Thinking about New Year's Resolutions? Take the Motherwear Pledge and enter to win a $100 gift certificate!

Welcome to the third Carnival of Breastfeeding!  This month's theme is New Year's Resolutions for the Breastfeeding Mother.

Four other bloggers have written on this theme: Jen, at The Lactivist writes about her three new year's resolutions, Sinead at Breastfeeding Mums contributes "New Year's Resolutions:  It's Time for a Change!", Angela at Breastfeeding 1-2-3 writes about exercise for new and breastfeeding mothers, and Andi at Mama Knows Breast resolves to get organized this year.

Also this month I'm happy to bring you two guest bloggers, the mothers behind Natural Mom's Talk Radio, who has written about her parenting goals, and Momma's Little Angel, who has written about her resolutions for The Second Year.

For my part, I've designed a special pledge - the 2007 Motherwear Pledge - for you to take to support breastfeeding in 2007.  Don't worry - it'll be painless, and you'll be entered to win a $100 gift certificate.

This month's Motherwear survey, which you'll find here, asks you to pledge to do your choice of 3 things to support breastfeeding in 2007.  Completing the survey enters you in a drawing for a $100 gift certificate.  I'm providing links below to help you knock out several right now.  Periodically I'll post a poll to keep track of our progress.

Here they are.  Remember, the survey will ask you to pledge to do at least three of these ten things.  More is great, too!  You can share your progress in a poll here. 

1)  Say something supportive to a woman you see nursing in public.  I get a little shy about things like this, but I'm committed to doing it this year.  You can say "I'm really happy to see you nursing here," or "Thanks for nursing in public," or even "I think you're a great mom for nursing here."  Any other suggestions?  Write them in the comments section.

2)  Thank someone who is/was an important source of support to you during breastfeeding. This could be your husband or partner, a friend, a nurse, your mom, a lactation consultant, a doctor, or even your older children.

3)  Check that your pediatrician is using the new WHO growth charts for breastfed babies.  The charts are available here.  Why are these charts important?  See #4 of this post to learn more.

4)  Help a woman who is having breastfeeding difficulty. You can do this by helping her solve a breastfeeding problem yourself, referring her to a source of expert help, or listening to her concerns.  Links to lactation consultants, phone and email hotlines, and La Leche League meetings are on the sidebar to this blog. 

5)  Make a donation of any size to an organization that promotes breastfeeding.  Some suggestions are The International Breastmilk Project (see their Run for Africa fundraiser), domestic donor milk banks, La Leche League, UNICEF, your state local or state breastfeeding coalition.  I figure that making your Motherwear purchase through the Help Moms and Babies Worldwide program also counts.  Have another suggestion?  Post it in the comments section.

6)  Print out the new International Symbol for Breastfeeding - available here - and post it somewhere public. If you can, talk with the management of a store, office, or other public place to see if they will adopt the symbol in policy.

7)  Talk to at least one pregnant woman, or a woman who has not had children yet, about the benefits of breastfeeding. This will be easy for me because I teach prenatal classes.  For you, think about friends and family members with whom you can share your experience.

8)  Learn what the laws in your state say about breastfeeding in public, pumping at work, and breastfeeding and jury duty.  Knock this one out right now by clicking here!

9)  If you have breastfed, take about 1% of the money you saved by not buying formula (about $15 per child), and buy or do something for yourself to celebrate your success.  I'm all over this one.

10)  Sign an e-petition or send an email to your representatives on an issue related to breastfeeding or maternal/child health. Get this one done now by clicking here to sign an e-petition asking the TSA to change its rules for bringing breastmilk on board airplanes, or check the Promom.org's 3 Minute Activist site for more opportunities to show your support.  Keep reading this blog for more alerts during the year.

Comments

[Tanya Lieberman]

Hah! I got #1 done at breakfast this morning! A woman at the next table was nursing, and I told her that it was great that she was nursing in public. 1 down, 9 to go (for me).

[Beth]

Happy New Year!
I love this list. So many of the things on this list are so easy to do! #1 is my favorite. When I see another mom nursing in public, I try to at least make eye contact & smile, if not say hello or something encouraging. Thanks for these ideas, Tanya. Now I'm motivated to see how many I can do.

[Joanna Patraw]

I love these ideas. I too will start working on #1. I often see moms nursing babies in public, but have yet to talk to anyone. This should be fun. One of my favorite sightings of breastfeeding in public was several years ago at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco!

[Krista]

Let's see... I did #1, #4 (I hope, I wrote an article about learning to nurse/overcoming challenges), and #6-10 all within the last two months. I will have to do #2, #3 & #5 soon. :)

[Alex]

You guys are great. I have been exclusively nursing my daughter (our first) since she was born five months ago. I nursed her through the very difficult beginning stage where she wouldn't latch on and would just scream, and just recently through a very painful clogged milk duct. I'm really proud that I've made it this far and hope to make it at least the first year.

I teach college classes but most of the day I'm somewhere private to nurse, or I pump. I buy motherwear clothes because they keep me warm while nursing-I have never nursed in public. I wish I wasn't so self-conscious, and I was wondering if any of you had advice? I'm very large breasted (with an average frame, so it's pretty disproportionate) and that makes me feel more nervous about it-and less confident that I can do it discreetly. Which is silly, because it's totally natural and it has never bothered me if any other woman did it in public, so why should I care?

I resent the idea that I should feel embarassed and strange, but then all these women say to me "I would too" (women who gave up nursing in the hospital) as if there is something to be embarassed about. We also moved to a new community recently where I don't know how the nursing climate is, so to speak. Anyway any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[Tanya Lieberman]

Hi Alex,

You're great for having stuck it out through those challenges!

Here are a few thoughts about nursing in public: If you're not feeling totally comfortable at first, you could try a place that's sort of semi-public for the first few times. Maybe the dressing room at a clothing store, or a "new mothers" room if you can find one. Some women I know chose to nurse in public for the first time at the hospital where they delievered (maybe that's not possible since you moved) or the doctor's office waiting room because they feel protected by the staff (who are - hopefullly - supportive of breastfeeding). I found that you can find a more private spot in a lot of locations like parks, restaurants, stores, if you hunt around a little. Slings and nursing covers work well for some women, too. It gets more comfortable feeling pretty quickly, I found.

Also, keeping in mind why you're doing this - the amazing health benefits to the baby and you (see recent post about studies from this year alone), the bonding, the convenience - can give you the confidence to do something that feels a little akward at first. You can read a number of nursing in public stories, including one of mine, in the "About this blog" category (scroll down to "My nursing in public story").

Through the links on the sidebar to the blog you can find a LLL group, where you can meet up with other nursing moms, and get some good tips that are specific to your community. Motherwear has some thoughts on nursing in public, too, under "Motherwear's breastfeeding resources," also on the sidebar.

Any thoughts from other readers are welcome!

Good luck, Alex!

[jteamsmom]

I just want to thank you for the information on the WHO's new growth chart. Our 9 month old daughter is measuring below the third percentile on traditional charts and although she still breastfeeds and eats some solids, I was feeling tremendous pressure to possibly supplement with formula. On the new chart, she weighs in just below the 15th percentile, thank you for letting me know my peanut is just the right size!

[Tanya Lieberman]

jteamsmom,

That's so great! I have to admit that, as someone who comes from a family in which 5 ft is considered tall (at least in my mom's generation), I have a particular interest in setting the record straight!

I wish that everyone knew about these charts... Hope you'll spread the word!

Tanya

[Olena]

Hello,
thanks for so many great ideas.
We'll use them in Ukraine! :)