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U.S. Support of Formula Over Breastfeeding is a Race Issue
Andrea Freeman, University of Hawaii When the United States threatened Ecuador with trade and aid restrictions if it did not withdraw a World Health Assembly breastfeeding promotion resolution that most people considered benign, if not banal, reactions ranged from shocked to amused. Experts explained that the U.S. resistance, although extreme, was nothing new. The United…
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Is the Formula Industry Overpowering Breastfeeding?
Yesterday global women’s and children’s advocates sounded the alarm regarding alleged strong-arming by US delegates at this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva. The issue at hand was the rights of women regarding their choice between breastfeeding and formula feeding. According to the New York Times, the US delegation sought to remove the language…
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Why Kenya Needs to Adopt ‘Milk Banks’ to Reduce Infant Deaths
Elizabeth Kimani-Murage, Brown University Mother’s milk has an enormous impact on child survival. While in Kenya it has improved over the past decade, the number of children who die before five years remains significant. The rate has decreased from 115 per 1000 live births in 2003 to 52 in 2014. Neighbors Rwanda (2008), Tanzania (2012)…
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How World Vision Promotes Breastfeeding in the Philippines
I am always happy when World Breastfeeding Week rolls around each year. It gives me a chance to hear about the latest programs that are working around the world to increase breastfeeding rates. This year I learned about how World Vision is promoting breastfeeding in the Philippines through its 7-11 Core Intervention Framework which includes 7 interventions for women…
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How a Breastfeeding Initiative in Rural Kenya Changed Attitudes
Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended up to 6 months of age. Alissa Everett/Reuters Judith Kimiywe, Kenyatta University and Elizabeth Kimani-Murage, Brown University There’s a growing global recognition of proper infant nutrition in the child’s first 1000 days of life. This can be monitored through encouraging proper nutrition during pregnancy and the first two years of life…
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Announcing #MaternalHealthChat Starting November 8 With Jacaranda Health
We are very pleased and excited to announce our new weekly chats all about maternal health with some of the leading maternal health experts, researchers, practitioners, and organizations in the world under the #maternalhealthchat hashtag. Starting on Tuesday, November 8 at 1 PM EST with Jacaranda Health we will host 30-minute chats each week all about maternal and reproductive health…
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Kenya is a Breastfeeding Success Story But Still Has Its Challenges
By Elizabeth Kimani-Murage, Brown University Breastfeeding has both short-term and long-term nutritional benefits for children. Nutrition is central to sustainable development. Good nutrition in the first 1000 days of a child’s life is critical for child growth, well being and survival, and future productivity. The World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding for children until they are six…
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7 Moms Give Their Best Breastfeeding Advice #WBW2015
This week Social Good Moms’ members share their best breastfeeding advice. See previous advice and stories from our World Breastfeeding Week series. Be kind to yourself, it’s not always perfectly easy! Don’t be afraid to ask for help and guidance. – Lisa, @aboutproximity I didn’t think I could breastfeed, but a little music to help baby and I…
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Moms’ Best Breastfeeding Advice from World Breastfeeding Week: Chris #WBW2015
This week Social Good Moms’ members will share their best breastfeeding advice. Today’s advice is from Chris. Follow her at chrisgharmon. Relax. Breastfeeding isn’t always easy at first (or maybe not even ever). Don’t let anyone else dictate it for you. Find a rhythm that works for you and your baby. And don’t let pressure…
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Why Breastfeeding Matters to Babies and Mothers
This post was originally published today on the World Vision USA’s blog. When I visit low- and middle-income countries like Ethiopia, Zambia, the Philippines, and Tanzania, I am always heartened by the number of mothers I see breastfeeding their babies. Breastfeeding for so many of these mothers is the best and most affordable way for…
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Our Top 10 Most Read Posts of 2014
Over the course of this year we have shared a great deal of global health news and information, reports from the field in Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Tanzania, and the Phillipines, and have broken down some of the most pressing global health documents. That said, some of our posts received many more reads than others. Here is…
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How Mother’s Loving Support Encourages Breastfeeding in Zambia
Mother’s Loving Support is a non-profit volunteer organisation borne out of the founder’s desire to encourage and support women as they breast feed their babies while continuing to work outside the home. In Zambia, breastfeeding a child is a socially accepted and encouraged step with the coming of a child, but many women in urban…
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Turkana Children in Kenya Continue to Suffer Malnutrition Amid Poor Health Services
Last week, I travelled from the capital city of Nairobi, Kenya, to Turkana County which is in the northern part of the country. Turkana is a largely pastoralist community with a population of 855,000 people. The county faces major problems, chief among them recurring droughts which has for years crippled the county’s economic development. The…
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Sharing Moms’ Stories for #WorldBreastfeeding Week: Ebony #WBW2014
Today marks the end of World Breastfeeding Week, but we still have more breastfeeding stories to share after today. We believe that moms help fellow moms through personal stories. That’s why we will continue to share the breastfeeding experiences of new and experienced moms alike. No one wants to feel alone at 2 AM in…
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Sharing Moms’ Stories for #WorldBreastfeeding Week: Hope #WBW2014
One of the biggest concerns of breastfeeding mothers is whether or not they are producing enough breast milk for their babies. It’s a valid concern. Having a low milk supply can become an overwhelming frustration for mothers. Some turn to formula and others like Hope turn to pumping. When Hope didn’t think she was producing…
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![[Photos] B&W Historic Photos of Public #Breastfeeding in the US #WBW2014](https://socialgoodmoms.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/add-subtitle-text-1.jpg)
[Photos] B&W Historic Photos of Public #Breastfeeding in the US #WBW2014
Long ago in Internet years (about seven years ago) I was a staunch breastfeeding advocate and researcher (still am!). Back then I wanted to get to the bottom of why nursing in public was such a big issue in the United States. So, I started digging in the photo archives of the Library of Congress…
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Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates in Kenya Still Low
By Maryanne W. Waweru, Kenyan motherhood blogger and maternal/child health journalist based in Nairobi. As Kenya joins the rest of the world in marking the World Breastfeeding Week, health experts in the country are calling on more stringent efforts to be put in place that will encourage more women to exclusively breastfeed their babies. Though…
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Sharing Moms’ Stories for #WorldBreastfeeding Week: Jennifer #WBW2014
If there is one thing that is certain about breastfeeding it’s this: breastfeeding for every mother is different. Some mothers experience breastfeeding without any issues and others have difficulty getting their babies to properly latch or have problems producing enough milk at first. That’s why we believe it is important to share the stories of…
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Sharing Moms’ Stories for #WorldBreastfeeding Week: Bri #WBW2014
Even though some mothers want nothing more than to breastfeed their babies, sometimes unforeseen circumstances arise that make nursing difficult. In Bri’s breastfeeding story she discusses the issues she had when breastfeeding her first-born, Roree, and how breastfeeding eventually became easier and easier for her and her daughter. From the time she was 3 months…