We had a great party for breastfeeding mothers this Friday - clown, cake,
etc...  The WIC staff outdid themselves in making a large room festive and
welcoming.  

We also gave out 13 awards - to those who have done above and beyond their
jobs in supporting breastfeeding - from a mom who gave us permission to use
her picture for a poster and reaches out to another mom to the health
insurance company that gave us $$ to pay for 13 people to attend a 5-day
breastfeeding training.  

Our program included having Helen Thomson, a state representative - who
surprised me by speaking about being asked to leave a restaurant in 1967
when she was breastfeeding her 10 day old baby and how her shy
father-in-law bonded with her that day by standing up to the staff.  Thirty
years later, we have a law on the books that makes this action illegal -
though at times we must inform people of this fact.

Now we are working on laws to provide women time to pump - and another one
to return funds that our governor removed from the Maternal and Child
Health County funds!  (My position is funded with those funds.)

The fights never end, but it was great to hear Mrs. Thomson speak with such
vehemence about the importance of promoting, protecting and supporting
breastfeeding.

Jeanette Panchula, BSW, RN, PHN, IBCLC
Vacaville, CA

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