World Breastfeeding Week & National Breastfeeding Month
Every year from August 1st - 7th, World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated, and every National Breastfeeding Month is celebrated every full month* of August.
Celebrate!
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Celebrate! 〰️
This year the MSBC will be sharing different activities that Connect, Educate, Advocate, and Sustain, in alignment with our strategic plan.
What is your WHY?
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Karina Napier
“The health of my baby, the connection, the bond is everything in my world right now.”
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Arianna Forbes
I am a very passionate fellow Breastfeeding Mother of an almost 3-year-old and we are still going strong. I am a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor at WIC, which only furthers my passion for breastfeeding and also my personal Art work. With a BFA, my current work is heavily influenced by postpartum but hugely focused on Breastfeeding. I work with Acrylic on Wood Paneling.
The objective of my work is to feel empowered and confident from viewing beauty at its most raw form. I render the beauty of life's creation by taking an image of a vulva, or most recently breast and rendering an abstracted adaption on a wooden panel. The intent is to captivate an audience without fully knowing what they may be captivated by. Highlighting the elegance of not only the Origin of Life but also Nature's Nectar. You can find more of my work and the process on my Artist Instagram: @vword.art
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In addition to World Breastfeeding Week, the MSBC recognizes National Breastfeeding Month, led by the United States Breastfeeding Committee.
*2023 National Breastfeeding Month Weekly Observances
Week 1 (August 1-7): World Breastfeeding Week (Theme: Enabling Breastfeeding: Making a difference for working parents)
Week 2 (August 8-14): Indigenous Milk Medicine Week
(Theme: From the Stars to a Sustainable Future)
Week 3 (August 15-21): Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Week
(Theme: Telling Our Stories, Elevating Our Voices!)
Week 4 (August 25-31): Black Breastfeeding Week
(Theme: We Outside!: Celebrating Connection & Our Communities)
New Week 5 (September 5-11): Semana de La Lactancia Latina
(Theme: to be announced...)
MSBC Educational Webinars from Previous World Breastfeeding Weeks
2021
Maine Breastfeeding Data
August 4, 2021
MSBC Coalition Meeting with presentation: Developing Lactation Services in a Primary Care Setting
Presenter: Julie Beecher, RN, MMP Pediatrics, South Portland
August 5, 2021
Let’s Talk About Tongue Tie
August 3, 2022
Infant Sleep 101
August 2, 2022
MSBC Coalition Meeting & Empowering Solo Lactating Parents
August 4, 2022
Discovering and Addressing Potential Allergens in Mother’s Milk
August 2, 2022
2022
How Physical Therapy & Acupuncture Can Support Breastfeeding
August 6, 2021
Exclusive Pumping Webinar
August 7, 2021
2020
Milk Supply
Have you ever wondered if you’re making enough milk for your baby? Are you struggling with plugged ducts and mastitis? Have you ever googled “how can I increase my supply?” or “how do I decrease my supply?” Come learn about the basics of milk production, common concerns, and tips and tricks on making your supply a comfortable amount for you and your baby. Come with your questions and leave feeling more confident and prepared!
Jessica Rosenthal, MD: Dr. Rosenthal is a general pediatrician with a special interest in newborn care and lactation. She completed residency at Mass General Hospital for Children and currently works at MMP South Portland Pediatrics. She is the breastfeeding champion for her practice and has a passion for supporting families in their breastfeeding journeys.
Christine Haine, RN, IBCLC: Labor and delivery nurse with postpartum and lactation specialization. “I love supporting families and their babies.”
Milk Supply
August 3, 2020
Donor Milk
Join us for a webinar all about donor breast milk! Cynthia Cohen, Director of Client Relations at Mothers' Milk Bank Northeast (MMBNE), will share the process of becoming a milk donor through MMBNE, how to receive donor breast milk, all about their safety measures including how their milk is processed, and other FAQs about donor milk. You'll learn about this incredible resource and have the opportunity to ask your own questions, too.
Cynthia Cohen is the Director of Client Relations for Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast. Cynthia’s expertise in human milk banking comes from her 7 years at Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast. Cynthia provides education and outreach to hospitals and community organizations in over 12 states. She is an expert in developing donor milk programs in hospitals of varying sizes. Cynthia also manages the donor depots and milk dispensaries for Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast. Cynthia frequently presents to staff in both NICU’s and Well Baby Units. Her presentations cover the instruction and training of hospital staff on the use of human milk in both the inpatient and outpatient settings, screening of donors, processing of donor milk, and the safety of pasteurized donor human milk. Cynthia can also address how to inform families about the safety and benefits of donor milk for their infants. Cynthia is also the mother of triplet girls!
Donor Milk
August 4, 2020
Breast Pumps
Most people start thinking about pumps at the end of their pregnancy. During this time, there are so many other choices and decisions to make that choosing a pump can feel overwhelming. The truth is, finding the right pump for you has a lot to do with personal choice and lifestyle. Will you be mostly at home? Do you need the pump at work? Do you want extra parts included? Is a quieter pump important to you? After learning about the anatomy of a pump and the different types, the next step is to learn the pros and cons of each brand. This webinar will walk you through all of these things so you can be well informed to make your pump choice.
Holly Mielcarz is Acelleron’s Registered Nurse (RN) and International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) for the mom and baby division. She joined Acelleron as the director of education and account manager for Maine, New Hampshire, and northern Vermont in 2014. During that time, she has been educating and supporting hospitals, medical offices, WIC agencies, and other health care organizations throughout northern New England. Holly has been an RN for over 20 years in a variety of health care settings, with the majority of her experience and expertise in the field of maternal/child nursing. She became an IBCLC in 2008 and, prior to her role with Acelleron, worked as a hospital-based lactation consultant and community health educator. Holly is an active member of the New Hampshire Breastfeeding Task Force and holds a position on the board of directors. Holly has also been involved in breastfeeding advocacy and legislation in a variety of states. Holly is passionate about helping families meet their breastfeeding goals and has a special interest in supporting breastfeeding mothers in the workplace, as well as educating businesses on how to create a breastfeeding-friendly work environment.
Breast Pumps
August 12, 2020 (rescheduled)
MSBC Meeting: Cultural Beliefs About Breastfeeding
This month’s MSBC meeting (open to anyone!) will feature a panel of mothers who will share their experiences and insights into cultural beliefs about breastfeeding. We’ll hear about the landscape of breastfeeding in other cultures, comparisons between these experiences and experiences of breastfeeding in the US, and what assumptions may be helpful to clarify when supporting nursing mothers from other cultures. As with all of our webinars, you’ll have an opportunity to ask questions.
Following this panel discussion we’ll have our “Connecting the Dots” portion of our MSBC meeting when each participant will have an opportunity to share what’s going on in your world of breastfeeding work or life, what events are coming up or new research is emerging, etc.
Francine Mukamuyango grew up in Rwanda where her twins were born in 2015. She moved to Maine in 2017 when her twins were 2 1/2. She’s currently a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor for the TOA WIC Program where she has worked since 2019. She speaks French, English, Kinyarwanda, Swahili and Kirundi. She enjoys cooking, vacations, and spending time with her family.
Hibo Omer is married and has four children. Mrs. Omer is multilingual and fluently speaks French, Somali, Amharic, Oromo and Adere (local Ethiopian languages). For many years, Mrs. Omer was an interpreter and cultural broker in multiple settings in the Lewiston area. In her spare time Hibo likes to spend time with her family and cooks traditional Somali and Ethiopian food from scratch with healthy alternatives.
Dalal Almosoodi is 38 years old and has two girls ages 14 and 12 who were both breastfed. Originaly from Iraq, Dalal and her family moved to the U.S from Turkey in 2014. She works for work for NTI Maine, Catholic Charities, and MHP City of Portland as an interpreter working with the arabic community since 2015.
Milca Issenguele is a 34 years old mother of two: one boy (6) and a girl (1) who she is currently breastfeeding. Milca moved to the U.S. from Angola in June 2018. She works for Portland Public Schools at Ocean Ave School as an Ed Tech and is an interpreter with the House of Languages in Portland, Maine.
MSBC Meeting: Cultural Beliefs About Breastfeeding
August 6, 2020
Celebrating Our Community
Gather with us and fellow parents and breastfeeding professionals to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week! During this time of social distancing and quarantine, it's vital to remain connected and to celebrate every feeding journey, so we'll close out the week by coming together to check in on one another and share stories and support. Nicole Hart and will host an open community conversation around celebration of motherhood in the time of COVID with photos and reflections from our community. We'll also raffle off a special gift basket.
WBW 2020 Slideshow
August 7, 2020