We had our big World Breastfeeding Month celebration this morning on the
steps of our beautiful state capitol.  The Central Texas Healthy
Mothers/Healthy Baby Coalition presented our annual Hero of Breastfeeding
award to State Rep. Glen Maxey on behalf of his work helping get Medicaid
funding for donor milk.  This legislation greatly benefited the folks at the
Mothers Milk Bank at Austin.  Also attending was Dr. George Sharpe, one of
the co-founding neonatologists of our milk bank, many representatives from
the Texas Department of Health, and Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, Texas Health
Commissioner.  Dr. Sanchez and Rep. Maxey gave wonderful talks about the
importance of supporting breastfeeding, with Glen stressing the cost
benefits.  There were many mothers and babies in attendance, including some
Lactnetters, and they, of course, acted as the perfect visual aids.  We had
radio exposure, and there was a tv crew, so we hope to be on the evening
news as well.  After the event, the legislative committee of HMHB visited
the office of the person who helped some years ago with our  legislation to
protect women's right to breastfeed in public.  We have a new legislative
agenda, and are soliciting help from friendly legislators to further those
issues.

I bring this all up, because I think that for many years our movement has
not set our sights quite high enough in terms of taking on big projects and
trying to speak truth to power.  It's surprisingly easy to gain entry to the
halls of power, and to stage media events.  We don't expect to get
everything we ask for, but we need to start asking and start holding those
in powerful positions accountable for public policies on breastfeeding.

Barbara Wilson-Clay, BS, IBCLC
Austin Lactation Associates
LactNews Press
www.lactnews.com

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