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Issue 10: 1 February 2010
Kia ora tatou katoa, Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Kia orana, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Ni sa bula, Taloha ni and greetings. In this issueNational Breastfeeding Education Campaign
Photo competition If you want to see a true celebration of breastfeeding and the Kiwi way of life, take a look at the stunning snaps on www.breastfeedingnzphotos.org.nz. Nearly 250 entries have been received for the breastfeeding photo competition. Entries can be made in eight regions and each region’s winners will be chosen by public vote. The competition is aimed at fostering wider acceptance of breastfeeding in public and, to add a little regional rivalry, mums are encouraged to choose scenic locations and well-known local landmarks as backdrops for their photos. There are babies being fed on Northland beaches, at Cornwall Park in Auckland, at the national museum, Te Papa in Wellington, on a boat on Lake Benmore and even at Franz Josef Glacier. The competition closes on 12 February so please encourage friends, family and colleagues to go online and vote for their favourite photos. Photos can be viewed and votes lodged at www.breastfeedingnzphotos.org.nz. Breastfeeding welcome at The Coffee Club
The Coffee Club New Zealand Director Brad Jacobs says the franchise has always supported breastfeeding in its cafes, but is now making this support more visible by displaying 'Breastfeeding welcome here' stickers, and giving out Ministry of Health pamphlets promoting breastfeeding. "The Coffee Club has been a supporter of a similar campaign in Australia for a number of years now, with great success. Breastfeeding is totally natural and mums are very welcome to breastfeed their babies in our cafes on both sides of the Tasman. "We offer comfortable places to breastfeed and provide free chilled tap water. We have worked with our team members so they know how important it is to encourage and support breastfeeding, and we also give them tips on how to respond if they receive any negative comments about breastfeeding. "We hope that our support will play a part in making mums feel comfortable to feed their babies in public, whenever they need to." More information about The Coffee Club, including a list of New Zealand cafes, is available at http://www.wherewillimeetyou.com/stores. Breastfeeding Facebook site popularSocial networking sites are a great way for mums of young children to meet online for support and friendship. One of the biggest pluses of this modern communication is that you don’t have to clean the house or get out of your 'at home clothes' to socialise! In recognition of the increasing popularity of social networking a breastfeeding Facebook page was set up last year. The aim was to promote breastfeeding and provide a forum for mums keen to share a common experience, as well as swap stories and advice. So far more than 1800 fans have signed up and engage in some interesting discussions. Topics introduced and responded to by members over the past few months include feeding twins, remedies for painful nipples, when to start solids and babies who bite! One new mum wonders if all new babies are very frequent feeders: Hi everyone, I have a 12-day-old newborn and am breastfeeding on demand. I feel as though I have mastered the latch and baby is doing really well (lots of wet and dirty nappies and gaining weight). However he wants to feed every 2-3 hours (day and night) and cluster feeds every hour in the afternoon. Another seeks advice on a weighty issue: I am just curious if anyone is trying to lose weight and finding it slower to lose whilst breastfeeding? Normally I can lose weight quite fast, but its harder at the moment and I am more tired when exercising than I am when I am not feeding. Anyone else? Another mum talks of some of the new challenges she is facing as she gets ready to return to work: My baby starts full time daycare tomorrow (she will be 10 months this week) because I have to go back to work. I can't express enough milk for her – I get to 50mls and that's it. I still plan to do her morning and evening breastfeeds, will this be enough for her and to keep up my milk supply? All this and much more can be found at http://www.facebook.com/breastfeedingnz. We're keen to grow the Facebook membership so please tell pregnant and breastfeeding mums about the site. Celebrity support for breastfeeding On the breastfeeding Facebook and YouTube sites you can tune in as our breastfeeding supporters Joe Rokocoko and his wife Beverley Politini, and television presenter Sonia Gray tell their breastfeeding stories. It was very important to Joe and Beverley that their baby son Cyprus was breastfed. "It's the best nutrition for the child," Joe says, "and with breastfeeding you know where the milk is coming from and that it's safe." Sonia tells of the challenges of breastfeeding her premature twin girls, Inez and Thandie. She had to feed the tiny babies breast milk through a syringe at first and admits it was really hard going. "Don’t give up – it really is worth it." When asked to support the national breastfeeding education initiative these celebrity parents had no hesitation. You can hear their stories first-hand at www.youtube.com/breastfeedingnz. Wristbands fly out the door
Upcoming mediaMagazine, radio, online and outdoor activity to support the national breastfeeding education initiative continues this year. Throughout February and March there will be advertisements placed in Woman's Day, NZ Woman's Weekly, New Idea, Pacific and Asian community newspapers, Bounty Your Baby, Tots to Teens and Littlies. Online activity will take place on www.kidspot.co.nz and www.littlies.co.nz throughout February and March, plus in the Bounty Autumn e-newsletter in March. As well, the photo competition will continue to be promoted online into the early part of February, with the competition closing on 12 February. Promotion will take place on www.mamaflossie.co.nz, www.kiwifamilies.co.nz and www.kidspot.co.nz, plus in the www.totstoteens.co.nz e-newsletter. Let's celebrate breastfeeding!
You will have spotted the posters in bus stops, shopping malls and on screen at The Warehouse – beautiful, tasteful images of mums doing what mums do naturally and giving their babies the best start in life. But it's been a rocky road to get to this point. Back in the 50s and 60s breastfeeding became very unfashionable in New Zealand, infant formulas were promoted and many women lost confidence in their ability to naturally nurture their babies. Getting from that point to today has taken the determined efforts of breastfeeding advocates, helped along by the gradual emergence of solid scientific evidence that breast milk is the complete food for babies to around six months and is a mainstay of their diet beyond that. New Zealand breastfeeding rates are consistent with those of other OECD countries, but there is still room for improvement – for example, exclusive breastfeeding drops after the first six weeks of birth. That’s why the Ministry of Health is running the current breastfeeding education initiative to encourage mothers to initiate and continue breastfeeding. Phase one, which featured TV ads, emphasised to families and whānau that breastfeeding mums need support. We’re now in phase two, aimed at getting the wider community on board and to normalise breastfeeding in public. The belief is that if more women are seen breastfeeding in different public places, the more normal and healthy breastfeeding will seem, and the more public acceptance there will be. Public environments that welcome breastfeeding can only be positive when it comes to supporting mums to breastfeed, and to do so for longer. Thanks to all those in the breastfeeding sector who continue to support the breastfeeding initiative and breastfeeding – a natural part of life. For further informationIf you have any questions or contributions and would like further information, please email Megan Williams at megan_williams@moh.govt.nz or phone on 04 816 3395. |
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The Coffee Club's 25 New Zealand cafes have swung in behind the breastfeeding education initiative and are encouraging mums and their babies to stop by for some refreshments and a chat with their friends.
A big thank you to everyone who has helped distribute our wristbands. They've proved extremely popular – so popular that the entire stock of 50,000 has gone! The wristbands, with the wording 'Breastfeeding, a natural part of life', were developed for pregnant women and new mums, and have been a great way to promote breastfeeding.
A few decades ago, it would have been difficult to imagine a time in New Zealand where pictures of women breastfeeding would be openly displayed in town, and people walking past not batting an eyelid. But that’s what’s happening today.