Welcome to 2015 and a new newsletter look!  We needed something FRESH!  As we all yearn for warmer temperatures and spring, we thought that this would be the PERFECT breastfeeding photo to share with you.  Thank you to Logan and Leiten for this beautiful image.  Hopefully green grass returns sooner than later.  2015 has already been pretty exciting for the coalition as we had our first annual Mommy Fest in Marshfield.  We had about 50 moms partcipate in the fun, relaxation, education and shopping.  We are excited to see where this event goes in the coming years!

We are busy preparing for our 2015 Milky Miles 5K and something NEW and exciting in Wisconsin Rapids.  Stay tuned!  This year we have some great plans in the works including a scholarship for individuals interested in obtaining a lactation credential, a breastfeeding support group and more!

Thank you for your continued support of the Wood County Breastfeeding Coalition!
-Amber France and Leah Meidl
Co-Chairs of the Wood County Breastfeeding Coalition
 
 

Upcoming Events!
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April 18, 2015 Milky Miles 5K and Family Fun at Wildwood Park in Marshfield.  Click here for more details and to register: http://www.woodcountybreastfeeding.org/Events/Marshfield5K.aspx

June 22-26, 2015 Certified Lactation Specialist Course in Wisconsin Rapids offered by Lactation Education Consultants.  Register or find out more information at: http://www.lactationeducationconsultants.com/course_clsc.shtml


Peer Support: Vital to Breastfeeding

After our Mommy Fest, it was exciting to see a new Facebook group emerge!  The group, entitled Marshfield Baby Wearing Mommas provides a place for mothers to network, ask questions and support one another (while learning about baby wearing).  They even have their first event planned.  Seeing the success of this, and knowing that countless research articles have highlighted the importance of peer support and breastfeeding, the coalition decided to create a Facebook group just for breastfeeding moms in and around Wood County.  The group serves as a place for moms to share pictures and stories, ask questions and overall, just support one another.  In this busy world, it it often difficult for moms to find time to attend formal groups etc, so this group is there for them all the time!  We currently have 35 group members and many more are welcome! Members of the coalition and lactation professionals are also members of the group and weigh in on important issues and questions.  Interested in joining the group?  Visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wcbreastfeeding/


Another exciting peer support endeavor of the Wood County Breastfeeding Coalition is the planned development of support groups for breastfeeding mothers.  Saint Joseph's Hospital has plans to implement a breastfeeding support group this summer.  And, indefinite plans exist to start a support group in Wisconsin Rapids as well.  Stay tuned for more information.

Currently, peer support is available to all WIC participants through the WIC peer counselling program.  "Significant increases in initiation, duration, and exclusivity were observed among women who received support from a peer counselor or other lay person." http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/pdf/strategy4-peer-support.pdf

Peer support is incredibly important and this year, we are working hard to increase peer support in a number of ways.
Announcing: Scholarships for Lactation Credentials

We are excited to announce our first year of offering one scholarship to an individual who wishes to obtain a lactation credential.  The scholarship will cover the cost of either:

-The course fees for a Certified Lactation Speclialist program
-The course fees for a Certified Lactation Counselor program
-The examination fee to take the IBCLE exam

Any individual who lives, works or attends school is Wood County is eligible to apply.  The coalition plans to offer this scholarship each year.
  
Mommy Fest Was a Success

Our first annual Mommy Fest was a success!  A BIG thank you to Rachel Rademan for planning the event.  And thank you to all of the many coalition members who helped with the Mommy Fest in any way.  We had a large number of vendors with lots of great items and resources for mothers.  Additionally, we had some fabulous educational tables!  One of the favorite tables seemed to be the baby wearing table.  Next year, we would like more hands on tables like this one for moms.  We had a total of 48 participants.  Hopefully each year the participant numbers will increase! We were also extremely excited about all of the positive media coverage for our event.  We are making breastfeeding mainstream one news report after the next!

Thank you to all of the vendors who came to the event as well.  We are looking forward to what the future holds for Mommy Fest.

Additionally, we recently had a Facebook poll about offering an event in Wisconsin Rapids.  The winner was a Family Fun Day!  The coalition will be discussing and making future plans.  Stay tuned!




Keep up on the latest news for breastfeeding in Wood County!
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