The 10th Step and Beyond: Mother Support for Breastfeeding

The 10th Step and Beyond: Mother Support for Breastfeeding explores how different programs have supported the 10th step of the Ten Steps for Successful Breastfeeding. Virginia Thorley and Melissa Clark Vickers have brought together key people from countries around the world to describe what they are doing to support mothers to breastfeed. From Baby Cafes to La Leche League to male peer counselors, the authors in this book discuss the role mother support plays in helping mothers meet their breastfeeding goals. In the final chapters, the authors discuss why good programs fail and the ongoing need for financial sustainability.

The authors conclude that mother support is not just providing a mother-to-mother breastfeeding support group, it is also about the shopkeeper who encourages the mother to breastfeed in his shop, the passerby who smiles and congratulates the mother on feeding her baby in the best way, the employer who provides breastfeeding breaks, and the legislator who helps pass laws to prevent discrimination against breastfeeding mothers and improve mother-baby-friendly working conditions. It is about all of us working together to support the breastfeeding mother and make breastfeeding the normal way to feed a baby.

This book will give you ideas about tried-and-true methods of support than can be duplicated in your community to better support breastfeeding moms and help you plan for pitfalls that can cause your program to fail.

"The 10th Step and Beyond is about supporting the mothers. Virginia Thorley and Melissa Clark Vickers have brought together a truly remarkable mix of 26 people, a team that reflects both the global character of the issue, as well as its multidimensional nature."
-Professor Anwar Fazal, Chairperson Emeritus, WABA

The Chapters

Preface - Anwar Fazal

Part I: Mother Support as the 10th Step for Baby-Friendly Maternity Facilities

Introduction: Mother Support as Step 10 of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative - Virginia Thorley

1.     Why Breastfeeding Women Need Mother Support - Melissa Clark Vickers

2.     Mother Support as Part of the Self-Help and Mutual Aid Movement: Historical Overview - Virginia Thorley

3.     Mother Knows Best: La Leche League - Kaye Lowman

Part II: Mother Support Around the World: Examples

4.     Grassroots Mother Support as the Basis for a Large Organization: Australian Breastfeeding Association - Nina Berry

5.     Scandinavian Breastfeeding Adventure: The First Years (1968-78) - Elisabet Helsing

6.     Mother Support in Malaysia - Norjinah Moin

7.     Mother Support Group Experience in Paraguay - Pushpa Panadam

8.     Peer Counselors for Increasing Exclusive Breastfeeding: Experiences from Bangladesh - Rukhsana Haider

9.     The Baby Café - Catherine Purdoe & Julie Williams

10.   International Organizations and the Mother-to-Mother Support Group  - Maryanne Stone Jimenez & Judiann McNulty

Part III: Moving Forward: Overcoming Barriers to Mother Support

11.   Beyond the 10th Step: The WABA Agenda to Broaden Mother Support Worldwide - Sarah Amin, Rebecca Magalhães, & Pauline Smith

12.   Supporting Mothers of Infants in NICU - Beverly Rossman, Michelle Greene, Amanda Kratovil, & Paula Meier

13.   Breastfeeding Support Groups for Mothers of Multiple-Birth Infants and Children - Karen Kerkhoff Gromada.

14.   Overcoming Barriers Through New Technology: Support Via Text Messaging - Rebekah Russell-Bennett, Danielle Gallegos, & Josephine Previte

15.   Identifying and Overcoming Barriers to the 10th Step in Lalitpur, India - Komal P. Kushwaha

16.   Breastfeeding Peer Counselors in South Africa: Influences of Local Factors - Jean Ridler & Rosemary Gauld

17.   Sustainability: Why Good Programs Fail and What We Need to Know - Virginia Thorley

Conclusion: Going Forth from Here - Virginia Thorley

Authors: Virginia Thorley and Melissa Clark Vickers

Copyright: 2012

ISBN: 978-0-9847746-8-5

Total pages: 258

Softcover