Breastfeed Durham believes in supporting all families, including those that did not achieve their personal feeding goals. Unfortunately, there continues to be both medical and systematic reasons as to why supplementation is necessary:

• LGBTQ+ Gaps in Care
• Closing the Coverage Gap for Lactating Employees
• Promoting Breastfeeding as a Men’s Issue, Too
• Providing Additional Information/Guidance on the Formula Shortage
• Promoting the New Lactation Service Line
• And so much more...

For all of us at Breastfeed Durham, supporting families is personal. In addition to being Breastfeed Durham's Executive Director, Bernadette Greene is also providing long-term care for her grandson. On May 14, she ran out of formula. That day, Bernadette spent 14 hours packing, preparing, and hosting a family festival and health fair for the community, while simultaneously on the phone with her daughter-in-law discussing what to do about feeding her grandson. At 9 P.M. that night, Bernadette and Love Anderson sat staring at a gallon of whole milk and a bottle of soy milk, unable to find formula at any store, discussing what to do. Baby Logan needed to eat, and Bernadette was out of viable options. While we at Breastfeed Durham have a network of friends that are willing to milk-share, Bernadette wanted her daughter-in-law to feel comfortable with that decision. From the rising costs of basic necessities to contaminated peanut butter, we know that other families in Durham are struggling, too. Please share your lived experience with MomsRising, and help to impact legislation to make beneficial changes.

Save The Date

Advocacy Update

We are working as fast as we can to share information. Feel free to join our conversation in collaboration on Monday, June 6 and/or Monday, June 13 at 2pm at the following link: https://meet.google.com/xgf-iupz-ruf

• Historically, the Women's Birth and Wellness Center (WBWC) has been a source of great support for lactating families across the Triangle. They've been a particularly valuable member of our landscape of support because they accept clients with Medicaid. We are particularly concerned because a few weeks ago, every midwife at WBWC simultaneously resigned.  
• The Public Health Education Specialist at the Durham County Department of Public Health informed Breastfeed Durham that the newest grant for Improving Community Outcomes for Maternal and Child Health (ICO4MCH) starts on June 1. On May 26, the ICO4MCH team committed to supporting the development of a county-wide breastfeeding policy; however, they are unsure who will be hired to support that work. The Public Health Education Specialist, Bernadette Greene, and Love Anderson were contract employees with the health department. Their contracts are ending on May 31, and none of their contracts have been renewed. Over the next few weeks, we will continue to meet with the ICO4MCH team to discuss next steps.
• Last Thursday, Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities (Breastfeed Durham's parent organization) and Piedmont Health hosted a presentation for healthcare providers and local organizations from Durham, Wake, Orange, and Chatham Counties regarding the formula shortage. We would like to thank Bernadette Greene, Breastfeed Durham’s Executive Director, for doing a phenomenal job presenting. Supporting pregnant and currently breastfeeding families is more important than ever right now. 
• With funding, we would like to continue to advocate for families in Durham and implement the 10 Steps to a Breastfeeding Family Friendly Community.
• Our top priorities for fall include exploring/answering the following questions: Is there anything else Breastfeed Durham can do to open more lines of community involvement? How can Breastfeed Durham better facilitate cross-agency communication and engagement? How can Breastfeed Durham better support Duke Health systems to enable them to complete the Baby-Friendly Hospital designation? How can Breastfeed Durham better support the Durham County Department of Public Health and WIC?  

There is so much work to do in our community. We continue to advocate that the Durham County Department of Public Health develop a 5 year strategic plan for supporting lactating families.  

Stay aBreast