” have received tremendous support and encourage- • “As a trainer, I really appreciated the quality of ment. I am truly thankful to be a part of the San Diego the training materials from State WIC. They were WIC Dietetic Internship and honored to have received clear and easy to follow.” the Anne Peterson Memorial Scholarship. Programs like California WIC is excited about this Baby Behavior campaign that serves as a model for incorporating WIC enhance the notion in me that, with a strong will baby behavior messages into all WIC programs nation- and hard work, there are no obstacles that cannot be wide! Additional campaign information and materials overcome.” CWA congratulates Eduardo in achieving are available at http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/ all he has so far, and looks forward to the day he can wicworks/Pages/WICCaliforniaBabyBehaviorCam- serve WIC families as a Registered Dietitian. paign.aspx.

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Worksite Wellness

More Well WIC Worksite Agency Allstars!

ongratulations to the following Get Connected: Cagencies that have recently New WIC Worksite completed the 10 steps to becom- ing a Certified Well WIC Worksite, Wellness Resources fondly known as WWWs! Look for some revised user- • Orange County WIC friendly tools and resources on the WIC Worksite Wellness section of • San Luis Obispo Health the CWA website at http://calwic. Agency WIC org/focus-areas/wic-worksite- • Santa Barbara County WIC wellness. There’s a new agency Staff at Clinicas de Salud CWA staff has enjoyed visiting workplan and an agency toolkit del Pueblo concentrate on these agencies and officially recog- that includes sample in-kind dona- some tai chi. nizing the accomplishments of staff tion letters and suggested donation to adopt and embrace healthy items to incentivize your employees, workplace policies. They’ve now plus a thermometer so your agency joined the WWW groundswell: 18 can track its progress. There’s also agencies certified and 23 working information about a special corpo- toward certification, including CWA rate rate for all agency employees and State WIC! and families at 24 Hour Fitness Cen- ters in California! Here’s what you’ll find The CWA Flash e-newsletter now in a WWW: regularly features wellness tips and resources. You can subscribe on our • Comprehensive policies website at www.calwic.org. And our address nutrition, physi- Member Services Coordinator, Yoga at Contra Costa WIC is harder than it looks! cal activity, and emotional Teresa Morris, is happy to answer health. your questions! [email protected]. • In many cases, the par- ent organization or county health department asks WIC to help institute health policies and practices for everyone at the organiza- tion.

• Staff proudly shares person- al stories of how they have improved their health.

• You can feel the energy A salad bar makes a healthy Staff at San Francisco WIC and positive morale at and easy potluck for staff at committed to Shaping Up! each site! Community Bridges.

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Breastfeeding Goes Platinum

Platinum WIC Stories

“A breastfeeding mom told a WNA how thank- A mom’s dream to have a natural ful she was for the breastfeeding support and for “birth, breastfeed and bond with her the ‘bigger’ food package she received,as well baby was interrupted by a premature as the second-hand clothes she picked up at C-section delivery. Baby was given a our ‘Mommy Boutique’ with her ‘mommy dollars’ feeding tube and placed in a clear (awarded to those who attend our breastfeeding plexiglass incubator. At WIC we were classes). ­­– Delta Health Care able to provide a breast pump and encouragement to pursue her dream of breastfeeding her newborn. We also A WIC staff member received a call (on supported her efforts to provide tactile “her personal cell phone and while attending stimulation by reaching through the a work-related training) from a mother with incubator’s portholes to massage her a high fever and severe mastitis. On the baby. We listened as she told us how break, the staff member sent a message to her son got stronger and welcomed the IBCLC. When the client came into clinic, him to his first visit to our WIC agency: a the IBCLC personally took the client to the dream come true!” doctor, where she got immediate treatment – City of Long Beach WIC Program including antibiotic injections. Soon, she was feeling much better.” – Sacramento County

We recently were able to coach a mom on “pumping breastmilk to give to her premature “Our WIC IBCLC and WIC WNA baby. The baby’s doctor and nurses at Loma visited a Spanish-speaking mom Linda Hospital assured mom that her baby is who was engorged and in pain. thriving on the breastmilk she pumped.” The mom’s table was loaded with – Inyo County hospital formula samples and she was supplementing the few-days- old infant. Following intervention from our WIC staff, she brought “A teen mother of a 6 week-old baby told our back the pump one month later, counselor that she didn’t know any other teens stating she was fully breastfeeding who were breastfeeding. When she got mastitis, she and no longer needed the pump. began losing confidence in her ability to breastfeed. Recently, at six months, she con- By affirming the breastfeeding efforts the mom had tinues to fully breastfeed.” made in the first few weeks and by using reflective – Sacramento County listening to explore her reservations about breast- feeding, the counselor helped the mom rebuild her determination to exclusively breastfeed.” – American Red Cross WIC, San Diego

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Book Corner

Mommy Feeds Baby Breastfeeding: Your Priceless Gift by Christy Jo Hendricks to Your Baby and Yourself by Regina Sara Ryan and Deborah Auletta hristy Jo Hendricks, IBCLC, of Riverside County WIC, has written a beautiful new children’s book, C hile Breastfeeding: Your Priceless Gift to Your Mommy Feeds Baby. In a society where children grow WBaby and Yourself isn’t a perfect book on breast- up surrounded by images of bottle feeding, Christy’s feeding it has many wonderful qualities. Overall the vision was to promote breastfeeding as the normal feeling of the book is positive, reassuring and motivat- way to feed babies ing. The preface acknowledges that breastfeeding and teach children can be challenging, is worth working hard at and about the special is one of the most important decisions a parent will relationship between make. The photography is diverse and beautiful, de- a mother and her picting real life breastfeeding situations and including breastfeeding child. pictures of older children breastfeeding, breastfeeding The hardcover while pregnant and breastfeeding twins. Information is presented accurately and in simple book, Mommy Feeds language. The book adopts the “breastfeeding is best” Baby, features 32 perspective in a way that normalizes breastfeeding photographs of and helps to build a mother’s self-confidence, discuss- mothers breastfeed- ing the nurturing aspects of breastfeeding and how it ing, each accompa- can make a mother feel about herself. Crying, over- nied by a unique reason why Mommy feeds Baby. The feeding and baby behavior are briefly addressed. reasons for breastfeeding go far beyond the nutritive Because the information presented in the book value of mother’s milk, showing children that mothers has been simplified (for this sixth-grade reading level breastfeed as an expression of love and bonding with version), some statements could be misinterpreted. For their babies. Christy has captured a diverse group of instance, “The longer mothers with their breastfeeding infants and toddlers you feed only breast- of all ages in a variety of settings, with some accom- milk the more allergy panied by proud fathers and older siblings. The final protection you offer” might cause a parent page of the book allows mothers to personalize the to continue exclusive book with a spot for their own photograph. breastfeeding long Mommy Feeds Baby appeals to young children past six months if they with simple phrases and brightly colored photographs were concerned of babies and their families. This book is a beautiful about allergies. Breastfeeding: Your Priceless Gift to portrayal of the love, comfort, and bonding that are Your Baby and Yourself acknowledges the importance inherent in the breastfeeding relationship. of breastfeeding as a choice and provides parents Perfect as a gift for WIC families or waiting rooms, with the tools to make that choice well informed. Mommy Feeds Baby and the Spanish version, Mamá Available in 6th and 9th grade reading level edi- Alimenta al Bebé, can be ordered online at www.birth- tions; Spanish and English. Hohm Press, 2006: www. ingandbreastfeeding.com/purchase.html. familyhealthseries.com

Reviewed by Christina Sainato, MPH, RD, CLE Reviewed by Susan Martinelli, IBCLC, RLC, Pasadena Public Health Department WIC Program Marin County WIC

Page 11 California WIC Association 1490 Drew Avenue, Suite 175 Davis, CA 95618

CWA Directors Contribute to the 201 0 -201 1

EXECUTIVE BOARD WIC Watch! Gayle Hoxter, President Upcoming magazines are Riverside County Dept. of Public Health Peggy Redfern, President-Elect already being planned Tulare County WIC Program around the following themes: Shirlee Runnings, Past President Fall 2011 The Resource Connection Pamela Stanley, Treasurer WIC OUT OF THE BOX: Antelope Valley WIC Platinum Partnerships Marcia Barnes, Secretary Deadline: August 30, 2011 Placer County Health Department Winter 2011 REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES Betsy Cline, Orange-LA Basin Region TBD Eliana Schultz, Bay Region Deadline: December 6, 2011 Lynne Officer, Great South Region Linda Shelton, Central Valley Region Contact Margaret Aumann at: Need more Rose McIsaac, Delta/Sierra Gold Region New e-mail [email protected] Leslie McDonnell, Sierra Cascade Region COPIES OR MAILING CWA, 1490 Drew Ave., Ste. 175 Tracie Barrow, Coastal Region OF THE WIC address? Davis, CA 95618 SMALL AGENCY CAUCUS WATCH? Barbara Bishop, United Indian Health Svc., Inc. 530.750.2280 phone • 530.758.7780 fax Ilse Arrimbide, Central Valley Indian Health MEMBERS-AT-LARGE Gayle Schachne, Eloise Jenks, Heidi Kent, Maureen Clark Michele van Eyken (l) congratulates Para-Professionals Sue Doron (r) of Emily Bowen Siskiyou WIC on her Legislative Committee retirement after 26 Samar McGregor, Michelle Turner years of service to California WIC.

Save the Dates

BREASTFEEDING WALK & AWARDS Thurs., Aug. 4, 12-1 PM at the Capitol Best Wishes to Carolyn Donohoe-Mather, CWA FALL CONFERENCE from State WIC, in her new job in Hawaii, Platinum on a Dime and thanks for all her contributions to WIC and breastfeeding. October 18-20 Marriott • Bakersfield