Mother Support Task Force (MSTF) World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action Volume 6 Number 3, Published 3 times a year in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese September – December 2008 http://www.waba.org.my/whatwedo/gims/ Fathers with their breastfed babies english.htm – Club de Madres, HCR, Paraguay To subscribe please email: [email protected] Coordinator WABA MSTF: Paulina Smith (Mexico) Co-coordinators: Rebecca Magalhães (USA), Dr. Prashant Gangal (India) Editors: Pushpa Panadam, Maria (Pili) Peña (Paraguay), Rebecca Magalhães (USA) Translators: Spanish-Maria (Pili) Peña, Pushpa Panadam, Monica Casis (Argentina); French – Juanita Jauer Steichen, Herrade Hemmerdinger, France Portuguese – Analy Uriarte, Pajuçara Marroquim, Brasil “Remember! We (the WABA Network) are a FORCE for happiness. We come together for the children of the world.” – Public Health Association of Québec, WABA Global Breastfeeding Partners Meeting VII, October, 2008, Penang, Malaysia IN THIS ISSUE FATHER SUPPORT . Men’s Working Group Takes off with a New WABA Cycle: MOTHER SUPPORT TASK FORCE COMMENTS AND James Achanyi-Fontem, Cameroon INFORMATION 2. Press Statement-Men urged to encourage breastfeeding: . WABA Workshop and Global Breastfeeding Partners L’Effort Camerounais, Cameroon Meeting held in Penang, Malaysia, October 6-0, 2008: Paulina Smith, Coordinator, WABA MSTF NEWS FROM THE BREASTFEEDING WORLD 2. Friendships Made Through Mother Support Groups: 3. A Supporting Father: Marian Tompson, USA Paulina Smith, Coordinator, WABA MSTF 4. Putting a name with a face: Meet Monica Nadina Casis, Reviewer of the Spanish version of the newsletter: Maria MOTHER SUPPORT FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES (Pili) Peña, Paraguay and Monica Casis, Argentina 3. World Breastfeeding Week Report: Alor Gajah District, 5. Breastfeeding news from New Zealand: Rosemary Malacca, Malaysia Gordon, New Zealand 4. Promoting and Supporting Breastfeeding in Resistencia, 6. World Social Forum: Amigas do Peito, Brasil Argentina: Elba Dolores Sanchez, Argentina 7. Maternity Protection at the Workplace: Elaine Cote, 5. The Role of an Obstetrician in Breastfeeding: Dr. José Switzerland Tomás Negrete Villate, Paraguay 8. Happy 40th Anniversary to Ammehjelpen!: MSTF 6. Breastfeeding Support Comments – Island Food GO Coordinator; Co-coordinators; MSTF E-Newsletter Local Network: Lois Englberger, Micronesia Editors 7. Mother Support Groups- Follow Up Survey Report: Blue 9. First International Conference and Eighth La Leche Veins, Pakistan League (LLL) Latin American Workshop: Yanet Olivares 8. World Breastfeeding Week Quip: Katy Lebbing, USA de Saiz, Dominican Republic 9. Bright Futures Family and Community Meeting: Melissa Vickers, USA BREASTFEEDING RESOURCES 20. Breastfeeding Matters: Barbara Higham, United MOTHER SUPPORT - BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS RELATE Kingdom THEIR EXPERIENCES 2. September 2008 edition of the Legal Update: Raja 0. Nursing into Toddlerhood: Barbara Higham, United Abdul Razak, Malaysia Kingdom WABA MSTF - E-newsletter V6N3 22. Abstract - Supporting breastfeeding mothers: qualitative synthesis. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2008 May; 62 (4): 407- 27 McInnes RJ, Chambers JA 23. Items of interest from the US Coalition for Child Survival electronic newsletter, November 3, 2008 CHILDREN AND BREASTFEEDING 24. Breastfeeding Project at School Science Fair: Lisa Gayatri Velàzquez Panadam, Paraguay 25. How to achieve “Peace and Quiet!”: Keely, USA NEWSLETTER INFORMATION 26. Check out these Websites 27. Announcements: – Past and Future Events – To Remember Betty Wagner Spandikow, co-Founder, La Leche League International. 28. Readers Share 29. Submission of Articles and Next Issue 30. How to Subscribe/Unsubscribe MOTHER SUPPORT TASK FORCE COMMENTS AND INFORMATION 1. WABA Workshop and Global Breastfeeding Partners Meeting held in Penang, Malaysia, October 6-10, 2008: Paulina Smith, Coordinator, WABA MSTF I would like to share with you some of the highlights from the WABA Workshop and Meeting recently held in Penang, Malaysia. Participants from 6 countries, from four continents, were welcomed on Monday evening by Julianna Lim on behalf of the WABA Secretariat. She asked that everybody share their expectations for the meetings; this enabled the group to reconnect before the work that was to follow. The Workshop opened the next morning with a presentation by Dr. Michael Latham, Graduate School Professor of International Nutrition and Development, Cornell University, USA. Dr Latham talked about complementary foods and the reality of them interfering with breast milk production when not delivered to the mother or health worker with correct messages about their usage. It was said by many that the pressure to add complementary foods can undermine breastfeeding. Dr. Latham emphasized the need to implement support programs for breastfeeding women with babies between 6 to 24 + months of age. He commented that organizations and governments have made great strides forward with reference to exclusive breastfeeding from 0 to 6 months but that there is a lack of information for the 6 to 24 + month period. Dr Latham’s presentation was extremely enlightening; as a consequence, the hotel corridors were full of dialogue about the creation, design and implementation of programs to address the issue. In a work group that followed, mother support groups were recognized as a valid and important approach to the subject in discussion. In another work group, it was stressed that the mother must be informed of the benefits to milk production when she offers the breast first when adding foods and liquids to the baby’s diet. The Global Breastfeeding Partners Meeting was opened on October 9 with words by Felicity Savage, Chairwoman of the WABA Steering Committee. The theme of support for breastfeeding between the 6 to 24 + month period was a constant thread throughout the discussions and presentations of the two day meeting. With this in mind, and having the benefit of the three coordinators of the Mother Support Task Force being together in Penang, we plan to facilitate an electronic dialogue to address the subject of mother support for the breastfeeding dyad for the period from 6 to 24 + months of age. Please be ready with ideas, thoughts and suggestions. Thank you! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Paulina Smith, Coordinator WABA Mother Support Task Force Email: [email protected] 2. Friendships Made Through Mother Support Groups: Paulina Smith, Coordinator, MSTF While in Penang, Malaysia, at the Workshop and Meeting, Juanita, a LLL Leader from France, and I were invited to an Indian restaurant for an evening meal to meet with local mothers who have organized the Mother to Mother Peer Support Group (MMPS) and participate in this support group. It had been a long time since I had had an opportunity to interact with mother support group members —so for me it was an enriching evening. These mothers came together like so many women have done before, needing to find support while experiencing pregnancy or breastfeeding. It was refreshing to see their enthusiasm as they asked questions about expanding and further developing their group. They wanted to know what the benefits would 2 WABA MSTF - E-newsletter V6N3 be of being a part of a wider organization (such as LLLI). Juanita and I provided them with the required information for them to explore and decide future plans. We also left necessary contacts so they can follow up on any other information. They also had questions on the length of time to breastfeed a baby; this was a nice open ended discussion as we could dialogue on the thoughts and experiences we all had and share the knowledge Juanita and I have on the importance of prolonged breastfeeding. They told us that they lead the group as a teaching session and when asked how LLL groups are led, we explained that those who lead use a dialogue and sharing format – asking each mother what experiences she brings to the group. The Mother to Mother Peer Support Group in They liked the idea of this format very much and have already written to say they Penang with Juanita and Paulina will soon lead their meetings in this way. It is always amazing to me how positive support networks form. Juanita and I can now network with this wonderful group of women living in Penang, Malaysia while they expand their support network for other mothers. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- If you are interested in being a country contact for GIMS and the MSTF, please email Paulina [email protected], Rebecca [email protected], or Prashant [email protected] MOTHER SUPPORT FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES 3. World Breastfeeding Week Report from Alor Gajah District, Malacca, Malaysia In line with the 2008 theme: Mother Support: Going for the Gold, the Alor Gajah Health District of Malacca, Malaysia organized World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) activities in 9 of its health clinics in: Simpang Empat, Durian Tunggal, Machap Baru, Alor Gajah, Kuala Sungai Baru, Masjid Tanah, Hutan Percha, Padang Sebang and Lubok China. The objectives of the activities were to: • Encourage mothers to initiate and continue breastfeeding. • Expose and give information to mothers, especially first time mothers, on the advantages of breastfeeding. • Strengthen parents’ knowledge on the importance of breastmilk and raise Machap Baru Health Clinic Malaysia awareness of mothers to breastfeed. • Start support groups among