Hi Nathalie,
Glad that you are well and in the  position to do something to help. I'm 
seeing if I can find some people to put you into contact with.
I can say without a doubt that calls for donations of milk (and it is any 
milk that is an issue, not just formula) will come. This is especially the 
case if the message that stress dries up breastmilk is being propagated 
(it's only one step from the mothers have no milk to we must give mothers 
milk). Being in Santiago, you are in a good position to impact what happens 
from that end.  So  for starters, I would suggest you organise your friends 
and colleagues to write letters to the editor of the paper about that photo 
and give them good messages (I email you some resources privately). I would 
also suggest, pre-emptive action with other media outlets. Does LLL have a 
presence in Chile? Are there other mother support organisations or an INFAN 
groups with which you can co-operate?  USE THE MEDIA. They have the best 
opportunity to reach many people. And address the concerns that are 
relevant. The belief that milk dries up because of stress is very , very 
common.  It's not enough to say that this just doesn't happen. Mothers are 
stressed beyond belief- their babies are fussy at the breast as a result- 
they and others see this, they draw the conclusion that the milk supply is 
compromised. It's really important to acknowledge what mothers and others 
are seeing. Yes, the babies are behaving differently, no, it does not mean 
that the milk is gone- it is in fact physiologically impossible for 
breastmilk to "dry up overnight". Some explanations might help (one possible 
mechanism is that oxytocin release is delayed, mother milk supply may also 
be down a little because of dehydration or less frequent feeding) but 
really, what is needed are solutions and regardless of the cause , the 
solution is to encourage the mother to feed frequently and to support her- 
give her a safe place to be with her baby, give her food and water, 
encourage her to think about how wonderful her baby is.
Just a few thoughts before I tend to my own baby.
Karleen Gribble
Australia


--------------------------------------------------
From: "Nathalie C." <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2010 4:39 AM
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: [LACTNET] From Chile re: earthquake and lactation promotion

> Dear Lactnetters,
>
> I just got electricity back and want to thank everyone who sent me 
> personal messages regarding the potent earthquake that we suffered last 
> Saturday. It was horrible and the longest 90 seconds of my life. My family 
> and house are OK.
>
> I have been sending all the mothers I know info from WBW 2009, the 
> Operational Guidance on Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies, 
> v2.1 from ENN and would like to know how best to communicate this 
> information to the part of the country that has been destroyed. Karleen 
> Gribble can you email me?
>
> This morning I have seen a picture of a newborn baby in the newspaper, 
> with a bottle in his mouth and the lines under the pictures were something 
> like : this baby was born during the earthquake and his mother "lost her 
> milk". This myth is widely believed. The appeal in the newspaper is for 
> diapers, charcoal, water and food but no mention of milk of any sort. That 
> for me is a good thing but yet, nobody has spoken out for breastfeeding.
>
> I am rather far from the zone of total destruction. What is the best way 
> that I can work from a distance and let mothers and people in general know 
> about the importance of human milk and breastfeeding? I want to put my 
> energy where the message has a chance to be heard. Someone suggested we 
> print up leaflets to distribute, something very simple and to the point.
>
> I hope some of you can chime in!
>
> From shaken Santiago de Chile,
>
> Nathalie Clermont LLLL
>
>
>
>
> 
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