BBC named CHAMPion of the Week!

Our sincere gratitude for the honor bestowed upon us by naming us 'CHAMPion of the Week' by the Center for Health Equity, Education and Research for our commitment to the promotion and support of breastfeeding in the border region. It is a privilege to be recognized for our work and dedication in such a vital issue for the well-being of our communities.

Nuestro sincero agradecimiento por el honor que nos han otorgado al nombrarnos "Champion of the Week" por el Center for Health Equity, Education and Research, por nuestro compromiso con la promoción y apoyo a la lactancia materna en la región fronteriza. Es un privilegio ser reconocidos por nuestra labor y dedicación en un tema tan vital para el bienestar de nuestras comunidades.

April 2023 Newsletter / Boletín para abril 2023

March 2023 Newsletter / Boletín para marzo 2023

Newsletter / Boletín: Feb 2023

Jan 2023 Newsletter / Boletín Enero 2023

The Border Latch / Gran Tetada Fronteriza 2022

The Binational Breastfeeding Coalition partnered with the Empowerment Congress- Borderland Breastfeeding Initiative to host the 2022 Border Latch, an event to promote breastfeeding in public. According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), in 2019, 83.4% of women ever breastfed mainly during their stay for baby’s birth, then at three and six months exclusive breastfeeding rates plummet to 52% at 3 months and 29% at 6 months. The World Health Organization and the American Pediatrics Association recommend breastfeeding for two years and beyond. It’s unfortunate that breastfeeding rates are low considering the benefits it offers to babies, mothers, household income, work place, education, the environment, the health system and the economy at local, state, national and international levels.

The Border Latch brings breastfeeding parents together to form a bond through shared experiences in which they feel they are not alone in their breastfeeding journey. The event took place on Friday August 5, 2022 at the front lawn of the Sunland Park New Mexico City building. Sixteen Mother-Baby pairs participated as well as two pregnant women. They all in turn brought the rest of their family members to the event.

Health professionals from Doña Ana County, NM and El Paso, TX set up information tables. In the Sunland Park Library adjacent to the front lawn, two breastfeeding exhibits were presented. The first one, titled “Anyone can Breastfeed”, created by the National Perinatal Association, depicts colorful images that suggest that anyone can breastfed regardless of race, ethnic group, gender (chest-feeding), or occupation. The second one, titled “Breastfeeding El Paso and Ciudad Juarez”, shows images of breastfeeding across the border area.

The event was covered by 5 local news outlets and it was well received in the New Mexico Colonia area. The Binational Breastfeeding Coalition also partnered with Ciudad Juárezand on Saturday, August 6, Ciudad Juárez hosted the Gran Tetada Fronteriza. Together at both events, 81 mothers breastfed simultaneously for this year, breaking last year's record. In 2021, the event was hosted via Zoom where 74 mothers participated.

Look Who's Talking Lecture Series: April 30 Webinar Recap

Ms. Brooks is an internationally known author, lawyer, and speaker whose expertise is the legal and ethical aspects of providing lactation care. She has published books and many articles on these topics and can be found through her website lizbrooksibclc.com. This was a web-based professional educational training for El Paso County, Texas, and was also available worldwide to anyone with access to Wi-Fi. The Binational Breastfeeding Coalition (BBC) employed an interpreter for simultaneous interpretation into Spanish.

The two individual lectures that were given were:

1. The Right Way To Say “You’re Wrong” (90 minutes)

2. The Recipe for Discussing Formula Requests (90 minutes)

In total, 122 individuals attended the training in full and received credits. Those who completed the training also received 30-day access to a recording of the webinar, handouts and a Certificate of Completion. Of these 122 individuals, those providing services in El Paso County, Texas numbered 44.

These attendees broke down as follows: (keep in mind some may overlap)

• 88 Board Certified Lactation Consultants and Certified Counselors

• 46 Registered Nurses and Licensed Professional Nurses

• 12 Community Health Workers

• 8 Dietitians

• 3 Medical Doctors

The question and answer sessions following each lecture were lively and entertaining with many questions pertaining to the Baby Friendly 10 Steps and to the ethics of formula provision in the hospital. Many attendees were from Mexico, and there were over 10 US states and 4 countries represented among the attendees.

The BBC has gained a reputation of providing high quality, low cost lectures over the past four years and has built a following. As this was the 10th year anniversary of BBC, to celebrate we charged $10 for registration. The BBC worked with the following professional organizations to offer continuing education credits:

• IBLCE, International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners: This organization provides credits for Lactation Consultants, and in this case provided 3 ethics credits, known as E-Cerps.

• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: This organization provides credits for dietitians and in this case provided 3 Continuing Professional Education Credits.

• University Medical Center of El Paso: This organization provided 3 Contact Hours for nurses.

In addition, many organizations worked with BBC to provide a variety of support, and we thank them all with deep gratitude. Among the organizations were:

• American Heart Association

• El Paso Public Health WIC Program

• El Jardin Birth and Family Resource Center

• El Paso Health