It Takes a Village

Although World Breastfeeding Week has come and gone and National Breastfeeding Month is coming to an end, we all have a role to play in supporting breastfeeding families year-round. Chances are, at some point, each of us will know a mom who wants to breastfeed to keep herself and her baby healthy, it might be your daughter, sister, wife, neighbor, employee or friend.

In 2015, 75% of Clinton County babies started off breastfeeding but by the time their 1^st birthday came around that number dropped to just over 20%. We know that moms can face barriers along their breastfeeding journey so the Clinton County Breastfeeding Coalition set out to remove some of those obstacles to helps moms reach their goals while normalizing breastfeeding in the community.

Breastfeeding Welcome Here Campaign - Members are recruiting local restaurants to display a Breastfeeding Welcome Here decal on their front door to do their part to support breastfeeding in the community. So far we have 13 restaurants participating, but we are always looking for more! If you own a business or would like to get a decal for your favorite restaurant just give us a call 518-565-4993. 

 

Pharmacy Toolkits - The coalition also conducted mini focus groups with local pharmacists and learned that they received very little training in school about breastfeeding and medication and would benefit from additional resources. We created toolkits to assist with counseling breastfeeding mothers. The kit includes a copy of Dr. Thomas Hale’s book, Medication and Mother’s Milk, a link to an online resource, LactMed, as well as a telephone number to call. We also provided each pharmacy with a small sign letting patients know the pharmacist could help if they had a question about breastfeeding while taking prescription or over the counter (OTC) medications. 

The take away is this: a little bit of encouragement from each of us can go a long way. The professional work we do to support moms is important, but changing the culture happens with the whole community!

To see what breastfeeding looks like in Clinton County visit: http://www.clintonhealth.org/pdf%20files/CCProfilesInPublicHealthFall2013.pdf

You Don’t Have to Breastfeed to Support Breastfeeding



2017 marks the 25^th year that the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) is celebrating World Breastfeeding Week. This year’s theme is ‘Sustaining Breastfeeding Together’, reminding us that we all have a role to play in creating a community supportive of breastfeeding families.  We all win when we protect and promote breastfeeding.  Breastmilk provides a host of health benefits for both children and their mothers, protects our environment, creates food security, and saves the United States upwards of $13 billion.

In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, partners of the Clinton County Breastfeeding Coalition will be hosting family friendly events and we encourage you to show your support.

• Tuesday, August 1^st – Tune into WIRY 1340 AM or 100.7 FM at 11:00am to hear what is happening around breastfeeding in our community.
• Friday, August 4^th – Stop by the Breastfeeding Block Party at the US Oval in Plattsburgh between 5:00pm-7:00pm. The whole family is invited to attend. There will be outdoor play, snacks and giveaways. In the event of rain the Block Party will be moved inside at Family Connections on the Oval. This event is hosted by the Child Care Coordinating Council of the North Country and WIC. For more information call 518-561-4999.

• Saturday, August 5^th – Be a part of the 2017 Big Latch On. Registration begins at 9:00am on Champlain Valley Physician’s Hospital (CVPH) front lawn with the ‘latch’ taking place at 10:30am, sharp! There will be light refreshments, information, prizes, a Baby & Me Demo and a free 5x7 family photo! This event is hosted by the University of Vermont Health Network CVPH. For more information: http://bit.ly/2us0NkQ 

You don’t have to breastfeed to be an advocate for breastfeeding, let’s support mothers to breastfeed anytime, anywhere.



The 2017 World Breastfeeding Week theme is 'Sustaining Breastfeeding Together'.