Stepping Toward A Baby-Friendlier Oregon

Download this entry The Breastfeeding Coalition of Oregon under the direction of Amelia Psmythe recently hosted its sold-out 5th annual two-day statewide conference – Stepping Toward A Baby-Friendlier Oregon. Supporters who made the conference possible include Oregon WIC, Oregon Public Health Institute, Hygeia, Limerick, and Medical International. Anyone wanting to know what Oregon’s many infant-feeding [...]

Part 2: Consumer Advocacy & Evidence-Based Infant Feeding Practices

Here’s the second “installment” for my upcoming presentation at the March 2-3 Breastfeeding Coalition of Oregon’s 5h Annual Meeting. Blue text indicates information that will be placed on PowerPoint slides, black text indicates what will be said. I’d love your feedback either here or via email at motherbabynetwork@gmail.com. Read the first installment This installment covers [...]

Part 1: Consumer Advocacy & Evidence-Based Infant Feeding Practices

Here’s the first “installment” for my upcoming presentation at the March 2-3 Breastfeeding Coalition 5h Annual Meeting. Blue text indicates information that will be placed on PowerPoint slides, black text indicates what will be said. I’d love your feedback either here or via email at motherbabynetwork@gmail.com. This installment covers introductory info, background on me and [...]

Decisions About Infant Feeding Do Not Happen in a Vacuum – Context Matters

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Oregon Research Institute recently hosted a public lecture – “Addressing the Nation’s Crisis with Nutrition and Obesity” – by Kelly Brownell, director of Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. In the past several years, obesity prevention has gained enough traction to be a well-established national health priority. [...]

March of Dimes: Empower Women, Decrease Disparities

Finishing my childbirth education certification means I can start combing through several maternal and infant health reports I’ve been collecting. What can I say? In addition to providing childbirth education, I like to read wonky reports. First up is the March of Dimes’ December 2010 Toward Improving the Outcome of Pregnancy III (TIOP III). For [...]

Sacred Heart to become Baby Friendly, McKenzie-Willamette exploring designation

Since posting Project Aims to Improve OR Hospital-Based Breastfeeding Services, MotherBaby Network has received a good deal of positive feedback from individuals in healthcare, elected office, local government, the insurance industry, the non-profit sector as well as from consumers. The post describes a new statewide project (Oregon Hospitals Partnering for Evidence-Based Infant Nutrition) that support hospitals [...]

Project Aims to Improve OR Hospital-Based Breastfeeding Services

With funding support from Oregon WIC and Multnomah County Health Department, the Breastfeeding Coalition of Oregon (BCO) recently launched a new statewide project – Oregon Hospitals Partnering for Evidence-Based Infant Nutrition. This project supports hospitals in developing the evidence-based systems associated with increased rates of breastfeeding.  The project aims to promote evidence-based hospital maternity practices [...]

Congrats to Friends’ Katharine Gallagher and Midwife Cindy Hunter for Healthy Babies Awards!

Originally posted on Lane County Friends of the Birth Center‘s blog… Congratulations to the Lane County Healthy Babies 2010 Award Recipients recognized at yesterday’s second-annual reception! Awards were given to an individual, a practitioner and an organization in acknowledgement of their contributions toward reducing fetal-infant mortality and increasing community health in Lane County. Former KEZI [...]

Better Breastfeeding Services in the context of CEOs, Grandmas and Formula

On Monday, I attended and participated in a panel discussion at the Moving Communities Toward Evidence Based Breastfeeding at St. Charles Hospital in Bend. The conference was the result of a productive collaboration between Oregon WIC, the Central Oregon Breastfeeding Coalition and St. Charles. Dr. Marianne Neifert was the conference speaker. Moving Communities Toward Evidence [...]

Formula Company lobbyists hard at work

In response to today’s Washington Post article, Lobbying fight over infant formula highlights budget gridlock, I sent the following letter to the editor: Thank you for bringing to light the latest scam perpetrated by formula companies against the country’s most vulnerable women and children. Under the aegis of improved efficacy, they seek to force more [...]