Where did February go?

I know february is a short month, but seriously?? Where did it go?
This is a picture of me holding A's 5 day old baby, "little A". She is such a cutie!

February has been a big month for BEST- 3 babies were born at Seton Home, and all three moms gave breastfeeding a shot. One of them is exclusively breastfeeding. Woohoo! February also marks the first time that Miranda and I were invited to make a "BEST HOUSE CALL" for Two of the ladies at Seton Home. We were able to provide breastfeeding support for two new moms who had just come home from the hospital and were having some trouble with latching. One of those moms has become a full time breastfeeder so that is great. I am so proud of the hard work that these moms are putting in to give their babies the best start and so happy to be a part of this project.

At last week's meeting a fourth year medical student came with her 4 mo old baby girl and talked about her experience breastfeeding. It was so great for the girls to see someone positively modeling breastfeeding. They all asked the 4th year student right away if she was breastfeeding her "gerber baby", which I thought was so great. Breastfeeding is definitely becoming a "cool" thing to do at Seton Home- you can really see it in the girls' attitudes that it is something they take pride in. I am really starting to see that breastfeeding is really a no-brainer for teens. It is such a self-confidence booster for them when they are able to give their babies something that no one else can provide.

A few weeks ago, we held a large group meeting for anyone involved in BEST to come talk about the future of this project. I was happy to hear that two 1st year medical students want to stay involved next year. Thanks J and L! I know they will be great leaders for BEST. Also, Dr G and Dr B helped us come up with some ingenious ideas for a future BEST project. We are going to have the girls design their own Pro-Breastfeeding T-shirts! I think it will be a great hands on project



Finally, I was thrilled to see that, for the first time last week, our BEST alumni are coming to meetings in the pregnancy cottage even after they have been moved to new rooms. In the past, the girls would not return after leaving cottage B, so there was less "experienced" breastfeeding moms at the meetings. I think it is really great for girls who are still pregnant or who have just had their babies to see breastfeeding in action. There were three new Seton Home residents at cottage B last week, and I am excited to start over the curriculum with them, except this time we will have a few seasoned pros in their midst.

Last week, this week

Last meeting (1/28) was a tremendous success. Mrs M from La Leche League came to talk with the residents about pumping, and answered tons of their questions about breastfeeding. She gave out great resources and even handed out small "door prizes" to keep the residents engaged. She offered to return in another month or two, so hopefully that can happen.
A new Seton Home baby arrived just two days before the last meeting. X and her mom D are doing great. D was breastfeeding, but supplementing with formula. The first thing she told me was "miss, my milk hasn't come in yet!" So, we talked through different things that she can do to increase her supply: breastfeed frequently being the number one goal.
For next meeting, we are going to try something a little more hands on with balloons as teaching tools. We may also watch a DVD if there is enough time.
There are two Seton Home babies due in February so there may be a newborn or two at the next meeting! I am proud of the residents in how far they have come in their knowledge of breastfeeding and their willingness to learn. It is a joy being involved with Seton Home and being a part of these girls' lives.

Breastfeeding and Haiti

I have been thinking about breastfeeding in a new way since the earthquake in Haiti. It's hard to imagine the situation there in the aftermath of such a disaster.

*side note* Dr. B, BEST's faculty advisor, is currently helping in Haiti and I am eager to hear her stories when she returns in a few days.

However, in wake of this disaster, my eyes have been opened to a very important benefit of breastfeeding- breastfeeding is literally made so that babies can thrive in any condition, including the aftermath of a disaster. How scary would it be to be looking for formula for your 3 month old in Haiti right now? Breastfeeding moms don't have to worry about finding formula, nor do they need to be worried about finding clean water with which to mix the formula. All that baby needs is mom.

Check out the following link: http://www.welcometomybrain.net/2010/01/magical-milk-pic-o-week_26.html
for a great breastfeeding picture and positive story from Haiti.

Great start to the New Year

Last week I was unable to attend the BEST meeting, so this update comes from Miranda:

"We had a really good meeting last week! It was very informal. The residents seemed to trickle in, so as we were eating at the kitchen table, I just started asking questions on how the residents felt things were going with the BEST program. There was very good feedback. The girls say they are learning a lot from the program. I mentioned that one of our goals was to be able to provide breastfeeding support while they are still in the hospital and I asked the residents present if they would be open to that and they all agreed that it would be very helpful to have a member of BEST at the hospital after birth. Since we were on a roll, we just kept the conversation going instead of watching the DVD.
Many of the girls had questions about milk storage and production. Some questions about the actual birth came up and Shannon (medical student who is going to go into ob/gyn) was there with great information. She even suggested a few books that would be great for the residents of Seton Home. I'm going to look into getting those. I asked the residents what more we could get them with the grant money and they said they could use boppy pillows, breastmilk storage baggies, and feeding covers. Shannon also suggested we get a cover called 'Hooter Hiders'. The Hooter Hiders are actually breastfeeding covers that have a wire at the top and makes that part rigid and stands away from the chest so that mom can see what the baby is doing.

I did give every resident there a resolution handout and explained that with the new year comes new goals and experiences and that the certificate was a way to put those goals into focus.

I think that's about it. I left the meeting feeling like we really are helping these moms-to-be."

Martin Luther King

"Everyone can be great because everyone can serve"
-MLK

GREAT NEWS- AOA GRANT APPROVAL!

I received some great news via email today. The AOA grant from the national medical honor society has been approved for BEST! I have been working on this grant for a little over a month and I am very encouraged to see that hard work pay off.

The grant will provide $2000 in funds for BEST for the year. We will use that money for items like instructional dvds, pamphlets, breastfeeding supplies, and to provide food for meetings at Seton Home.


As for the report from last meeting- our LLL speaker had to cancel last minute so we ended up talking about latching on and the mechanics of breastfeeding. Miranda and I found a great WIC DVD at the last minute that talked all about latching and showed some great examples. We had lower than usual attendance, partly because several girls are very busy with school right now and also because the "pregnancy cottage" seems to be less full than usual. There was one new resident to seton home who was very engaged in the dvd and very receptive to the information we provided. She said that she hadn't really understood "how it worked" until we showed the dvd but she seemed like she was planning to breastfeed once her baby is born. There were lots of "awws" during the video and I thought it was nice to see the residents getting excited about having their babies and breastfeeding.

We decided that the next meeting will be a holiday party theme. We are going to have tamales beans and rice, watch a "breastfeeding rap" and give the residents breastfeeding themed gifts like boppy pillows, breastfeeding covers (hooter hiders) and other supplies. It should be a great way to wrap of the year for BEST! We will start up our meetings again after new year's.

Mom's Place

I am back from thanksgiving break, refreshed and ready to press on with the BEST project! I am also REALLY EXCITED about sharing this awesome DVD (see pic) that I hope to share at a future BEST meeting...see more below.

While in Austin, I had a unique opportunity to learn about breastfeeding education and lactation support from the experts at Mom's Place. Mom's Place is part of one of the WIC clinics in Austin, and there is no other breastfeeding resource center like it in the whole state of Texas. WIC mothers can get free breastfeeding help at Mom's Place. While shadowing for the day, I saw one baby with a tongue tie, one baby who was having trouble feeding because her mom was making too much milk, and one mother whose baby was doing just fine and she only needed reassurance that her baby was healthy and gaining weight. I learned so much in 4 hours! Breastfeeding is such a special thing.

This week, the plan for BEST is to have a LLL speaker come talk to the mothers-to-be at Seton Home about nutrition for moms while breastfeeding, and we will surely end up taking about more as the meeting progresses. I have been enjoying the "organic nature" of the meetings, and I hope that casual feel will continue. Miranda and I both agree that it makes the participants seem more comfortable with sharing and asking questions.

Our menu plan for this week is Build-Your-Own-Salads. I hope the girls haven't been to spoiled by the fast food we've been bringing, because we are taking a turn this week towards the healthier foods. It's definitely a needed change...it has been bothering me that we are bringing fast food and soda and then at the same time trying to encourage a healthy lifestyle choice (breastfeeding). Hypocritical? I think so!

I have a great DVD from Mom's Place that we are going to clear with the Center and hopefully show in two weeks at our "holiday party" meeting. I love this DVD! It is a 10 minute rap-cartoon made by the African American Breastfeeding Alliance in UCLA which features a breastfeeding mom who knows all about the benefits that mothers milk has to offer. I think it's fun and also full of good facts, so I hope we get to use it at Seton Home.

I will update on Thursday to share the outcome of the next meeting.