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