“Nothing will work unless you do.” — Maya Angelou
Inspired by Life Kit’s 22 Tips for 2022, we’ve compiled 22 Actions in 2022 for maternal child health advocates to continue this important work.
1. Sign up for MomsRising alerts (enter your email in the top right) to learn about legislation in support of parental leave.
2. Sign up for news and action alerts from U.S. Breastfeeding Committee (USBC). You can also use their Take Action tools to support active legislation and policies that support healthy families.
3. Get really local. Talk to local parents about challenges and successes they are encountering. Are there restaurants and public places you might celebrate for their support of breastfeeding families? Check to see if your state has a “Breastfeeding Welcome Here” campaign implemented. Some examples include Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition, Nevada Breastfeeds, and Vanderbilt University.
4. If you are in the U.S., check out your state’s report by USBC. What’s going well in your state? How can you help “move the needle” on areas that need improvement?
5. Plan a COVID-contagion-free World Breastfeeding Week/National Breastfeeding Month celebration.
6. Learn how to play March Mammal Madness. Get your bracket ready for 2022!
7. Watch UC Davis’s Savor: Our First Superfood and the Infant Microbiome with participants Bruce German, Katie Hinde and Jennifer Smilowitz.
8. Learn about the status of the International Code in your country and your neighborhood. There is a forthcoming report from UNICEF/WHO.
9. Explore Hollie McNish’s breastfeeding poetry.
10. Read Baby Milk Action’s Patti Rundall’s news blog to learn about infant and young child feeding (IYCF) feeding policy and conflict of interest.
11. Learn about the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative (WBTi). If you are in the U.S., how does your state compare to the national results? Where is your state the strongest? Where are the greatest challenges? If you are outside the U.S., how does your country compare to others?
12. Attend an equity training. USBC has several opportunities to explore here. Other opportunities include FACTUALITY and Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad accountability group (link to sign up in Google Document).
13. Watch and share Global Health Media teaching videos.
14. Show your support for a BIPOC-owned birth or lactation care service or organization near you. Some examples include Jamaa Birth Village, Southern Birth Justice Network, Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE), A’nowa:ra Owira Doulas, Birth & Milk Co., Sankofa Lactation Services, Blactavist, Mommy Milk and Me Inc. Who else would you list here?
15. Check out self-care resources like those on White Ribbon Alliance’s Self Care page or Kathleen Kendall-Tackett’s Burnout, Compassion Fatigue and Self-Care for Members of the Perinatal Team webinar.
16. Explore how you can get involved with the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality’s (NICHQ) National Network of Perinatal Quality Collaborative Initiative.
17. Donate milk, time, money or participate in research to support the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA).
18. Complete the Building on Campaigns with Conversations learning module series to learn how to most effectively interact with families on topics of safe sleep and breastfeeding.
19. Listen to The Breastfeeding Medicine Podcast, The Evidence Based Birth Podcast, and/or The History of BLW with Its Founding Philosopher Gill Rapley, PhD.
20. Explore the new U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Pregnancy, Lactation and Infancy. What are the highlights in this new document? Lowlights? What resources presented can be helpful to you?
21. Read the latest open access journals from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers.
22. Watch the Maternal Health Call to Action Summit and/or read through the Fact Sheet. Urge your senators to support the provisions set forth in the Maternal CARE Act and the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act.
Tell us, what other actionable items will you be crossing off of your list in 2022? We’d love to hear from you! Comment below or email info@ourmilkyway.org.