Southwest Breastfeeding Task Force New Mexico

World Breastfeeding Week 2011

(August 1-5, 2011)

Report

Partners: First Born Program, Grant County Community Health Council, Gila Regional
Medical Center, WNMU Miller Library, WNMU Athletics Department, WNMU Audio Visual
Department, WIC, La Familia Resource Center, Hidalgo Medical Services, Grant County DWI
Program, NM Breastfeeding Taskforce, Silver City Lion's Club, Silver City Food Cooperative,
and Bad Kitty Bakery.

Summary: The Southwest New Mexico Breastfeeding Council had the largest celebration to
date in our region for World Breastfeeding Week 2011. The week's festivities include a
photograph contest for mothers and babies, annual awards for breastfeeding supporters,
WIC pampering over 200 breastfeeding mothers, and an event to honor parents at Western
New Mexico University's Miller Library (a previous award winner for creating an on-campus
lactation room). Over 400 people participated in this year's WBFW events. With our
diversified events we had wider participation by the community and our message reached a
larger audience including returning WNMU students as the contest photographs were on
display from August 2 - 22, 2011 including the first week of classes. Student, Cronn Chavez,
said when he saw the display at the library during WNMU freshman orientation, "I went
over to look because I remember being a baby on the WNMU campus, and it was great to
see other babies and their mothers' pictures!"

                                                     Mom & Baby Special Moments Photograph Contest : We brain-
                                                     stormed in the council meeting how to garner wider appeal and
                                                     participation by the community in World Breastfeeding Week. The
                                                    Council decided all parents should be encouraged to participate, especially
                                                    with an event which appeals specifically to families.
                                                    The Council decided on a Mom and Baby Moments Photograph Contest.
                                                    WNMU Miller Library kindly offered up their lobby as a display area
                                                    and to host a special screening of the acclaimed
                                                    documentary, Babies. The Miller Library
                                                    Mother's Comfort Committee agreed to judge
                                                    the co ntest, no easy task. The council members
                                                    volunteered to seek donations for prizes from
                                                    the community. The Health Council and WIC
                                                    offered to be drop off locations for photographs
                                                  . The Health Council designed and printed flyers;
                                                    they also wrote and distributed press releases
                                                     to local newspapers and online community
                                                     forums. The First Born Program, WIC and HMS
                                                     notified their clients of the contest. To make it
                                                     easier electronic photographs of all varieties
                                                    were accepted. All entries required a photo-
graph release to be signed. Over 50 entries were eceived in the three
categories: Tender moments, Humorous moments and Outdoor moments.
The DWI Program donated their display board, whille the Health Council
created the display.

2011 Breastfeeding Week Honorees: Each year the council honors three entities that have
advocated and supported breastfeeding in Grant County.
This year's honorees were:
Individual - (right) Stephanie Guck was honored for her
personal and professional commitment to breastfeeding as
a WIC peer educator and the mother of nine breastfed
children.
Small Business - Bear Creek Herbs was honored for their
continued support of breastfeeding mothers with their
custom Mother's Milk Tea and alternative medicines.
Large Business - Hidalgo Medical Center was honored
for their support of breastfeeding mothers in the workplace
and the inclusion of a lactation room in the design of their
new Silver City Clinic.

WIC Pampers Mothers:
Friday, August 5, 2011 beginning at 9 a.m. in the Grant County Business & Conference Center Women Infant and Children's Program invited 236 mothers who are breastfeeding from their region to a day of pampering with donated food, haircuts, manicures and massages. These women have saved the community $739, 388 by choosing to breastfeeding their infants. Each one saves $1,733 for the first year in the cost of infant formula and an average $1,400 in health care (just in the first 6 months of the baby's life). What a great way to thank mothers' because their choices can save their family and community millions of dollars. Each year WIC goes all out to give a little back to their mothers for all they do for their children and community. Each one of these mothers is a star to us. Thanks WIC!

World Breastfeeding Week Celebration:
Friday, August 5, 2011 at 5 p.m. in the WNMU Miller Library Lobby WNMU
Miller Library offered a venue for the display of the Mom and Baby Moments
Photograph contest entries and event. The display was available from
August 2-19, 2011, and according to library staff the display garnered more
interest from students and community members than any display they have had.
The WNMU Video Department helped with equipment for the Friday,
August 5, 2011 awards and winners' event and the screening of Babies. The
Audio Visual Department also sent a photographer. Two WNMU Football
players saw the display while it was being set up and offered to sing a
traditional Hawaiian lullaby for the event (see video and photo at left). The
Silver City Food Cooperative and Bad Kitty Bakery donated food for the
event, as did WIC, and all council members brought an appetizer. The NM
Breastfeeding Taskforce mini-grant for World Breastfeeding Week supplied
t-shirts for all attending children with breastfeeding advocacy logos (see
photo above right). We had the largest participation to date from the community
at our event. Over 90 individuals attended including 35 children. Many families
stayed for the screening of the acclaimed documentary, Babies. Reflections on
World Breastfeeding Week 2011 in Grant County: This year's observance of World Breastfeeding Week was our most successful, and yet our most challenging due to our limited council participation. Though we have several dedicated members, many were pulled in two directions on Friday (Aug. 5), due to the coinciding day for the two major events (WIC Pampering moms and WBFW Celebration at WNMU Miller Library). We have decided to set the two major celebrations on different days in the future so council members can have more opportunity to participate in both events. In review, the council was astounded with the incredible participation of the community and generous donations that made the events such successes. Grant County is truly a breastfeeding friendly community!