The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) is a global network of individuals
& organisations concerned with the protection, promotion & support of breastfeeding worldwide.
WABA action is based on the Innocenti Declaration, the Ten Links for Nurturing the Future and the Global Strategy for Infant & Young Child Feeding. WABA is in consultative status with UNICEF & an NGO
in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC).
WABA is in a Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations since 2004. ECOSOC provides NGOs the opportunity to be heard by a truly global audience and contribute to its agenda. ECOSOC does not provide funding or financial support of any kind to any organization with which it partners. However, social networking at ECOSOC events allows organizations to expand their contacts and knowledge base to explore possible partnerships.
If you care deeply about the wellbeing of mothers and babies/children, have a good understanding of the vital role that breastfeeding can play in their health and welfare, as well as for the communities and the environment, not to mention the Millennium Development Goals, would you like to volunteer to represent WABA at relevant ECOSOC meetings in New York?
"Countries need to improve their national laws on maternity protection and should aim to ratify ILO Convention C183 for all working women!"
On the eve of International Labour Day on 1st of May 2013, World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) reiterates its stand that all countries in the world should improve their legislation on maternity protection and ratify the most recent ILO convention on maternity protection for working women (C183, 2000) as a step towards addressing the problems that working mothers all over the world have to face during pregnancy, childbirth and the post-partum period.
To read full statement online by WABA on "International Labour Day" please click here.
Join La Leche League International (LLLI) and the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) in celebration of World Health Day 2013
This year's World Health Day theme addresses how hypertension is a global public health issue. It describes how hypertension contributes to the burden of heart disease, stroke and kidney failure and premature death and disability.
The Global brief on hypertension, published on the occasion of World Health Day 2013 by The World Health Organization explains that hypertension is both preventable and treatable and is calling for governments, health workers, civil society, the private sector, families and individuals to join forces to reduce hypertension and its impact.
To view the full LLLI and WABA Joint Statement, please click here
To view the full LLLI and WABA Joint Statement in Spanish translation, please click here
To view the full LLLI and WABA Joint Statement in Arabic translation, please click here
To view the full LLLI and WABA Joint Statement in Portuguese translation, please click here
To view the full LLLI and WABA Joint Statement in French translation, please click here
2013 International Women's Day :
"The Gender Agenda : Gaining Momentum"
In conjunction with International Women's Day, on 8th of March WABA is pleased to present our Statement on the theme "The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum".
International Women's Day (IWD) is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of supporting mothers who increasingly work both at home and elsewhere in the formal and informal sectors. In some instances even playing the role of the main breadwinner of the family.
Women everywhere have to juggle with the increasing and competing demands on them - from their families, children, partners and work. Women's struggles to balance their productive and reproductive roles often come at enormous cost to themselves and their breastfeeding babies.
Please share the Statement with your constituencies and friends. We encourage you to adapt and widely use the statement to suit your local/national contest and do give us your feedback if you use it.
We are also pleased to share that WABA with WCC (Women Centre for Change Penang) and MMPS (Penang Mother-to-Mother Peer Support) celebrates the Penang State "Penang Women Rising" IWD event on 8 March.
Together WABA and WCC dances the BREAK THE CHAIN dance revolution that was performed on 14 February for One Billion Rising.
We are looking to work with a Senior Programme Officer - Health & Nutrition and a Youth Advocate: Communications & Outreach with a creative streak. You will not only have professional expertise but wider experience that demonstrates concern about social justice. You will have an insight into how women and children’s health is impacted by politics, culture, gender, human rights, economics and the environment impact upon.
If this seems like you, then come and be part of our small team and convey the positive change WABA is striving to bring to the world. You now have a chance to be part of that change!
Please help to forward the link to friends or potential candidates.
The closing date is Monday, 25 March 2013.
Health in the Post-2015 Development Agenda
Comments by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) on DRAFT Report of the Global Thematic Consultation on Health (WHO, UNICEF, Governments of Botswana and Sweden
WABA is pleased to note that health related goals will continue to be prominent in the post 2015 agenda. There is still the "unfinished business" in relation to the current health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). At the same time, more evidence now exists to support the fact that breastfeeding is a key intervention for infant and maternal health and survival, both in the short-term and long-term (including non-communicable diseases/NCDs).
WABA Celebrates 22 years with "One Billion Rising" Campaign to End Violence Against Women!
Dear WABA Participants & Network Friends,
In conjunction with the 22nd Anniversary of WABA on Thursday, 14 February 2013, WABA is pleased to join with people around the world for "ONE BILLION RISING", a global movement where women and men from 197 countries around the world will STRIKE-DANCE-RISE and demand an end to violence against women and girls around the world.
WABA together with WCC (Women’s Centre for Change), successfully organised our supporters to dance to the One Billion Rising theme song, "Break the Chain", where the dance moves symbolise the reclaiming of freedom from violence.
WABA asserts that gender based violence has serious consequences on women’s reproductive health and life – including her right to breastfeed her children – and must be stopped!
WABA firmly stands against all forms of violence against women and joins 1 Billion Rising Strike-Dance-Rise Campaign (onebillionrising.org) to ensure that women have the ability and right to live safe, healthy, meaningful and productive lives at home, at work and in their communities.
To view the Full Statement of Support for the "One Billion Rising" campaign, please click here...
To view the video of "BREAK THE CHAIN" dance at the 1 Billion Rising by supporters, WCC and WABA click here ...
A Regional Outreach Course by the
Infant Feeding Consortium, United Kingdom, and WABA.
11th – 23rd November 2013
Penang, Malaysia
In response to repeated requests for in-depth training on breastfeeding and related aspects of young child feeding to be made available regionally, WABA and the Infant Feeding Consortium are introducing a 2-week course in Penang. Short practical courses are widely used and successful, but the need for more advanced training for doctors and other senior health professionals has not been met.
The course is specially designed for doctors and other senior health professionals from the region who are responsible nationally or locally for:
- clinical care of mothers and infants
- teaching short courses
- pre-service curricula for health professionals
- advocacy and policy development
- implementation of programmes such as the BFHI.
The Infant Feeding Consortium directs the 4-week course Breastfeeding: Practice and Policy (now called the Infant Feeding: Practice and Policy Course (IFPP)) from United Kingdom, and they will be responsible for organising the course in collaboration with WABA. Teaching will be conducted mainly in English, with some use of Bahasa Malaysia.
If you or your colleagues might be interested in applying, please fill in our application form . If you like to know more about the course, please contact WABA at info@waba.org.my.
WBW 2013 theme/slogan:
BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT: CLOSE TO MOTHERS
Dear WBW celebrants and supporters,
Greetings from the WABA Secretariat!
We would like to thank all WBW celebrants from over 170 countries who celebrated WBW so successfully this year. We received 290 pledges for events taking place globally, involving more than 107,990 celebrants (to date). Congratulations to everyone involved!
WABA is now pleased to announce the theme/slogan for WBW 2013 - 'BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT: CLOSE TO MOTHERS' focusing on Peer Counseling, which was discussed and decided at the WABA Global Breastfeeding Partners Meeting (GBPM) held in Delhi, 5-6 December 2012.
The WABA Mother Support Task Force, led by Anne Batterjee, has been appointed Key Writer for the WBW 2013 Calendar Announcement and Action Folder, working with small team of WABA SC members, and Core Partner representatives.
As Anne notes: "Fifty six years ago, seven breastfeeding mothers came together and realized that their abilities to breastfeed their own infants came from being provided with information, education and emotional support from each other. That so many other mothers who longed to breastfeed could be enabled to do so if only those around them, their Peers, had the knowledge and skills to be supportive. La Leche League International was launched, and Mother to Mother support was born... Women's social networks have major impact on their health related decisions. Women are often drawn to other women with whom they share life experiences, especially when those experiences relate to parenting. When new mothers have someone who can understand and identify with their experiences, they can better enjoy and cope with parenthood. A peer counselor is an invaluable partner with mothers in their journey through parenthood, helping them gain confidence in their ability to breastfeed. Peer Counselors model the idea of seeking information from others, which will help moms realize that the breastfeeding journey is a learning process for us all..."
The Calendar Announcement is currently being developed and should be ready for distribution in January 2013. So do keep a lookout for it.
Merry X'mas and Happy New Year!
Jennifer Mourin
WBW Coordinator
World AIDS Day 2012
We are pleased to share with you WABA's statement for the World AIDS Day 2012 on the theme "Getting to Zero: Health for all HIV-Positive mothers and Zero HIV-transmission to their babies".
In conjunction with World AIDS Day, WABA is pleased to launch a resource document on HIV and breastfeeding with the title "Understanding International Policy on HIV and Breastfeeding: a comprehensive resource". This resource aims to clarify the confusion which has arisen during the last decade due to changing HIV and infant feeding guidance. The resource is intended for policy-makers, breastfeeding advocates, national breastfeeding committees, public health advocates, women's health activists and others working in the community.
This Resource also summarises up-to-date scientific evidence as at the end of 2012. Research emerging between WHO's 2006 and 2010 guidance documents shows conclusively that maternal/infant ARV regimens during pregnancy and breastfeeding greatly reduce vertical transmission of HIV; and that exclusive and continued breastfeeding significantly improves overall HIV-free survival.
Please click here to access the full HIV Resource document.
Global Report Right to Food and Nutrition Watch 2012 LAUNCHED!
Oct 1 - It is with great pleasure and solidarity that WABA announces the launch of the global report Right to Food and Nutrition Watch 2012, entitled "Who Decides About Global Food and Nutrition? – Strategies to Regain Control."
5 Sept 2012 - WABA Joins Protest of New Bill that will Weaken Code Legislation in the Philippines
WABA was recently alarmed to learn of the proposed consolidated draft Bill before the Philippines Congress, and joined hundreds to protest the proposal that will effectively overturn and weaken the milestone National Milk Code (EO 51).
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY EVERYONE FROM WABA YOUTH!
In conjunction with International Youth Day, WABA Youth has created a statement on how to get youth as breastfeeding advocates involved in building a better future. This statement was written by a WABA Youth, Jenan S Johnson (17), on how to involve youth in "Building a Better World: Partnering with Youth", a global call to action to develop and engage in partnership with and for the youth.
WABA Steering Committee Elections 2012 - Announcement of Results
The tabulation of votes for the WABA Steering Committee Election 2012 was officiated and certified by a legal officer and WABA's auditor, and witnessed by WABA Executive Director and Senior Coordinator at the WABA office on Thursday 21 June 2012.
The following candidates (for the Asia-Pacific position and Latin America & the Caribbean position) received the highest votes and are duly elected to serve in the committee:
a. Asia-Pacific Steering Committee Position - Dr Rukhsana Haider , Bangladesh
b. Latin America & the Caribbean Steering Committee Position - Irma Chavarria de Maza (Mimi de Maza), Guatemala
For the Steering Committee positions for Africa and North America, the following candidates were elected uncontested:
a. Africa Steering Committee Position - Hussein H.T. Tarimo, Botswana
b. North America Steering Committee Position – Dr Miriam Labbok, USA
The elected Steering Committee members will serve for three years from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2015.
Congratulations to the newly elected Steering Committee members.
The 10th Step and Beyond: Mother Support for Breastfeeding
The book shows that mother support is not just about providing mother- to-mother breastfeeding support, it is also about all of us working together to support the breastfeeding mother and make breastfeeding the normal way to feed a baby. This book will give you ideas about tried-and-true methods of support that can be adapted in your community to better support breastfeeding moms and help you plan for pitfalls that can cause your program to fail.
Authors: Virginia Thorley and Melissa Clark Vickers
Website Announcement for Healthy Docs Website and designed up 21 Dangers poster
11 July - On the occasion of the 3rd Peoples Health Assembly (PHA3), held in Cape Town, South Africa (July 6-11), WABA is updating the information on the Healthy Documents Website - see: http://www.healthydocuments.org/ It is hoped, this updated site, which now also includes People's Declarations/Statements, continues to be a source of useful information, and an important action tool for advocacy to promote people's health. We welcome feedback and suggestions on this site.
Additionally, for this occasion, WABA is happy to present the professionally designed up version of the "21 Dangers of Infant Formula" poster, sharing information on the effects that Formula companies do not want you to know about. The evidence based references and sources of information are presented on the back of the poster, see here
The Earth is Our Mother
June 22 - On the occasion of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012 - RIO+20 - in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, WABA in collaboration with our Core partner IBFAN (International Babyfood Action Network) produced a poster to stress the fact that 'The Earth - Our Mother - is in crisis!' and 'Over 20 years of evidence has shown how infant formula production, packaging and use are adding to this crisis!' We have a healthy, viable, non-polluting, non-resource intensive, and natural alternative in breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a valuable natural world resource that is under threat from formula companies. We need to protect, promote and support breastfeeding in every country!
The Earth is Our Mother - Take Action NOW! La Tierra es Nuestra Madre – ¡Actuemos YA! A Terra é Nossa Mãe - Tome uma atitude agora!
The poster image is a product of an extremely talented and prolific designer named Chaz Maviyane-Davies, and was initially created for the 1992 Rio Summit which WABA utilised to assert our call on breastfeeding. Twenty years on it is indeed a shocking indictment of the continuing devastation and pollution facing our Mother Earth that we find ourselves using this image once again to assert the call for support for breastfeeding as a valuable natural world resource.
"Over the years I have tried to use images and ideas to cut through complacency and apathy while trying to raise consciousness about an array of social issues from discrimination and human rights, to health and the environment" notes Chaz Maviyane-Davies on his work. See more at: www.maviyane.com WABA is truly thankful for his generous contribution and support!
Understanding Breastfeeding
This is a highly readable and encouraging introduction to the topic. It is filled with practical advice. You will find solutions to problems large and small, as well as topics ranging from sore nipples to the feeding of a premature baby. The book also provides a fascinating insight into the checkered history of breastfeeding from ancient times to the present. Why was it that in the past healthy well-to-do women so often entrusted their precious infants to the care of professional wet nurses? What led generations of physicians to draw up rules that made it impossible for many mothers to breastfeed? And how and why did science and common sense triumph in the end
WABA celebrates the Father's Day on 17th of June 2012 alongwith all the fathers of the world to thank all men and fathers who have made a lasting difference in their children's lives by sharing and bonding with them.
The publisher of Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health (the official journal of the American College of Nurse-Midwives) offers all the WBW celebrants the free access to their special issue (Volume 52, Issue 6) on breastfeeding issues. This will be open until the end of August 2012 in celebration of World Breastfeeding week.
World Health Assembly Resolution tackles conflicts of interest!
Health campaigners welcome a new World Health Assembly Resolution calling on governments to strengthen controls on the marketing of breastmilk substitutes and establish 'adequate mechanisms' to deal with conflicts of interest.
Maternity protection – still a corner stone of decent work!
International Labour Day - 1 May 2012
In the wake of the global financial crisis and deteriorations of social protection, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) declares once again our solidarity with working women all over the world, and especially women who are pregnant, and with young children; in other words, all women who seek to manage their dual roles of being mother and worker. Unfortunately, these roles are inadequately supported at many levels of society despite having international maternity protection instruments and national laws that are relatively favourable.
For every pledge that is received, the WBW 2012 Logo will appear on the world map – listing the names of celebrants! To participate, just complete this pledge form and send it back to WABA as an attachment by emailing to wbw@waba.org.my
Congratulations to the WBW 2012 Photo Contest winners!
Check out our latest poster, '21 Dangers of Infant Formula - the Infant Formula companies don't want you to know!' which highlights the health risks facing infants who are formula fed, and the health risks facing women who do not breastfeed after delivering, produced on the occasion of WABA's 21st Anniversary
World Health Day, April 7, 2012: Ageing and Health: Good Health adds life to years
Join La Leche League International (LLLI) and the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) in celebration of World Health Day 2012
This year's World Health Day http://www.who.int/world-health-day/2012/en/ theme addresses how good health throughout life can help older men and women lead full and productive lives and be a resource for their families and communities. The World Health Organization is calling for us to take action to create societies which appreciate and acknowledge older people as valued resources and enable them to participate fully; and to help protect and improve health as we age.
To view the full Joint Statement, please click here
To view the full Joint Statement in French translation, please click here
To view the full Joint Statement in Spanish translation, please click here
To view the full Joint Statement in Portuguese translation, please click here
Join the initiative to get Google to make a "Google-Doodle" on World Breastfeeding Weeks' 20th Anniversary this year!
Enhancing Education in Lactation Management in the Undergraduate Medical Curriculum
Penang Medical College and World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) will be holding a 2-day conference on May 3 and 4, 2012.
At this conference, we aim to present and discuss current status of lactation management curriculum in Malaysian medical schools. There will also be updates on the newer evidence and practices in lactation management and medical education. The programme will include workshops focusing on enhancing current curriculum. Our list of speakers includes international authorities in breastfeeding and medical education.
International Speakers:
Dr Audrey Naylor, Wellstart International, USA
Dr Felicity Savage, Institute for Child Health, UK
Dr Miriam Labbok, University of North Carolina, USA
Audience:
The target audience is as follows:
1. Medical curriculum committee members
2. Medical educators responsible for teaching lactation management in each of the relevant disciplines
3. Medical education experts
Venue: The Northam All Suites, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Penang.
TO REGISTER: Please fill in the form from WABA website and email it back to Ms Pei Ching at info@waba.org.my
CONNECTING GIRLS, INSPIRING FUTURES!
WABA supports International Women's Day 2012
In conjunction with IWD 2012 theme "Connecting Girls, Inspiring Future", WABA supports global actions aimed at developing our current and future generations, especially actions that involve girls' participation, that connect with girls, that are for girls and by girls, in order to inspire their future! Getting girls engaged actively starting with schools is critical. It has therefore been our priority to nurture and mobilize our youth by empowering girls and inspiring both young women and young men, towards a better understanding and awareness of themselves, their reproductive health and rights; and to be advocates for protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding.
Recently, as part of WABA's 21st anniversary we launched our most recent video YOUTH in ACTION "Feed the Future". We hope to inspire young people and show that together, we can nurture the future. It is an outcome of the World Breastfeeding Week 2011 and workshops for young people in Penang, Malaysia.
As part of this UNICEF Malaysia supported project, we also launched the updated video on working women entitled "WABA celebrates women in nurturing the future with Care, Common Sense and Creativity".
WABA Turns 21!
On this date 21 years ago, WABA began as a global force for happiness, riding on the impetus of the Innocenti Declaration to bring about the needed change for healthier mothers and babies, and by extension, a better world. WABA was created as the people's force to mobilize actions to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. As a network of networks and organisations, the thrust of WABA's work has been to provide common platforms to facilitate collective action globally, the World Breastfeeding Week campaign being the main avenue.
Twenty-one years on, WABA has also made it our priority to nurture and mobilise young people on our issues, actions and campaigns to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. Today, 14 February 2012, we have the pleasure to announce the launch of WABA's most recent video "Feed the Future", an outcome of the the WBW 2011 and workshops for young people in Penang, Malaysia. Visit us frequently to see the series of short videos to come.
Click here to view the full statement.
Click here to view the Chinese version of the full statement.
FEED THE FUTURE Youth Video
We are happy to present a compilation of photos from World Breastfeeding Week over the years accompanied by the song "How Could I Not Love You" specially written by Maria Jasmine in honour of WABA's 21st Anniversary.
Announcing the theme for World Breastfeeding Week 2012
20th World Breastfeeding Week Celebrations
Understanding the Past - Planning the Future: Celebrating 10 years of WHO/UNICEF's Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding
Objectives
1. To recall what has happened in the past 20 years.
2. To celebrate successes and achievements
3. To assess the status of implementation of the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding.
4. To call for action to bridge the remaining gaps in policy and programmes on breastfeeding /infant and young child feeding (IYCF)
5. To draw public attention on the state of policy and programmes on breastfeeding and infant and young child feeding
6. To showcase national work at global level
Getting to Zero: Zero New HIV Infections, Zero Discrimination, Zero AIDS-Related Deaths -- Making GETTING TO ZERO a Reality for HIV-Infected Mothers and Their Children
The Statement brings critical updated information on this complex issue of HIV and infant feeding policy guidelines and decision making; and the important role of exclusive breastfeeding in HIV intervention and child survival!
We also urge you to take note of a recently update paper by WABA with references on "What Women need to know on HIV and Infant Feeding". The short document aims to guide all women in understanding this complex issue better, and help them make informed decisions on needed treatment and infant feeding for both maternal health and prevention HIV transmission to infants. All health and women's health activists will find this document most useful!
A Regional Outreach Course by the
Infant Feeding Consortium, United Kingdom,
and WABA.
1 – 13 October 2012
Penang, Malaysia
In response to repeated requests for in-depth training on breastfeeding and related aspects of young child feeding to be made available regionally, WABA and the Infant Feeding Consortium are conducting a 2-week course in Penang. Short practical courses are widely used and successful, but the need for more advanced training for doctors and other senior health professionals has not been met.
The course is specially designed for doctors and other senior health professionals from the South East Asian region who are responsible nationally or locally for:
- clinical care of mothers and infants
- teaching short courses
- pre-service curricula for health professionals
- advocacy and policy development
- implementation of programmes such as the BFHI.
The Infant Feeding Consortium directs the 4-week course Breastfeeding: Practice and Policy (now called the Infant Feeding: Practice and Policy Course (IFPP)) from United Kingdom, and they will be responsible for organising the course in collaboration with WABA. Teaching will be conducted mainly in English, with some use of Bahasa Malaysia.
Share your favourite page on Breastfeeding Gateway
Saw any interesting page on breastfeeding gateway ? Now you can share them on your facebook, twitter, G+, or other place with the direct link.
More details on the screenshot below.
Be a part of WABA's first music video
Join WABA on our first music video. Submit your video to us through WABA's facebook.
more details at below.
Come join and be part of WABA's First Music Video!
The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) is making its first Music Video which will feature a special song by talented songstress Maria Jasmine called "How Could I Not Love You".
This music video will be featured in the upcoming WABA/UNICEF Malaysia Feed the Future Video Project.
We are now inviting mothers and babies who are interested to be featured in this historical music video - to record a short (at least) 30 second clip of yourself, partner or friends dancing with your babies to the song "How Could I Not Love You" and upload it on Facebook.
The top 3 videos selected will be featured in the final video and receive a copy of the WABA/UNICEF Feed the Future video.
Step 1 : Download the "How Could I Not Love You" song.
Step 2 : Record your ( minimum 30) second video i.e. a dancing with baby to the "How Could I Not Love You" song, in the highest resolution possible.
Step 3 : Join WABA's Facebook Group
Step 4: Upload your video on the WABA Facebook Group Page
Step 5 : Send a short email to WABA - aida.redza@waba.org.my - with your name, full mailing address and link to your uploaded video.
If your video is selected, WABA will notify you and send you a request to submit your high-resolution original video.
All entries must be submitted by 28 October 2011. Please note that the original song "How Could I Not Love You" is copyrighted and is shared only for this specific video project. The downloading of this song without permission to use for other purposes than for the FEED THE FUTURE! Music Video is strictly prohibited.
Participants of this contest hereby declare and agree to the following:
1. That I am the lawful author/copyright owner/authorised party of this image/works submitted.
2. That I give WABA and its partners the absolute rights and permission to the copyrights to use or reuse, to publish or republish and to produce the image/works that I have submitted.
3. That I have sought relevant permission, and authority for the models/persons/individuals involved and venue and image of props used in my submitted works. I hereby declare that I indemnify WABA any of all liability claims or legal claims as a result of my submission.
4. That I have met with all the rules and regulations stated for this contest.
If you have any queries, please write to Aida Redza
Coming Soon: May 2012
Enhancing Education in Lactation Management in the Undergraduate Medical Curriculum
Penang Medical College and World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) will be holding a 2-day conference on May 3 and 4, 2012.
At this conference, we aim to present and discuss current status of lactation management curriculum in Malaysian medical schools. There will also be updates on the newer evidence and practices in lactation management and medical education. The programme will include workshops focusing on enhancing current curriculum. Our list of speakers includes international authorities in breastfeeding and medical education.
Venue: The Northam All Suites, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Penang.
Participants:
Medical curriculum committee members and educators in medical schools across the country particularly those responsible for any part of the curriculum that touches on lactation management.
Tentative International Speakers:
Dr Audrey Naylor, Wellstart International, USA
Dr Felicity Savage, Institute for Child Health, UK
Dr Miriam Labbok, University of North Carolina, USA
Dr Arun Gupta, IBFAN Asia
For more information or to indicate an interest in participation, please contact Ms Pei Ching at info@waba.org.my..
WABA loses its second stalwart breastfeeding advocate this year!
WABA mourns the passing of our beloved Women and Work Task Force Co-coordinator Chris Mulford who passed away in USA on 23 August 2011.
Chris entered WABA's life in 1996 at the first WABA Global Forum in Bangkok. She became a regular long term volunteer for WABA -- involved particularly in writing and documentation of a host of conference, meetings and task force reports. Chris was the second Women and Work Task Force Coordinator since the late 1990's bringing many achievements in supporting working women to breastfeed globally. She also paved the way for the WABA-ILCA Fellowship by being an exemplar of a fellow, having spent several months each year in Penang volunteering at the WABA Secretariat almost annually. Chris was much loved by the WABA Secretariat and her many other social and professional networks. We will always remember Chris for her kindness, humour, hard work and sensitivity. Thank you Chris for giving so much to WABA and to the mothers and children worldwide!
"I believe breastfeeding is far more than a health issue. For me, it was a way to take care of myself and my babies, not just a way to feed them. It was an activity, a life stage, that shaped me as a person and permeated my relationships with my children, family, and friends" - Chris Mulford, Feb 2011.
If you would like to pay tribute or share any interesting pictures of Chris that we could post on our website, please mail to waba. To view tributes for Chris, please click here
We have also learned that Chris and her family have asked that her memorial donations be dedicated to WABA. WABA is very touched by this request, and truly appreciates Chris's on going support for WABA. To facilitate this process, we would like to advise you of the two channels of contributions:
a. Via Paypal - In the message portion of paypal please indicate "in memory of Chris Mulford".
b. Via cheque/bank draft - Payment can be made via bank draft or cheque drawn on a US bank and made payable to "World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action Berhad". Please mail cheque/bank draft to us at:
World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action Berhad
No. 7, Persiaran Mas
11600 Penang, Malaysia
Putting Pregnant Mothers Center Stage
WABA is pleased to support a BOLD Action project on Putting Pregnant Mothers Center Stage BOLD is a global movement to make maternity care mother-friendly.
On September 5, 2011, BOLD will be webcasting a live performance of the play BIRTH around the world at no charge. The play has been called "The Vagina Monologues of Birth" by Dr. Christine Northrup and is seen in 30-40 communities every year, usually for a donation of $10, $20, event $30. BOLD is making this production complimentary as a way of increasing awareness about childbirth issues.
BOLD would like to make this complimentary performance of the play BIRTH to be available to your organization's friends and fans and would like you to help them spread the word.
To know more and help BOLD spread the word about the Play Birth click here
Press Release : World Breastfeding Week (WBW) 2011
1-7 August 2011
Feeding the Future
From 1-7 August 2011, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), and breastfeeding advocates in more than 170 countries worldwide will be celebrating World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) for the 19th year with the theme "Talk to Me! Breastfeeding – a 3D Experience".
MOTHERHOOD: Celebrating and Supporting Women as Mothers, Workers and Nurturers
All together: (Front from left to right) Dr Anwar, Dr Savage, Dr Naylor and Fidalgo cutting the 20th anniversary birthday cake, with Dr Gupta (second left) and Ong looking on.(Photo from The Star newspaper)
In conjunction with WABA's 20th Anniversary and its Steering Committee meeting, the WABA Secretariat together with Galeri Seni Mutiara in Penang jointly organised an Art Exhibition on "MOTHERHOOD: Celebrating and Supporting Women as Mothers, Workers and Nurturers" from 22 May - 12 June 2011 to celebrate and raise awareness on women's contributions to society as mothers and workers. WABA is grateful for the support and contributions from the Penang State Government and the very civic conscious artists who painted on various mother and child themes. Proceeds from the sale of the paintings will partly go to supporting WABA.
Talk to us about what exciting WBW events will be happening in your community by filling out this quick online form. By doing this, you'll be part of an ongoing virtual mosaic display of WBW participants around the world and inform new celebrants of local events!
To help you with your planning process, we encourage you to download this year's Action Folder and use it in your campaign. We look forward to your inspiring stories!
Waba International Labour Day 2011 Statement :
in Defense Of Maternity Protection For Women At Work – Always A Relevant Issue!
The 1st of May is International Workers' Day—a day when all workers celebrate their rights to work and to organise to improve their working conditions. For women workers, this includes obtaining the full range of maternity protection provisions in strong laws and collective agreements that are implemented on a day-to-day basis. Please share this statement with your constituencies and friends. We encourage you to adapt and widely use the statement to suit your national/local context and do give us your feedback if you use it.
Remarkable Malaysian women pioneers honored at special International Women's Day event on 17 March 2011
In conjunction with International Women's Day Celebration in March and WABA's 20th Anniversary this year, WABA co-organised a joint event with KANITA (Women's Development Research Centre) at the Universiti Sains Malaysia on the theme of 'Humanizing Women's Work in the New Economic Model: Reflecting on Decades of Women and Work in Malaysia'.
BREASTFEEDING AND THE RIGHT TO SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
Contribution to the General Comment on the right to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) by IBFAN and WABA. In light of the upcoming General Comment on the right to sexual and reproductive health (SRH), the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) and World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) developed a paper for the attention of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on why breastfeeding is a women's reproductive right and how this right can be supported.
World Health Day, April 7, 2011:
Combat Drug Resistance: No Action Today, No Cure Tomorrow
We are pleased to share with you our Joint Statement for the World Health Day 2011 on the theme Antimicrobial resistance and its global spread. Please share the statement with your constituencies and friends. We encourage you to adapt and widely use the statement which is aimed to promote breastfeeding and how it is free, readily available to fight Antimicrobial Resistance, and contributes to the overall health of the world. Please use it to suit your national/local context and do give us your feedback if you use it.
To view the full Press Statement, please click Here
PROFESSOR MICHAEL LATHAM – WE'VE LOST A CHAMPION FOR THE BREASTFEEDING MOVEMENT!
WABA's oldest pioneer, Professor Michael Latham, who was among the first persons to serve on the WABA Steering Committee since it's inception in 1991, left us on Friday, 1 April, 2011. He also led the WABA Research Task Force as its Coordinator for a number of years, and then co-chaired the WABA International Advisory Council (IAC) with Elisabet Helsing till now. Michael has been a champion for the breastfeeding movement in so many ways, knowledgeable, courageous, spirited, yet kind, sensitive and loving. WABA is deeply indebted to Michael for his enormous contribution to the work of the network. We will miss him and hope his contributions to the world will live on through all the people he has taught, touched and loved!
If you'd like to share a few words or a message on how Michael has impacted your life, please send it to the Secretariat and we will post it here on our website HERE.
International Women's Day At USM Raises Awareness On Women's Struggles
GEORGE TOWN, March 17 (Bernama) -- The International Women's Day celebration at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) today was aimed at raising awareness on the struggles of women and recognising their needs in the New Economic Model framework.
Themed "Humanising Women's Work in the New Economic Model: Reflecting on Decades of Women and Work in Malaysia", the event was jointly organised by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) and the Women's Development Research Centre (Kanita) of USM.
In its statement today, WABA said the event aimed at advocating for a social environment that would enable women to balance their productive and reproductive work, including child care and breastfeeding.
At the event, WABA also honoured five women who have courageously worked for their passions and livelihood, as well as nurtured their families.
They were actress Mariani Ismail, taxi driver Che Puteh Ismail, National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) representative A. Karunapikai, WABA representative Norjinah Moin and housewife Teoh Siew Cheng.
During the panel discussion, all the panellists explained to the audience how they struggled to juggle their work and family.
International Women's Day 2011 -
'EQUAL ACCESS TO EDUCATION, TRAINING AND SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: PATHWAY TO DECENT WORK FOR WOMEN
We are pleased to share with you our Press Statement for the International Women's Day 2011 on the theme 'EQUAL ACCESS TO EDUCATION, TRAINING AND SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: PATHWAY TO DECENT WORK FOR WOMEN'. Please share the statement with your constituencies and friends. We encourage you to adapt and widely use the statement to suit your national/local context and do give us your feedback if you use it.
To view the full Press Statement, please click here.
To view the full Press Statement in Spanish, please click here
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! WABA is 20 this year!
Dear WABA Participants and Network Friends,
On this occasion of Valentine, the WABA Secretariat wishes all our network partners, WABA participants and friends around the world a very Happy Birthday! 2011 marks the 20th Anniversary of WABA and 20 years of collective effort, commitment, struggle and care for our joint mission to promote, protect and support breastfeeding and optimal young child feeding worldwide. On this date 20 years ago, WABA began as a global force for happiness, riding on the impetus of the Innocenti Declaration of 1990 to bring about the needed change for healthier mothers and babies, and by extension, a better world. As a network of networks and organisations, the thrust of WABA's work has been to provide common platforms for action and facilitate collective action globally. The World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) has been one such common action, already in its 19th year.
Here comes the Breastfeeding Gateway!
Now to celebrate 20 years, the WABA Secretariat is launching another major effort that involves the collective contribution of the global breastfeeding Core Partners in order to provide yet another service for the wider network. This is the Breastfeeding Gateway!
Sarah Amin
Executive Director
WABA Secretariat
For full message please click here
WABA Thanks everyone for their lovely birthday wishes. To view the birthday wishes send to us, please click here
To send birthday wishes or feedback to WABA, please mail to waba@waba.org.my
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Message from the Breastfeeding Gateway Development Team
Dear friends of the breastfeeding movement,
Greetings from the WABA Secretariat!
In conjunction with WABA's 20th Anniversary on 14 February 2011, WABA is pleased to announce the launch of the Breastfeeding Gateway website (www.breastfeedinggateway.org). With a multitude of breastfeeding information available online, one may be overwhelmed by the abundance of resources, articles, forums, and support services. This Gateway was developed as a "one-stop-centre" that links you with up-to-date breastfeeding information and related tools that already exist on the internet.
This gateway is still in its beta (testing) phase and will require some fine-tuning to maximise its usability and effectiveness. The Gateway Development Team (comprising of Sam Shng, Julianna Lim, Chuah Pei-Ching, Denise Fisher (ILCA/WABA Fellow), and Katherine Houng) has developed this Gateway based on an original template from Nand Wadhwani (WABA International Advisory Council Member). They have spent the last few months researching and compiling a thorough list of resources on a variety of breastfeeding related topics drawing input from the WABA General Assembly and the breastfeeding network,
Your feedback is very much appreciated on the content and links which will help us continue to improve this service. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
All the best,
The Gateway Development Team
For full message please click here
WABA Announces the WBW 2011 Theme
WABA is pleased to announce the World Breastfeeding Week theme for 2011 focusing on engaging and mobilising youth intergenerational work with the catchy slogan of: "Talk to me! Breastfeeding - a 3D Experience". The theme deals with communication at various levels and between various sectors.
Why 3D?
When we look at breastfeeding support, we tend to see it in two-dimensions: time (from pre-pregnancy to weaning) and place (the home, community, health care system, etc). But neither has much impact without a THIRD dimension – communication!
Communication is an essential part of protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding. We live in a world where individuals and global communities connect across small and great distances at an instant's notice. New lines of communication are being created every day, and we have the ability to use these information channels to broaden our horizons and spread breastfeeding information beyond our immediate time and place to activate important dialogue.
This third dimension includes cross-generation, cross-sector, cross-gender, and cross-culture communication and encourages the sharing of knowledge and experience, thus enabling wider outreach.
Continuing Education Recognition Points (CERPs) for Breastfeeding Advocacy & Practice Course (BAP)
WABA is an approved provider of the CERPs by the IBLCE Regional office in Australia
Total CERPs allocated: 40.5L, 2.5E & 20.5R CERPs
CERPs Approval Number: C21108M
Research Task Force Newsletter
The
The WABA Research Task Force (RTF) is pleased to announce the inaugural issue of the RTF e-newsletter. We welcome any feedback from you and hope that you will enjoy reading this newsletter. Amal Omer-Salim and Khaliq Iqbal are the Co-Cooordinators of the RTF.
COME CELEBRATE THROUGH THE WEAVING OF COLORS, CREATIVITY AND WARMTH IN A GLOBAL BREASTFEEDING QUILT MAKING RITUAL TO COMMEMORATE THE ACTIONS AND JOYS FOR BREASTFEEDING WORLDWIDE.
Express with your hands and heart, and share through the art of weaving a common thread of hope and unity into a global tapestry of action for solidarity and change.
We are planning to launch the Initiative during WABA's Global Breastfeeding Partner's Forum in Penang, Malaysia in October 2010. If you would like to submit a panel in time for the launch event, please send us your panel by 25 September 2010.
The Global Breastfeeding Quilt is an on-going initiative.
World Breastfeeding Week 2010 Press Release:
ITowards A Baby-Friendly World ...click
here
Breastfeeding Advocacy and Practice
A Regional Outreach Course by the Infant Feeding Consortium,
From the Institute of Child Health, London, and WABA.
21 February – 5 March 2011
Penang, Malaysia
In response to repeated requests for in-depth training on breastfeeding and related aspects of young child feeding to be made available regionally, WABA and the Infant Feeding Consortium are introducing a 2-week course in Penang. Short practical courses are widely used and successful, but the need for more advanced training for doctors and other senior health professionals has not been met.
The course is specially designed for doctors and other senior health professionals from the South East Asian region who are responsible nationally or locally for:
- clinical care of mothers and infants
- teaching short courses
- pre-service curricula for health professionals
- advocacy and policy development
- implementation of programmes such as the BFHI.
The Infant Feeding Consortium directs the 4-week course Breastfeeding: Practice and Policy at the Institute of Child Health, London, and they will be responsible for organising the course in collaboration with WABA. Teaching will be conducted mainly in English, with some use of Bahasa Malaysia.
Image used with permission from Sue Saunders, IBCLC, July 2010.
WBW Action Folder and Poster are now available.
We are please to inform all WBW celebrants that the following materials are now available for download on the WBW website www.worldbreastfeedingweek.org
* WABA WBW English Action Folder
* WABA WBW English Poster
For those who wish to translate and adapt the materials into your local languages, please write to the International WBW Coordinator at wbw@waba.org.my for the WBW 2010 Reproduction Kit which will be sent to you by email.
WABA Secretariat bids a fond farewell to Susan Siew , Co-Director of 15 years
Susan Siew, WABA Secretariat's Co-Director of 15 years has resigned from WABA as of 1 June 2010 to enjoy the 3Rs of rest, relaxation and rejuvenation. A formal handover ceremony was conducted on Tuesday 25 May, 2010 in the presence of Dato Anwar Fazal, WABA's Chairperson Emeritus and coordinators of the WABA Local Governance Task Force. This was followed by a lovely farewell dinner party organised by the staff. The WABA Secretariat wishes Susan all the best in her future undertakings and knowing that she will always be part of the breastfeeding movement.
The WABA Secretariat will now be led by Sarah Amin as Executive Director.
To view WABA Steering Committee letter of appreciation to Susan Siew, click here.
To view photos of the handing over ceremony and farewell dinner, click on the thumbnails below.
Global Breastfeeding Partners' Forum (GBPF)
17 – 19 October 2010 - Bayview Beach Resort - Penang, Malaysia Revisiting-Celebrating Innocenti 20 years!
Enabling Mothering: Keeping mothers and babies together
*Good News: Early Bird rate extended from 30th April to 31st May 2010!
For the first time WABA is organising a GBPF that is open to participation of the wider network allowing for greater networking among participants and the Core Partner organisations – ABM, IBFAN, ILCA, LLLI and Wellstart International. In line with the 20th anniversary of the Innocenti Declaration, the event will open with a celebration of 20 years of action and achievements around the Innocenti as well as reviewing the gaps and areas still needing attention and a strategic response. This will be followed by a two-day technical meeting/forum on the topic Enabling Mothering: Keeping mothers and babies together, focusing on the expanded BFHI and maternity protection and support for working women.
Professor Dato Anwar Fazal honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award
Congratulations to Professor Dato' Anwar Fazal, Chairperson Emeritus of World Alliance of Breastfeeding Action (WABA), has been awarded the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award by the Consumers International and the Federation of Malaysians Consumers Association on the occasion of the 50 years celebration of Consumers International. He was described as 'the most influential figure in the history of the international consumer movement'. The Award was presented to him by Kenyan consumer activist Samuel Ochieng, currently President, Consumers International.
Anwar is also currently the Director of the Right Livelihood College, based at the Centre of Policy Research and International Studies (CenPRIS), Universiti Sains Malaysia.
World Health Day, April 7, 2010: 1000 Cities, 1000 Lives
This year's World Health Day theme addresses the challenges surrounding the growing urban population. The World Health Organization is calling upon cities across the globe to be counted among the "1000 cities" dedicated to improving the health in urban areas.
To view the full Joint Statement, please click here.
To view the full Joint Statement in Bulgarian translation, please click here.
To view the full Joint Statement in Spanish translation, please click here.
International Women's Day 2010 -
EQUAL RIGHTS, EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES:
PROGRESS FOR ALL
We are pleased to share with you our Press Statement for the International Women's Day 2010 on the theme 'Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities: Progress for All'. Please share the statement with your constituencies and friends. We encourage you to adapt and widely use the statement to suit your national/local context and do give us your feedback if you use it.
To view the full Press Statement, please click here.
To view the full Press Statement in Spanish, please click here.
News from around
Infant Feeding: Practice & Policy Course
This is a masters-level course is the only advanced international training course on breastfeeding and related topics available worldwide and held in collaboration with WHO and UNICEF.
The course aims to strengthen participants' capacity for making an evidence-based case for investing in breastfeeding, and to take an active role in the broad spectrum of protecting, promoting and supporting optimal infant feeding practices.
"The Business of malnutrition" breaking down trade rules to profit from the poor
Public Private Partnerships often promote product-based solutions for development. These can be untested 'innovative approaches' that are easy to measure in terms of volume – but hard to evaluate in terms of health.
The "final exam" of Wellstart Lactation Management Self-Study Modules is now available in Spanish version. As with the English version, people who get 80% of correct answers are then eligible to download a "Certificate of Completion" with their name and date on it. For more information, please go to Wellstart website
Speakers of African Parliaments Adopt Resolution on Declaration of Commitment to Prioritize and Increase Budget Support to Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
Johannesburg, South Africa, October 24 – African Speakers of Parliaments and Presidents of Senate have unanimously adopted a landmark resolution on a Declaration of Commitment to prioritize parliamentary support for increased policy and budget action on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in African countries.
The commitment is the first of its kind by African Speakers of Parliament, and marks a significant milestone in accelerating progress in Africa towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 on Child and Maternal Health, respectively. It also promises high-level parliamentary support to hasten implementation of the Africa Parliamentary Policy and Budget Action Plan on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, agreed by Chairs of Finance and Budget committees of national parliaments in October 2010.
FIAN has launched its Right to Food and Nutrition Watch 2011 on the theme "Chronic Hunger: Consequence of Impunity of Right to Food Violations". This publication identifies a lack of accountability as the "missing link" between people's struggle for their rights and the increased recognition of the right to food in political agendas that has occurred over the past 25 years. On this occasion, a press release has been prepared in 3 languages and FIAN encourages all other network to adapt and use the press release for World Food Day. The Watch's launch will be watchable on Internet at the following link: www.livestream.com/genevapressclub.
For more information, please visit the FIAN website.
International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) Statement on the Promotion and Use of Commercial Fortified Foods as Solutions for Child Malnutrition
The International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) recognizes that the prevention and control of child malnutrition worldwide, with particular focus on undernutrition in developing countries, constitutes a major challenge and is concerned that if left un-checked, this poses an intolerable burden of disease and death on poor communities and countries.
The IBFAN Statement on the Promotion and Use of Commercial Fortified Foods as Solutions for Child Malnutrition is now available in 4 languages. Please click on the link below to view the statement.
United States Breastfeeding Committee declares August as National Breastfeeding Month.
On August 6, 2011, USBC officially declared that August is National Breastfeeding Month, at a Community Baby Shower event hosted by Howard University Hospital and the DC Breastfeeding Coalition. In addition to the National Breastfeeding Month proclamation, the day's events included participation in the Big Latch On and a visit from the Latch On America cross-country bus tour.
PAHO: Supporting Breastfeeding is Everyone's Responsibility
Washington, D.C., 1 August 2011 (PAHO) —The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is calling for renewed commitment from all sectors of society to create supportive environments for breastfeeding, including in worksites, parks, public transportation, health services and other places outside the home where mothers of young children carry out their daily lives. The call for action comes at the start of World Breastfeeding Week 2011.
To highlight the many settings where breastfeeding needs to be supported, PAHO's 2010 Public Health Champion, Fernando Sendra, has created a series of illustrations using his character "Me, Matias". These illustrations will be used throughout the year in materials on how to ensure breastfeeding-friendly worksites and how to support breastfeeding in public places such as parks and public transportation.
Although breastfeeding has been increasing in many countries in the Americas, much remains to be done to optimize breastfeeding practices. In most countries of the Americas, fewer than half of babies begin breastfeeding within the first hour of life, as recommended by PAHO/WHO. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months—also recommended—is low, ranging from 8 percent to 64 percent of babies in different countries of Latin America.
"We need to reverse these trends by creating supportive environments for breastfeeding," said PAHO Director, Dr. Mirta Roses. "Breastfeeding is the safest, healthiest and most natural way to feed a baby, yet breastfeeding tends to be hidden in homes and outside of public view."
The theme of this year's World Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7), "Talk to Me! Breastfeeding—a 3-D experience," is aimed at bringing breastfeeding into the open, to talk about it will all members of society and to show that creating a supportive environment for breastfeeding is everyone's responsibility.
Examples of how to create supportive environments for breastfeeding include: public transportation that offers special seats for breastfeeding mothers and workplaces and public facilities that offer women a place to feed their babies.
Breastfeeding is the single most effective preventive intervention for preventing deaths of children under 5, and research shows that about 20 percent of neonatal (under 1 month) deaths could be prevented if all newborns began breastfeeding during the first hour of life.
In addition, children who are breastfed for seven to nine months have on average six points higher IQ than children who are breastfed for less than a month. Breastfeeding also helps mothers lose weight and reduces their risk of breast and ovarian cancer as well as type 2 diabetes.
Founded in 1902, PAHO is the world's oldest public health organization. It works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and quality of life of people in the Region, and its secretariat serves as the World Health Organization's Regional Office for the Americas.
CONTACT: Dr. Chessa Lutter, Regional Advisor on Food and Nutrition, email: lutterch@paho.org, Tel. +1 202 974 3871, or Sonia Mey-Schmidt, Media and Communication, email: maysonia@paho.org, Tel. +1 202 974 3036, PAHO/WHO – www.paho.org
The Wellstart Lactation Management Self-Study Modules, Level 1 is mow available in Indonesian version. Please write to Perinasia, or Rulina Suradi , or Hesti Tobing if you are interested to know more about it.
Disasters at Home and Abroad
The potential for radiation exposure. Is it safe to breastfeed? Yes, safer than formula and contaminated water. If potassium iodide is recommended, the mother should take the recommended dose. Iodine moves into milk by a positive pump, whereas most substances move slowly into milk and at reduced levels. The infant under 3–4 months will not need KI directly if fully breastfed. Older and bigger infants will need one dose of KI directly. Mothers should continue to breastfeed unless they received a life-threatening dose of radiation. The best thing a lactating woman can do is to continue to breastfeed. It is well documented historically, if she has recently weaned, relactation is possible, especially in the face of this compelling need
Ruth A. Lawrence.
Breastfeeding Medicine. April 2011, 6(2): 53-54.
Published in Volume: 6 Issue 2: April 4, 2011
Breastfeeding in the Face of Natural Disaster and Nuclear Reactor Core Damage
Iodides are one of the few compounds that are pumped into breast milk so that levels are much higher in milk than maternal serum. Recommendations for KI should not be confused with radioactive iodine used diagnostically or therapeutically as the CDC seems to have done on their site. If it is indicated that the mother should take KI she can do so even if she is breastfeeding. The baby should continue to breastfeed. The infant can receive one dose calculated to its weight. Breastfeeding should continue. Ruth Lawrence
ILCA ENCOURAGES BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT IN EMERGENCIES
In the aftermath of the powerful earthquake disaster in Japan, and subsequent tsunamis affecting more than 50 countries and territories throughout the Pacific, the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) urges health care providers and rescue workers to include breastfeeding support as a vital part of disaster relief and humanitarian aid efforts. ILCA also discourages donations of infant formula since artificial feeding can increase illness and disease in an emergency.
Everyone Can Help Make Breastfeeding Easier, Surgeon General Says in "Call to Action"
Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin today issued a "Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding," outlining steps that can be taken to remove some of the obstacles faced by women who want to breastfeed their babies.
"Many barriers exist for mothers who want to breastfeed," Dr. Benjamin said. "They shouldn't have to go it alone. Whether you're a clinician, a family member, a friend, or an employer, you can play an important part in helping mothers who want to breastfeed."
UNICEF UK response to media reports questioning the recommendation to introduce solid food to babies at 6 months
An article published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) is being reported in the media as questioning whether exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months is appropriate for UK babies. This article is not based on new evidence but rather a re-analysis of older evidence, much of which is the same as that used as the basis for weaning recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UK's Departments of Health (DH).
Some of my academic friends in the UK seem to think that we should return to 4 months of exclusive breastfeeding....
by Dr Miriam Labbok
With thanks to my friends and respected colleagues for addressing the importance of six months of exclusive breastfeeding, it would seems that their argument considers breastfeeding primarily as a replacement for formula feeding. The health benefits for the mother, both short and long term, are not explored, and the risks and expense of formula feeding, even in industrialized settings, are brushed aside.
Academy of Breastfeeding : Undeniable Benefits of Breastfeeding— Support for Evidence-Based International Guidelines
A recent challenge to the well-established World Health Organization (WHO) breastfeeding guidelines is not supported by current research findings and
unnecessarily questions the clear benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for at least the first 6 months of life. The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM), a global physicians' organization, supports the 2001 WHO recommendation for exclusive breastfeeding (not supplemented by formula or solid food) for six months after birth and emphasizes the proven health benefits of breastfeeding for both infants and mothers. For more please visit here
20th Breastfeeding Policy and Practice Course (BFPP), London
6-24 June 2011
The BFPP is a masters-level course that is the only advanced international training course on breastfeeding and related topics available worldwide.
It is designed for senior health professionals who lead,coordinate, or commission work on infant feeding; or who teach others or find themselves acting as a resource-person or giving strategic direction on breastfeeding and infant nutrition.
This course is taught by the same team as the South East Asian Regional Breastfeeding Advocacy and Practice course in Penang. The London BFPP course is recommended especially for those who live outside the SE Asian Region. Please click here to view the 2011 London Course brochure.
Revised 3rd Edition of the Wellstart's Lactation Management Self-Study Modules, Level 1 now also available in Spanish.
This educational tool is downloadable without charge from Wellstar.
This tool is intended for use by medical and nursing students as they begin their clinical assignments but can be also be used by anyone who has never been exposed to breastfeeding issues before or those who need a quick review. Wellstart International hopes that this tool will be able to help increase the general knowledge of about lactation and breastfeeding promotion among the world's health care providers irrespective of areas of specialisation.
UNICEF Message, Breastfeeding Forum 2010
UNICEF has been a key partner with WABA since it's inception in 1991. To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Innocenti Declaration, UNICEF Representative to Malaysia, Mr. Hans Olsen shares a message for the WABA Global Breastfeeding Partners Forum held in October, 2010.
Official Keep Austin Breastfeeding Flash Mob 2010
In honor of World Breastfeeding Day 2010 over 100 breastfeeding supporters got together and performed a flash dance in front of Barton Springs pool in Austin, Texas.
Guidelines on HIV and infant feeding 2010. Principles and recommendations for infant feeding in the context of HIV and a summary of evidence.
These guidelines were produced by the World Health Organization Department of Child and Adolescent Health and Development and HIV, in collaboration with UNAIDS, UNFPA and UNICEF.
Campaign Video : "Breastfeeding: First food for champions!"
Javier Zanetti Adelman, renowned Argentine footballer and his wife Paula, offer us a message about the importance of practicing breastfeeding to your baby grow healthy and strong ... like a true champion!
WABA mourns the passing of Kathy Baker of La Leche League International She was a certified Lactation Consultant and had worked for over 30 years with the LaLeche League as a leader She passed away peacefully on Thursday 27 May, 2010. Kathy was instrumental in the training of the first group of LLLI Peer Cousellor Programme Administrators and Counselors in Malaysia just this year and is a mentor to many counselors around the world.
Infant and young child feeding. Model Chapter for textbooks for medical students and allied health professionals
Optimal infant and young child feeding practices rank among the most effective interventions to improve child health. Unfortunately, it is often not well addressed in the basic training of doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals. The Model Chapter on Infant and Young Child Feeding produced by World Health Organisation (WHO), with scientific references which provide evidence and further information about specific points. It describes essential knowledge and basic skills that every health professional who works with mother and young children should master. The Model Chapter is intended for use in basic training of health professionals and can be used for textbooks for medical students and allied health professionals.
To obtain a printed copy, please contact WHO Press by emailing bookorders@who.int
To download a pdf version, please click here.
Birthing the World
Birthing the World, an international conference on perinatal care organised by ASPQ brings together a programme that is "both highly scientific and purposefully interdisciplinary in terms of intention, format and implementation". It will highlight the importance of various professional and community groups working together through the pre-, intra- and post-natal stages for improved performance. Some 150 abstracts have been received by the Scientific Committee. The event will be held in Quebec City, Canada, from 25-26 November 2010. www.birthingtheworld.com
Every minute a woman dies during pregnancy and childbirth. Newborns are more vulnerable.
Together we can prevent these silent tragedies.
Mothers and their newborns around the world should thrive and celebrate many Mother's Days in the years to come.
Click Here to read more.
Study: Lack of breastfeeding costs lives, billions of dollars
(CNN) -- If most new moms would breastfeed their babies for the first six months of life, it would save nearly 1,000 lives and billions of dollars each year, according to a new study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
"The United States incurs $13 billion in excess costs annually and suffers 911 preventable deaths per year because our breastfeeding rates fall far below medical recommendations," the report said.
The World Health Organization says infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life "to achieve optimal growth, development and health." The WHO is not alone in its recommendations.
To read the full article from CNN, please click here
"90 Days for Mums in Malaysia"
1 million signature campaign
In conjunction with the International Women's Day 2010, the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) has initiated a campaign to increase the existing paid maternity leave in the country from 60 to 90 days. WABA is supporting the campaign and urges all Malaysians to sign the petition and support this progressive call. The petition is open to all Malaysians worldwide. International organisations/non-Malaysian individuals can contribute to this campaign by writing. letters/statements of solidarity and support to NUBE.
Research as an extreme sport by Per Brandtzaeg, Professor, Department of Pathology, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet
The academic staff at the University and College level are expected to inform the public in a comprehensible fashion about the results ensuing from grants to their subject area. Some researchers are clever at doing this whereas others are reluctant to talk with journalists. For occasional researchers the temptation can prove too great to appear in the limelight.
We have recently seen an example of the latter where communication has gone astray. A researcher from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has created confusion related to the conscientious work involved in motivating mothers to breastfeed their infants.
"Translated into English from the Norwegian newspaper VG., Debatt pp. 46-47, February 2, 2010". Click here for the full article.
NEW YORK—The President of the Philippines, through special envoy Dr. Elvira Henares-Esguerra, awarded last week the Presidential Order of the Golden Heart to UNICEFfor its work in supporting the country's breastfeeding movement over the past decade.
Dr. Henares-Esguerra, presented the award to former UNICEF Representative in the Philippines Dr. Nicholas K. Alipui, who is now Director of Programmes during a simple awarding ceremony held at the UNICEFbuilding in midtown Manhattan.The special recognition was given to the UNICEF for its important role in the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding in the Philippines in pursuit of Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5.
"Together, we accomplished in six and a half months what the government could not accomplish in 20 years," Dr. Henares-Esguerra said.
She was referring to the revision of the Implementing Rules and Regulations for the Milk Code in the Philippines, a herculean task that brought Dr. Alipui and the Filipino advocates for breastfeeding through the bureaucracy of various government institutions including the Bureau of Food and Drugs, the Anti-Poverty Commission and both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
For Haiti Orphans Wet Nursing Can Save Lives
A new statement issued jointly by UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and Pan American Health Organization, reminds relief workers, healthcare professionals, and the public that in an emergency such as the Haiti earthquake, the key to survival of all infants, including orphans, is breastfeeding. When a child is motherless or separated from his or her mother, wet nursing, that is, direct breastfeeding from another lactating mother, is the safest feeding option. Since the breastfeeding rate in Haiti is very high, there is a good likelihood of being able to find wet nurses for large numbers of motherless infants.
UNICEF, WHO and PAHO have recommended wet nursing, also called "cross nursing" or "shared breastfeeding," for infants without mothers to "ensure their survival in an emergency situation." For the official statement, please click here.
Formula feeding in an emergency is extremely difficult and dangerous. Even when properly prepared, infant formula actively and passively harms the immune system of young babies, placing them at risk of life-threatening diarrhea and respiratory illness. The Emergency Nutrition Network provides information on how formula can cause deaths due to diarrhea in an emergency at: http://www.ennonline.net/resources/101.
WABA mourns the passing of Viola Lennon, Co- Founder of La Leche League International and co-author of the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. She passed away peacefully on Friday 22nd January, 2010.
According to Viola, breastfeeding " led me to self-discovery and to a greater appreciation of the full humanity of the babies who were entrusted to me. Each woman needs to trust her own instincts, her own feelings, and her own sense of what will work for her with each baby."
To view video tribute to Viola Lennon, please click here
Breastfeeding is the First Line of Defense in a Disaster
The Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC), International Lactation Consultant Association/United States Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA/USLCA), and La Leche League International (LLLI) strongly affirm the importance of breastfeeding in emergency situations, and call on relief workers and health care providers serving victims of disasters to protect, promote, and support mothers to breastfeed their babies. During an emergency, breastfeeding mothers provide their infants with safe food and water and disease protection that maximize their chances of survival.
Urgent Call For Human Milk Donations For Haiti Infants
The Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC), International Lactation Consultant Association/United States Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA/USLCA), and La Leche League International (LLLI) are jointly calling for human milk donations for premature infants in Haiti, as well as sick and premature infants in the United States.
For more information, contact HMBANA at 408-998-4550 or www.hmbana.org . Additional information can be provided from the United States Breastfeeding Committee at 202-367-1132 (www.usbreastfeeding.org), ILCA/USLCA at 1-800-452-2478 (www.ilca.org or www.uslca.org ), or La Leche League at 847-519-7730 (www.llli.org) .
IYCF in Haiti Emergency
WABA joins UNICEF, WHO and WFP in call for support for appropriate infant and young child feeding practices in Haiti in the current emergency, and caution about unnecessary and potentially harmful donations and use of breast-milk substitute.
--To read the full Joint Statement, please click here .
gBICS Chairperson, Arun Gupta calls on NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) Rector to remove statement on recent research about androgen levels and breastfeeding which has resulted in widespread media headlines seriously damaging the worldwide efforts to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.
To read the full statement from Arun Gurpta, please click here.
Breastfeeding: Hormones or Wisdom?
WABA IAC Co-chair, Elisabet Helsing questions Norwegian researcher's postulation that it's the environment in utero that decides on the success or failure of breastfeeding.
Infant Formula Study Just a Marketing Gimmick to Push Formula Over Breastfeeding
NaturalNews) A recent study lauding the benefits of fortified infant formula has been greeted with skepticism by child development specialists, who suspect that the study is only the first part of an attempt to promote formula over breast milk.
"It is clear that the food industry fascination with nutraceuticals (strategically fortified food products) is now spreading into infant formula," said Barbara Moore of Shape Up America! "This is a disturbing new development. We have parents thinking that sticking their tiny infants in front of a Baby Einstein video will improve their child's mental development when the data suggest that parent-child interactions (and plenty of them) are the most critical factor for such development. Now parents will be encouraged to forego breastfeeding -- which is optimal for both mothers and babies -- in favor of a hyped up infant formula."
UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative statement on new breastfeeding research
A number of newspaper articles have today reported on a Norwegian study which has found an association between higher levels of male hormones in pregnancy and the ability to breastfeed after birth. The authors are reported to have extrapolated from their findings that mothers' ability to breastfeed is entirely down to these hormone levels. They are also reported to have claimed that exposure to high levels of testosterone before birth account for the differences in health outcomes between breast and bottle fed babies. The findings of this small study are of interest and may warrant further investigation. However, the claims made in relation to these findings do not account for the large differences in breastfeeding rates between countries, with some having 99% of mothers successfully breastfeeding. They are also contradicted by the large body of evidence which shows that levels of successful breastfeeding can be increased by a range of improved support interventions.
The claims made relating to the health outcomes of breastfeeding do not account for the dose response found in many studies, which show that babies breastfed exclusively or for longer periods have the best overall outcomes.
The study does not account for or tally with the known mechanisms for how breastmilk protects against illness. For example, breastmilk contains a range of anti-infective properties including immunoglobulins, white cells, anti-inflammatory components, enzymes and non-antibody factors such as lactoferrin and the bifidus factor.
For full article please click here.
For abstract of the said research please click here
WABA does not accept sponsorship or donation of any kind from BUSINESS INTERESTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRODUCTION or SALE of breastmilk substitutes, related equipment, breastpumps and complementary foods.
Innovative Initiative
Supporting Working Women's Right Breastfeed More...
In response to repeated requests for in-depth training on breastfeeding and related aspects of young child feeding to be made available regionally, WABA and the Infant Feeding Consortium are introducing a 2-week course in Penang. Short practical courses are widely used and successful, but the need for more advanced training for doctors and other senior health professionals has not been met. 
June 22 - On the occasion of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012 - RIO+20 - in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, WABA in collaboration with our Core partner IBFAN (International Babyfood Action Network) produced a poster to stress the fact that 'The Earth - Our Mother - is in crisis!' and 'Over 20 years of evidence has shown how infant formula production, packaging and use are adding to this crisis!' We have a healthy, viable, non-polluting, non-resource intensive, and natural alternative in breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a valuable natural world resource that is under threat from formula companies. We need to protect, promote and support breastfeeding in every country! 
This is a highly readable and encouraging introduction to the topic. It is filled with practical advice. You will find solutions to problems large and small, as well as topics ranging from sore nipples to the feeding of a premature baby. The book also provides a fascinating insight into the checkered history of breastfeeding from ancient times to the present. Why was it that in the past healthy well-to-do women so often entrusted their precious infants to the care of professional wet nurses? What led generations of physicians to draw up rules that made it impossible for many mothers to breastfeed? And how and why did science and common sense triumph in the end1542-2011/asset/cover.gif?v=1&s=16a9a18cbc368a51a4895fee3bc7f683ae97a0fa)
The publisher of Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health (the official journal of the American College of Nurse-Midwives) offers all the WBW celebrants the free access to their special issue (Volume 52, Issue 6) on breastfeeding issues. This will be open until the end of August 2012 in celebration of World Breastfeeding week.
Penang Medical College and World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) will be holding a 2-day conference on May 3 and 4, 2012.
Understanding the Past - Planning the Future:
WABA mourns the passing of our beloved Women and Work Task Force Co-coordinator Chris Mulford who passed away in USA on 23 August 2011.
Dear friends of the breastfeeding movement,
* WABA WBW English Action Folder
* WABA WBW English Poster
This is a masters-level course is the only advanced international training course on breastfeeding and related topics available worldwide and held in collaboration with WHO and UNICEF.
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