Author: Poole, Xenya

Newsletter - February 2021

Our Vision: There are no obstacles to breastfeeding in Idaho.

Letter From the Chair

Dear Idaho Breastfeeding Coalition Members and Friends,
Welcome to a new and exciting year of Idaho Breastfeeding Coalition activities and learning!
2021 is going to be fantastic!
Every quarter, during this meeting, you will have a chance to learn from an Idaho Professional that supports breastfeeding and join in a fun activity and maybe even win a prize!
We will also update you about what is going on around Idaho to Support, Protect and Promote Breastfeeding.
I would like to take a moment and invite you to participate in our First 2021 Quarterly Zoom call. We have an excellent speaker to learn from (Dr. Jennifer Anacker—see her page) and several items of interest to discuss and remember.
Our quarterly meetings begin on Feb. 4th from 12-1. Here is the Zoom link to participate:
This year, in 2021, we will be sending some fun items to the first 21 people who introduce themselves on the chat! Join the conversation and answer these questions to win!
The chance to enter begins RIGHT at 12p.m. MST!
Name
District you live in
Your mailing address
How YOU promote, protect or support breastfeeding in Idaho!
We look forward to seeing you at the meeting!

Follow Us!

Our Website

FaceBook

Join Zoom Meeting HERE

Dial in: 1-669-900-6833 (San Jose) 1-253-215-8782 (Tacoma)

Meeting ID: 871 5027 9892 Passcode: 133746

Instagram

LinkedIn

The mission of the Idaho Breastfeeding Coalition is to facilitate a community and statewide landscape that protects, supports and promotes breastfeeding as the biological norm for a healthier Idaho.

Future Meetings

February 4th, 2021
May 6th, 2021

August 5th, 2021
November 4th, 2021

All meetings are between 12-1pm MST

Learning Together

Join The Membership Meeting to Listen In

Stress During a Pandemic for Mother and Child

Dr. Jennifer Anacker

Dr. Jennifer Anacker is the owner of Anacker Clinics of Chiropractic, PC, with offices in Boise and Meridian, Idaho. She has been a practicing chiropractor for 19 years. Dr. Anacker received her Bachelor’s Degree from South Dakota State University and her Doctorate of Chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic. She has been on the forefront of taking care of pregnancy and pediatrics patients and has held leadership positions within the chiropractic community. Dr. Anacker has weekly videos on YouTube and other social media outlets. She has also been a featured speaker and guest on radio, chiropractic panels, public events, podcasts, and the nightly news. She has spoken on topics such as business, leadership, pediatrics, pregnancy, health, and wellness. She is a member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, Knights of the Roundtable Women Chiropractic group, International Chiropractic Association, Gonstead Association, Idaho Association of Chiropractic Physicians and the League of Chiropractic Women’s Association.
This presentation is titled Stress During a Pandemic for Mother and Child. We will discuss how stress during a pandemic affects the mental and physical health of mom and baby. We will define the cycle of stress from a physiological input from mom and the trajectory of how it plays out for the health of the child. We will look at the stress roles of changes in the vagus nerve, heart rate variability, and the research on how historical events and disasters have affected the health of the child. The closing information will provide suggestions on ways to help mom and baby during these challenging times.

World Breastfeeding Week August 1st, 2021—August 7th, 2021

World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is coordinated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) every year, since 2016, between August 1st and 7th to commemorate the Innocenti Declaration. More updates to come on how the IBC will be celebrating WBW.

Chapter Check-Ins

District 1

District 5

District 2

District 6

District 3 &4

District 7

Betsy Ayers

Kristie Karroum

The IBC is looking for individuals who are interested in being Chapter Chairs. If you are interested or have questions, email us at idahobreastfeeding@gmail.com

IBC Summit Update

2021 Idaho Breastfeeding Summit June 24-25, 2021 at JUMP in Boise, Idaho
Keynote speakers: Diane Spatz of CHOP and Kathleen Kendall-Tackett Highlight Idaho: Breastfeeding Friendly Businesses, Panel from the Department of Health and Welfare Additional speakers: Postpartum Depression, the Role of Postpartum Doulas.
Hotel: The Grove Hotel is offering the federal discount for all at $147/night.
Early bird registration starts April 1st, register for $150 — After May 1st, register for $175

Highlight Idaho Lactation Leaders

Idaho’s Dena Duran was just published in Clinical Lactation for her article on COVID-19 Illness: Mother-Baby Separation, Viruses, and Breastfeeding.
Click HERE to read more!

Highlighting Last Month’s Speakers

The Cowdry’s Story

Click here to read the full story.

“We are the Cowdrys and we are honored to share our story. Lawrence, our ﬁrst child, was born on the 31st of August 2020. He was delivered early, at 34 and 1/2 weeks, by way of Caesarean birth and we didn’t have a birth plan for this scenario. Ours included a natural birth and breastfeeding may be our last hope of getting that. We were blessed in many ways throughout this process and thank God that it wasn’t worse, when it easily could have been.
Looking back, there were signs that our birth would not be the one we dreamed of. While
camping in Hells Canyon, at 26 weeks, we fatefully decided to come home a night early and a
few hours after we got home Tara began to bleed. That night we stayed up listening to our
baby’s heartbeat in triage and learned about having a partial placental abruption.
In short, [our son] remained in the NICU because he needed breathing support right away, along with the feeding tube, and was kept in a closed plastic canister to regulate his body temp. A few days in, he needed bilirubin treatment and required a main line IV because the nurses told us, “…his feet were starting to look like hamburger meat” from all of the blood samples they were collecting.
...Dedicated, my wife would to rush to the NICU to try to breastfeed before his cares time, and was granted ﬁfteen minuets until they would give him the gavage. ….His ﬁrst attempt to breastfeed was ﬁve days into his stay. After the CPAP was removed, a nipple shield was immediately introduced because, “he’s too small; he won’t be able to do it.” He did so well though! The impressed lactation consultant called any available nurses over to show how this 35 week old baby was latching to the nipple shield like it was instinct! … Each interaction unknowingly tending to ancient wounds, like my wife’s past physical and sexual abuse, or the shame from her body being faulty or unable, or perhaps over a few generations the entire violent nature of the human race. Transcendence is upon us! and you all are on the battleﬁeld, tending to fresh wounds, caused by friendly ﬁre. There is some very good work being done in this ﬁeld and you have taken on a huge responsibility to do it. For this we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

The Hopkins’ Story

Click here to read the full story.

“The day we got home was so good. I felt like I was finally unimpeded and could just try nursing whenever the heck I wanted to. I felt so grateful to be free to answer my son when he was looking for me or just needed a snack. I felt like for once I was allowed to respond to my baby the way he deserved to be cared for. When I crawled into bed that first night home, I held him on my chest and just cried. It was such a cry of relief to hold him truly close to me. Then tears of mourning over the three weeks I had lost.
...It was difficult though, I felt like I didn’t have permission to just nurse. I felt like I still was jumping through other peoples “Hoops” It took two weeks for the doctor to quit bugging me about adding extra calories to my breast milk. This was difficult because my baby was gaining more weight than he needed to gain and thriving on just the breast. I felt like the words “Get Him Some Extra Calories” were going to make me lose my mind and more sleep.
This part is critical in my mind… Had I known in the NICU just how well that scale works in measuring milk transfer I would have wanted to nurse, desperately. ... I was told that my son was literally too underdeveloped with his fat cheek pads to latch. I knew that seemed weird because he had latched well when I tried nursing him previously. I realize that all the facts have truth and merit in many instances. My frustration in hindsight was that all the con’s were laid before me with a lot of caution rather that the pro’s and then the push to try and see what happens. I wish I had felt encouraged to hold my baby endlessly. I felt like the lactation team was really wonderful and in my corner.
One of my lactation consultants gave me the best advice I received in the NICU, she told me, “ADVOCATE , ADVOCATE, ADVOCATE for YOUR baby”. It was then that I understood the effort that was ahead of me. I know it would have been very healthy for me personally to have had more interaction with my lactation team in the NICU, especially due to the circumstances of seclusion with Covid-19. Normally you have people who you’ve surrounded yourself with when you bring a baby home. A motherly or sisterly encouragement provides so much. In the NICU that is not available in a real way. In my mind the lactation team and a few favorite nurses are so vital because they connect with you and your baby and help cultivate that mother child relationship in the most vulnerable way. “

The

Coalition’s

5

Focus Areas

1.

Legislative

A. Licensure for IBCLC’s

2.

Idaho Breastfeeding Research

A. University Supported Research to Define:
a. Gaps in Continuity of Care between birth and home
b. Gaps between initiation rates and 6 month rates
c. Research on Coalition recognition as a breastfeeding support system available in Idaho

3.

Coalition Support of Breastfeeding as a Norm

A. Supporting access to all mothers/families for breastfeeding transitions and support
a. WIC support in the hospitals
b. Telehealth options for mothers who desire online support or are rural
c. Distribution of resources for collaboration between birthing places and pediatricians, physical therapists, and other resources
d. NICU breastfeeding discharge support- increasing breastfeeding rates at discharge and beyond
B. Business Friendly Designation to 200 businesses in Idaho by 2020
a. Finding businesses, Sending out clings and certificates, Listing them on the website and in Summit materials
b. Collaboration with Idaho Hunger Summit
C. Media Support with focus on different audiences
a. Website
b. Facebook posts weekly
c. Instagram posts weekly

4.

Community Outreach & Education about the
Coalition AND Breastfeeding

A. Annual Breastfeeding Summit
a. Even years in Boise
b. Odd years in other locations B. List of Events to be create for IBC representation around the state
B. List of Events to be create for IBC representation around the state
C. Creation of Educational Resources and Using them
a. Professional Presentations
b. Accurate website and other Representation of Idaho Breastfeeding Resources for professionals and families
c. Local Papers/News Releases
d. Creation of Booth Items to be readily available
1. Representation at Outdoor/Park Events
2. Representation at Indoor Events

5.

Support of National Items of Interest

Representation at the USBC
1. Coalition to sponsor 2 registrations The USBC will host the of Interest yearly from the state of Idaho to attend the USBC
2. IBC to receive a report from those attendees in the August Coalition meeting
B. Review at our Quarterly IBC meetings how we are Responding to the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding

Leadership Needs

We’re still taking applications for our Board of Directors! We’re looking to include: Professionals in a Health Field with an intense interest of furthering the goals and mission statement of the IBC and breastfeeding mothers with a passion for moving state agendas forward. We specifically encourage those to apply who: are from an area outside of the Treasure Valley, passionately support breastfeeding protection, support and promotion, hold a health degree in a field that serves families, specifically lactating mothers, or are able to serve actively and independently on projects for the IBC on this board.
We hold quarterly meetings, lead sub-committees and are active in the Summit creation.

If you are a breastfeeding or lactation resource, email us to be listed on our website

Click HERE to Meet our IBC Board Members

Have an Ethical Concern? Click HERE for Resources

Idaho Breastfeeding Coalition Awards

Jane Grassley Excellence in Breastfeeding Award:
This annual award recognizes an individual who fulfills the Mission and Vision of the IBC. The annual award will be presented to individuals who demonstrate leadership, dedication and compassion for breastfeeding families with the state.

Idaho Breastfeeding Friendly Worksite Recognition Award:
Know an individual or business who offers great maternity/paternity leave or is a breastfeeding friendly worksite? Nominate them today to recognize their important policies.

Exemplary Professional Leadership Award:
Nominate a group of breastfeeding leaders who show exceptional leadership and outstanding professional contribution in shaping lactation support and leadership in their community.

Click HERE to nominate someone today!

IBC Membership

Membership will be opening in June! Look for the link with your Summit Registration!
Membership costs only $25/year!
Membership includes:
10% on Summit Registration
IBC magnet bumper sticker or other SWAG!
Member nametag sticker & entrance into members only drawing at IBC Summit

Breastfeeding Friendly Business Designation

Interested in becoming a designated Breastfeeding Friendly Business or Child Care Facility?
Applications are available on our website or you can email us at idahobreastfeeding@gmail.com

Future

Meetings

February 4th, 2021
May 6th, 2021
August 5th, 2021
November 4th, 2021
All meetings are between 12-1pm MST

Past meeting information is now located HERE.

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