Residents and visitors of Southwest Kansas have the delight of enjoying the efforts of the Lactancia Latina en el Suroeste de Kansas, an organization formed in late 2018 with the nurturing of the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition and Ford County Breastfeeding Coalition.
Photo by Rosalba Ruiz, used with permission from Latina/x Breastfeeding Week/ https://www.facebook.com/Latinxbreastfeedingweek
This week, with the help of Carmen Valverde, CLC, Local Coordinator at the Lactancia Latina en el Suroeste de Kansas and 2022 USBC Cultural Changemaker Awardee, we highlight the organization’s projects in honor of Semana de La Lactancia Latina.
At the age of seven, Valverde was an immigrant to the United States. Her passion to help the Latin community comes from not having the support she needed while raising her young children.
“I totally relate to the struggles the families in Southwestern Kansas face,” Valverde comments.
In partnership with Vigness Welding, NACCHO, UnitedHealthCare, Western Kansas Community Foundation, the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition, and the City of Dodge City, Lactancia Latina en el Suroeste de Kansas coordinated the placement of several lactation benches throughout the Southwest communities.
The first bench was placed in Garden City because they have the largest zoo in the rural region. Each bench has a QR code with the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition directory so that families can find the support they need based on their zip code, Valverde explains.
Photo source Lactancia Latina en el Suroeste de Kansas
Additionally, billboards were installed in high traffic areas. The billboards have information about where to find infant feeding support on social media and information about lactation in the workplace.
Alongside breastfeeding, soccer is Valverde’s other passion; Lactancia Latina en el Suroeste de Kansas is a proud sponsor of the Dodge City Toros and Atletico Liberal. Sponsorship was made possible by HealthConnect One.
Valverde has made it a point not to “reinvent the wheel” in the coalition’s efforts to support breastfeeding and become more visible.
“… I like to work and partner with other organizations and events so that we can both have the best outcome,” Valverde begins. “It just works out better that way… So far the public has received it very well. We’ve had more moms… get involved with our local coalitions as a result of it and the [local] newspaper has done a piece on [the sponsorship].”
During one of the most trying times during the pandemic, the coalition was able to accomplish the recording of a PSA with a local meat packing plant in Dodge City. Valverde says the plant, Cargill, does a marvelous job investing in their employees. Watch the video here.
Lactancia Latina en el Suroeste de Kansas provided scholarships to an all-Spanish breastfeeding training made possible through a NACCHO grant and partnership with Lactation Education Resources’s certified breastfeeding specialist training. Valverde reports that the coalition is currently planning an in-person skills day training so that the online training material can be reinforced.
Source: United States Breastfeeding Committee
You can learn more about these projects and Lactancia Latina en el Suroeste de Kansas’s future endeavors on Facebook.
“The shortest distance between two people is a story.”
I flung myself into motherhood before I knew very much about infant development. When my firstborn was only a few weeks old and she would wake throughout the night, I would nurse her and then I’d carry her to the couch and I would read to her until my eyelids were so heavy, I could scarcely make out the words on the page. Then we’d shuffle back to bed. Over and over.
Knowing what I know now, looking back, this is an absurd ritual. I wasn’t doing myself or my daughter any favors when it came to regulating her sleep cycle; all she really needed were my breasts. But at the time, I felt it was important to provide her with the enrichment of storytelling, even at the most ridiculous hours of the night, when the entire neighborhood was still, only the orange glow of street lamps and the crickets’ chirp.
Since then, I have spent many, many more evenings reading bedtime stories (at a much more reasonable hour.) Perhaps it was the precedent I set; my now eleven-year-old devotes her evenings devouring stories well into cricket-chirping hours.
Over this roughly decade’s worth of motherhood, I have simultaneously spent my time helping tell the stories of maternal child health advocates. Every Sunday, we bring these stories to you here on Our Milky Way. Similar to reading the same requested bedtime story over and over and over again, something I imagine many parents are familiar with, the storytelling on Our Milky Way has started to feel formulaic. This is not to say the stories themselves are stale, but the way in which I gather and piece them together easily slips into a robotic rhythm.
Dr. Peck is the founder and former CEO of CityMatCH, and now she uses storytelling to spur social change. Learning from her has me feeling refreshed.
It was like she exhaled inspiration into the room, encouraging storytelling in less familiar or conventional ways. A tattoo is a story, she told participants. Songs tell stories. There are of course so many more modalities: video, radio stories, podcast, poem, oral tradition, and so on.
Stories are ancient. Stories are ever-evolving. Stories help us make sense of the world. We tell stories to connect, to understand, to preserve memory, to educate, to cope and to heal, and as Kendall Haven has been quoted, “Story is not theoretical anymore. It’s not hyperbole. Story is woven into our DNA. We are story. That’s now science.”
In the context of the maternal health crisis, stories can humanize numbers and help us make sense of data.
Numbers and data are important because they drive decisions and policies, but they also sanitize humanity, as Dr. Peck put it.
“Water the stories so they come back to life,” she insisted.
Another bit of advice: let the story breathe. That is, listen to understand, not to respond. Dr. Peck went on to point out that humans often interrupt because of the desire to connect, but interruption stifles a story.
With an optimistic outlook, Dr. Peck maintained that “Everything is possible if we can imagine it so.”
This week, we’ve pulled together some of the storytelling vehicles and projects, research and commentary on anecdotes for you to engage with.
The following projects and pieces are excellent examples of storytelling for connection, understanding, coping and healing, for education, for preservation and reclamation, for education to elicit action.
Photo by nappy on Pexels
Micronutrient FORUM’s Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies created a series of short films that lift up women’s voices in different global contexts. Find the videos here.
Birthright is a podcast about stories of joy and healing in Black birth with Kimberly Seals Allers.
Our Bodies, Our Stories is a series of reports that details the scope of violence against Native women and people across the nation.
Birthing Justice and Legacy, Power, Voice: Movements in Black Midwifery both explore the experience of Black birth in America. The latter “intimately explores the evolution of Black birthing traditions in America by giving voice to the traditional caretakers of the Black community.”
Rafael Camp writes about why narratives matter in medical practice here.
Chelsea Ann Wiley, MSN, RN, PHN writes about why telling your birth story matters here.
The United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) mobilizes action on legislative and policy opportunities that can help create a landscape of breastfeeding support across the U.S. often by collecting and sharing families’ stories. Check out their Share Your Story Action Tools here.
Similarly, New America and A Better Balance’sThe Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the Future of the Care Movement virtual event opened with discussing the influence narrative can have on policy change. Check out the conversation here. Vania Leveille of ACLU did share that while storytelling is an important piece in legislation adoption, she does not believe it to be central to the cause.
Kajsa Brimdyr’s ethnographic work helps tell the stories of health care facilities working to implement best practice, like immediate, uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact after all modes of birth.
PATH’s Tell Better Storiesreport was created to “assist global health and development organizations in their decision-making, particularly when conveying Narrative Project messages to the engaged public via internet-based video messaging.” As the authors write: “… Broadly, [the] results favor the use of story and emotion-based videos over lecture-based videos though there are several caveats.”
The course Advanced Issues in Lactation Practice uses narrative-based practice as the means to enhance counseling. “Telling one’s story can be therapeutic in itself, but it also opens the client’s world to the practitioner, giving insights that closed- ended questions do not,” Healthy Children Project’s Karin Cadwell explains.
We would be honored to share YOUR story. Email us with your interest in being featured on Our Milky Way at info@ourmilkway.org.
The amount of work that needs to be done to improve families’ lives can sometimes feel paralyzing. Over the next few weeks though, individuals and organizations will have the opportunity to engage with an important endeavor: submitting comments on the most recent World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative’s (WBTi) report for the United States and territories.
In 2017, Healthy Children Project also released a national report based on the WBTi criteria that monitors the progress of infant and young child feeding (IYCF) in each of the 50 U.S. states plus six territories.
This year, the subject matter expert panel is calling on any individual with an interest in maternal child health to submit their comments on the next update by June 30. In order to include any initiative on the report, the information must be documented on a publicly available source.
What we measure as a nation is what we value, thus the report helps guide lactation policy by gauging the success of current practices and determining where improvement is needed.
On a state, organizational or individual level, the reports can help channel opportunities to engage in areas where states are lacking.
Find the preliminary reports and submit comments here: www.wbtiusa.org
You will need to enter your email address to receive a password, which will allow you to suggest changes and additions.
The Details
WHO: Individuals vested in maternal child health in the U.S. and territories
WHAT: 2023 World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative’s (WBTi) report for the United States and territories
WHEN: Now until June 30
HOW: www.wbtiusa.org
WHY: To help guide and improve maternal child health policy
For those who couldn’t attend, there will be a recording sent to registrants. And if you missed registration, we’ve distilled the conversation in hopes that you’ll use it as a jumping-off point in your discovery or continued understanding of operationalizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) or what is sometimes referred to as J.E.D.I. (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion).
First off, USBC Senior Engagement & Training Manager Denae Schmidt and Dr. James made the distinction between operationalizing DEI and advancing health equity. Simply put, the former is the practice and the latter is the outcome. Dr. James suggested participants think of the distinction as the difference between who is doing the work and who is being served.
So, what practices are philanthropists adopting in order to serve the advancement of health equity?
Funders are reevaluating what is truly needed from grantseekers. Many are making the application process less tedious, acknowledging that many small organizations do not have the resources to “jump through hoops.”
Some funders are forgoing reporting requirements, adopting the concept of trust-based philanthropy. Trust-based philanthropy embraces the idea that the community has a lot of expertise, as Dr. James puts it. In this relationship, there is trust in the collaboration, a power share. Dr. James nods to MacKenzie Scott who tends to vet organizations on the front end in order to understand their focus, and then give funding with no strings attached.
Over the past five or so years, there has been a shift in the field to recognize that there needs to be more capacity-building for grant seekers. Catchafire is a “network of volunteers, nonprofits, and funders working together to solve urgent problems and lift up communities” offering pro bono services. Find out how that works here: https://vimeo.com/462743914
Dr. James reports that more people are starting to recognize that policy is an important piece in health equity. She said that we need to get “upstream” to address health disparities which means that we need to address the structures that lead to poor outcomes in conjunction with providing resources to organizations.
What are some tips for grant seekers?
Photo by Tim Mossholder
Grantseekers can check funders’ websites for statements on commitments to DEI to make sure it’s a good fit for them. Grantseekers might also research what other projects funders have supported to get a sense of what kind of work they invest in.
Grantseekers might consider inviting potential funders to their events in order to engage with the community. Dr. James suggests not approaching the first meeting with funders with an “ask”.
Work alongside and across spaces to pool resources like talent and time. Collaboration expands reach, and this is desirable to funders.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to funders to get more information about how proposals can align more with their commitment.
Schmidt and Dr. James closed with some thoughts on why good intentions just aren’t good enough. Mainly, good intentions don’t always lead to action, Dr. James pointed out. And sometimes, she added, they can lead to harmful action. She reminded us that we didn’t start talking about health equity in 2020. These discussions had been happening long before, and what has been missing are the resources and the support in leadership.
What leadership talks about in public and in private signals what they care about, Dr. James continued. Individuals leading DEI initiatives need to have the authority and the respect to make decisions.
So, generally speaking, what can we all do to help operationalize DEI?
Take the courageous stand to commit to DEI.
Facilitate the collection and evaluation of DEI initiatives, so that we can gain an understanding of what is happening in these spaces.
Enter spaces with cultural humility. Recognize who is already in the space and what you can learn from them.
Green Feeding practices should continue beyond exclusive breastfeeding. When complementary foods are introduced at six months of age, guidelines include:
foods which are naturally occurring foods (such as plants and animals),
minimizing processed (foods prepared with salt, sugar, oils such as canned fruits or vegetables or simple cheeses),
culturally appropriate, family foods which rarely contain concerning levels of sugar, salt, fats, and toxic additives,
and the avoidance of ultra processed foods (foods altered by processing and additives not normally found in foods like dyes, preservatives, stabilizers). Infant formulas fall into the category of ultra processed foods.
Human and planetary health interplay
Breastfeeding is a frequently ignored topic by global climate action leaders despite it being an almost cost-neutral intervention with a huge impact on human and planetary health.
Photo by willsantt
“Recent studies have highlighted the environmental cost of decades of disinvestment in services to support breastfeeding,” the authors of Support for breastfeeding is an environmental imperative write. “When breastfeeding is encouraged and supported the associated infant and maternal health outcomes produce healthier populations that use fewer healthcare resources.”
By contrast, breastmilk substitutes leave an ecological footprint and require energy to manufacture, materials for packaging, fuel for transport distribution, and water, fuel, and cleaning agents for daily preparation and use, and numerous pollutants are generated across this pathway.
Human health is often sacrificed for business interests and profits; the “bottom line” is about dollars and not families’ precious health.
The Green Feeding advocacy document continues to spell out the interplay between human and planetary health through the lens of healthy infant and young child feeding (IYCF).
As a renewable natural food resource, mother’s milk contributes to local food and water security and biodiversity.
Differently, the run-off of waste from dairy farming used in artificial milk development, threatens our water supply with contamination by toxic chemicals, pesticides and harmful microorganisms.
The global food system, from production through all stages of processing, distribution, food preparation and consumption, accounts for an estimated 19 to 29 percent of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Animal-based food products generally have a higher climate impact than plant-based foods, due to emissions from feed production, manure management and, in the case of ruminant animals, enteric fermentation, as noted in The carbon footprint of breastmilk substitutes in comparison with breastfeeding.
Not breastfeeding poses the risk of multiple avenues for exposure to toxic heavy metals like contaminated foods and artificial baby milks and contaminated water. Municipal tap water, groundwater or well water is used to reconstitute powdered formulas and cereal foods and can contain high levels of toxic chemicals. This same water is used for cleaning feeding equipment and for drinking. The risk is increased because powdered formulas and foods prepared with water are the sole or the major source of food and drink at the most vulnerable stage of infant and young child development.
“Exposure to toxic heavy metals causes permanent decreases in IQ, diminished future economic productivity. Toxic heavy metals endanger infant neurological development and long-term brain function,” according to a 2021 IBFAN report.
Plastic pollution is a huge environmental concern made worse by the need for bottle feeding supplies and consumption of single-use articles.
Green Feeding contributes to the work of social justice and poverty reduction, offering protection to the most vulnerable infants and their families, creating a “level playing field” for family budgets. It challenges inequalities in marginalized households and communities that are most negatively impacted by climate change. The high cost of infant formula and ultra-processed baby foods can overwhelm low and middle income households.
Green Feeding begins prenatally
There’s a growing body of research connecting prenatal and early life toxic exposures to poor health outcomes.
Photo by Thiago Borges
For example, high urinary metabolite concentrations for several prevalent phthalates were associated with greater odds of delivering preterm, and hypothetical interventions to reduce phthalate exposure levels were associated with fewer preterm births. The most consistent findings were for exposure to a phthalate that is used commonly in personal care products like nail polish and cosmetics, noted by the authors of Associations Between Prenatal Urinary Biomarkers of Phthalate Exposure and Preterm Birth: A Pooled Study of 16 US Cohorts.
Things like air pollution, heavy metals, phthalates, plasticizers (PCB) and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl acids (PFASs) which are produced during industrial manufacturing and are widely used in consumer items such as food packaging and non-stick cookware have been known to lead to childhood liver disease, development of diabetes and developmental delays in children.
Endocrine disruptor exposure prenatally and early in life also present a major concern to children. Dozens of these endocrine disrupting chemicals are found in pesticides, personal care products, flame retardants and are found in the air, water and foods. They mimic the female hormone estrogen and thus interfere with the action of the body’s natural hormones which influence reproduction, immunity, metabolism and behavior. More on endocrine disruptors can be found in Endocrine disrupting chemicals and the battle to ban them.
In studies from the University of Rochester Medical School, it was found that wistar rats exposed prenatally to environmental estrogens resulted in damage to the alveolar cells of the breast to the extent that the mother rats were unable to nourish their offspring, as documented in Dioxins In Food Chain Linked To Breastfeeding Ills.
Authors LaPlante and Vandenberg note reduced milk production in mice exposed to 17α-ethinyl estradiol, and less “mothering behaviors” in rats exposed to environmental estrogens, including reduced nesting behaviors and pup retrieval have also been documented. These, and other studies, show a concerning trend in the future care of offspring.
Eliciting change from the top down
UNICEF’s 2022 report Places and Spaces: Environments and Children’s Well-Being calls on national, regional, and local governments to make protection of children’s environmental health a priority. Clean air, water and food make up an essential foundation for infant and childhood health. Creating a cleaner, healthier environment begins with the cleanest first food, breastfeeding, and continues with toxic-free foods throughout childhood and adolescence. Taking these steps now reduces the risk of food-induced illnesses including childhood obesity, diabetes, hypertension, asthma, neurodevelopmental delays and immune dysfunction. While we continue to see the predatory marketing of altered foods claiming to offer health benefits, there is no evidence that any of these are superior in any way to clean, naturally occurring foods.
Eliciting change from the bottom up
Anthropologist Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small thoughtful, committed group of citizens can change the world: indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”
Photo by Nandhu Kumar
Advocate for breastfeeding. Join local breastfeeding support groups and talk about the risks of not breastfeeding for mother, infant, and the environment. Connect with “breastfeeding adjacent” groups such as breast cancer advocates or prenatal and infant information groups or toddler play groups.
Talk with local stores selling maternity or infant care products about the opportunity to present this information to customers. Use social media to help spread the word.
Stay politically aware of legislation and contact your local, state or federal representatives and let them know why and how you support breastfeeding and climate-friendly actions. The United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) is a great launching pad for this type of activism.
If you, your family or friends need to use infant feeding bottles, teats and other products, find safer alternatives like non-plastic infant feeding bottles and plant-based food storage containers.
Connect with local health food or natural food stores, local organic farms or community assisted agriculture groups to brainstorm ways to distribute recipes and meal ideas for cleaner, healthier foods. Local food pantries can also be a great starting point to connect with community resources to encourage healthier family foods.
Local childbirth education and doula groups can also be a great resource for connecting with pregnant or new families to discuss feeding choices.
Many local gardening groups may have information on growing and preparing natural, organic foods.
Join food cooperatives wherever possible and offer education to families on breastfeeding, clean foods and safer food storage/preparing/serving utensils.
Join civic groups in starting community gardens in public spaces, schools, churches and housing complexes.
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It’s almost Semana de La Lactancia Latina (September 5- 11)! New this year to National Breastfeeding Month, we celebrate Latina/x families and raise awareness about infant feeding barriers specific to Latin communities.
