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Babies Are Born

To Breastfeed.

Sista2Sista Chat Room A bi-monthly gathering for pregnant and breastfeeding moms to share in-formation, discuss concerns and dis-pel myths about breastfeeding.

Upcoming Dates

August 12 and October 14

5:30PM-7:00PM

4340 North 46th -ParkLawn YMCA Inside the Children’s Service Society of WI Family Resource Center

Sista2Sista Home Visitation Certified breastfeeding specialists visit new mothers in the comfort of their homes for support.

Pumpin’ It Out,

Workin’ It Out© A two-hour class designed for moms who wish to provide breast milk to their babies and are returning back to school/work 6 weeks after delivery or before.

Breastfeeding Awareness

Community Presentations AABN is available to talk to groups and organizations about the value and benefits of breastfeeding for families, and our communities.

Wisconsin Becomes 45th State To Protect Mothers Right To Breastfeed In Public

PUBLISHED BY THE AFRICAN AMERICAN BREASTFEEDING NETWORK OF MILWAUKEE

APRIL—JUNE 2010 ISSUE

M I L K N O T E S

©

Governor Jim Doyle signed the Right To Breastfeed Act on March 10. This new law allows mothers to breastfeed in public and private places without being asked to leave or harassed. “The law is a great victory for our State, families and mothers,” said Dalvery Blackwell, co-founder of the African American Breastfeeding Network of Milwaukee (AABN). “It will help tear down the stigma associated with breast-feeding babies in public and will help normalize breastfeeding,” she said. A person who interferes with a mother’s right to breastfeed in pub-

lic can be fined up to $200. There are 44 other states that have similar laws protecting mothers. The AABN plans to help promote and publicize the new law by dissemi-nating information to the media, community leaders, healthcare pro-viders, and families. For more in-formation, call the AABN at (414) 264-3441.

WISCONSIN

RIGHT TO BREASTFEED ACT

A mother may breastfeed her child in any public or private loca-

tion where the mother and child are otherwise authorized to be.

In such a location, no person may prohibit a mother from breast-

feeding her child, direct a mother to move to another location to

breastfeed her child, direct a mother to cover her child or breast

while breastfeeding, or otherwise restrict a mother from breast-

feeding. State Statute 253.16

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Reasonable Break Time for Nursing Mothers is Now Law The 2010 Healthcare Reform Act revised the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by re-quiring that employers provide a reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child. • Under the Act, employers must now provide a private, non-bathroom place for an employee to express breast milk.

• The FLSA does not require employers to pay employees for such break time.

• The law does not apply to employers with less than 50 employees.

• The law was effective imme-diately upon President Obama’s signing of the Pa-tient Protection and Afford-able Care Act, however, en-forcement rules have not yet been put in place. Depart-ment of Labor is working diligently to establish these rules.

The African American Breast-feeding Network (AABN) will be available to provide re-sources and support to busi-nesses and families once en-forcement rules have been es-tablished. For more informa-tion and written policy on breastfeeding and expressing breast milk in the workplace, go towww.usbreastfeeding.org.

Some mothers call it the nokie, others call it the paci. It is also re-

ferred to as a nuk or a noo-noo. The Baby Center even received

139 nicknames for the pacifier. A multi-billion dollar business in

the U.S., the pacifier is synonymous with baby. Re-

gardless of the rea- son a parent may choose

to use the nokie, pacifiers interfere

with breastfeed- ing. The African

American Breast- feeding Network of

Milwaukee (AABN) agrees with

the American Academy of Pediatrics

(AAP) and other or- ganizations that using a

pacifier should be delayed until breastfeeding is well es-

tablished, usually at about 3 to 4 weeks. Also AABN agrees that it

can delay effective suckling and interfere with breast milk supply.

The first month is important because the amount of milk a mother

makes in future months is determined by how often the baby nurses

at the breasts in the first weeks. For the first 4 weeks after birth,

the hormone prolactin increases as the baby nurses. Prolactin

helps build and protect a mothers’ milk supply. Some doctors sug-

gest giving a pacifier only if a baby is premature or has medical

problems. Also, research shows that babies who use pacifier can

choke if part of the pacifier breaks. Other risks of using a pacifier

are thrush, ear infections, speech delay, teeth misalignment and

shaping of the soft palate.

Sources: kellymom.com and pamf.org

Pacifiers Interfere with Breastfeeding

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ceived encouraged her to con-tinue breastfeeding. Alexis is not afraid to breastfeed any-where. She recalls breastfeed-ing in public at Burlington Coat Factory and two men be-

gan snickering. “They probably had never seen a mom breastfeed before,” she says. “Moms should not be afraid to breast-feed when their babies get hun-gry.” Alexis is

glad to hear about the new statewide law, the Right to Breastfeed Act, that allows a mom to breastfeed anywhere they are allowed to be. She feels that when more moms Contd’ On Page 4

KNOW YOUR FACTS

Smoking & Breastfeeding Risks You Should Know

Mothers who breastfeed are advised not to smoke, but if they cannot quit, it is probably still more valuable to breastfeed. The risks of smoking is small, but the benefits of breastfeeding are bigger. This is the basic advice given to mothers by leading organiza-tions such as La Leche League and the Ameri-can Academy of Family Physicians. If You Are Going To Smoke, Reduce Risks

• Never smoke while pregnant and around your baby and small children.

• Smoke fewer than 20 cigarettes. If the mother smokes fewer than twenty ciga-rettes a day, the risks to her baby getting from the nicotine in her milk are small. When a breastfeeding mother smokes more than twenty to thirty cigarettes a day, the risks increase. Heavy smoking can reduce a mother's milk supply and on rare occa-sions has caused symptoms in the breast-feeding baby such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea.

• Avoid nursing right after smoking. The amount of time it takes for half the nico-tine to be eliminated from the body is ninety-five minutes. For this reason, a mother should avoid smoking just before and certainly during a feeding.

Common Problems for Babies

• Addiction to Nicotine

• Increased risk of SIDS

• Increased risk of Lung Cancer

• Respiratory Problems

• Ear Infections

• Excessive crying or colic

• Cramps, Nausea, Diarrhea Remember, even if you can't quit smoking, breastfeeding still is best because the benefits of breast milk still outweigh the risks from nicotine. Seek help in quitting from your health care provider. Ask your doctor about nicotine replacement and other quit smoking therapies. Sources: www.Breastfeeding-Magazine.com, Smoking and Breastfeeding, La Leache League

Mocha Profile: Alexis Gillespie

The Economics of NOT Breastfeeding Our country loses at least $13 billion each year because of low breastfeeding rates, ac-cording to an economic study published online, April 5 in the journal Pediatrics. Most of the billions lost are related to in-fant deaths and disease. Au-thors of the study say 911 in-fants deaths could be saved if 90% of moms followed recom-mendations to breastfeed ex-clusively for 6 months. "We really shouldn't be blaming mothers…" says the authors. Many hospitals offer formula to moms even when the moth-ers intend to breastfeed, the authors say.

By NOT breastfeeding we lose…

$4.7 billion and 447 excess deaths due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) $908 million due to ear infections $592 million due to childhood obesity $$601 million due to eczema 2.6 billion due to 249 excess deaths from necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) $1.8 billion due to 172 excess deaths from lower respiratory tract infections

The moment Alexis found out that she was pregnant, she decided to breastfeed. Her mother breastfed her so she felt it was the “right thing to do.” Few 23 year old moms have breastfed for as long as Alexis has. Ja’Karon will be 1 year old on July 19; he has never had formula; nor a paci-fier and he receives few bottles. To her breastfeed-ing came natural; however, she had to overcome some common prob-lems. She called the hospital lactation specialist and her best friend April when she had questions and needed advice. She says the advice she re-

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AFRICAN AMERICAN BREASTFEEDING NETWORK

Our VISION is to live in a world where breastfeeding is the norm within the African American community. Our MISSION is to promote breastfeeding as a natural and the best way to provide nourish-ment for babies and young children.

To find out more about AABN

and/or to get involved...

CALL…

(414) 264-3441

or

EMAIL

AABN@YMAIL.COM

Editor/Graphic Design: Dalvery Blackwell, Certified Breastfeeding Educator, Peer Counselor Proofreader: Beth Nelton, Project Nutritionist Medical Advisor: Dinah Scott, RN, Certified Breastfeeding Educator

M I L K N O T E S

Pregnant and breastfeeding

moms and their families

attend the April 8th Sista2Sista Breastfeeding Chat Room Com-

munity Gathering. This bi-monthly support group is a project of

AABN. The purpose of this community event is to bring together

pregnant and breastfeeding mother and their families to dispel

common myths, shares suggestions and to learn ways . The Chat

Room takes place at the Children’s Health Service Society of Wis-

consin’s Family Resource Room, which is inside the Parklawn

YMCA, 4340 North 40th Street. Upcoming dates are August 12

and October 14, 2110. Fathers, friends, family members and chil-

dren are welcome. Free door prizes for everyone, dinner and

childcare. For more information, please call (414) 264-3441.

Mocha Profile From Page 3

publicly breastfeed perhaps people will stop staring. When she returned back to work after a 6 week maternity leave; her supervisor allowed her to pump while at work dur-ing her breaks. She believes that pumping at work allowed her to continue providing breast milk to Ja’Karon. Alexis is a manager at a local McDonald. “When I come home from work the moment he sees me he waves his arms and gig-gles,” she says. “I love the bond we have.”