Infant Nurture

Guess who's the guest speaker for this upcoming career webinar!?

Details of the webinar content are below, and you can sign up using the link at the bottom. For those in Perth, the event is at 8am on Thursday 18 March.

"Parenthood is a wonderful time. You are excited for the arrival of your new bundle of joy. But as the big day inches closer, you start to get worried - will a maternity leave set back your career that had been rocketing up so far? Will you be considered any less leadership material when you return to work? And how will you continue supporting breastfeeding when you go back to office?

And yes, even if most of us are currently working from home, the anxiety around 'going back to work' is real.

Join us live on 17th March at 7 pm ET as we talk with Kerry Smith, Founder of Infant Nurture about how to effectively manage the transition: the before, during, and after your maternity leave.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS WEBINAR:
-Practical tips on maintaining connection with your employer while away on maternity leave
-Planning your transition back to work
-Getting support for breastfeeding

https://lnkd.in/gWtPA5F

Just when you thought breastmilk couldn't get any more amazing...

A study just released by the American Society for Microbiology showed that repeated milk samples collected from 18 women following COVID-19 diagnosis did not contain SARS-CoV-2 RNA.

Importantly, the study found that milk produced by infected mothers is a source of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA and IgG and neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 activity.

These results support recommendations to continue breastfeeding during mild-to-moderate maternal COVID-19 illness as milk likely provides specific immunologic benefits to infants.
https://mbio.asm.org/content/12/1/e03192-20

In Australia, roughly 250,000 women return to work each year after giving birth, and around half of these have babies less than 12 months old.

Research shows that return to work is associated with weaning 3-4 months sooner than the mother had wanted to.

Breastfeeding after return to work is important for both mother and baby; the antibodies in breastmilk provide protection against infections, and breastfeeding offers a way to reconnect and ease feelings of separation anxiety in mother and/or baby.

For these reasons and more, it is important that the employer plays an active part in supporting women who return to work and wish to continue breastfeeding.

Want to know more? Contact [email protected] to book your breastfeeding return to work seminar today!

Following return to work, milk supply may drop for some parents for a variety of reasons. Feeding or expressing less often, being away from your baby, extra stress, not drinking enough water and so on.

To help maintain milk supply and allow you to breastfeed for as long as both you and your baby wish, some parents find squeezing in an extra feed or two before and after work, and feeding more frequently on your days off, is a great way to boost/maintain supply.

When I returned to work full time with my first (@ 8 months old), I did not know this and within a few weeks my supply had virtually disappeared and my baby weaned herself through lack of interest in an empty tank! When I returned to work with my second (@ 11 months old), I found on my 3 consecutive workdays I'd gradually express less and less. On my 4 consecutive days off, I'd squeeze in some extra feeds and by the next week, supply was back up again. I expressed in my lunch break for a few months but we were able to continue breastfeeding before and after work and on days off until she weaned naturally.

These great tips and more are covered in detail in my Breastfeeding & Return to Work seminars, now ready to go! Contact [email protected] to book yours today!

Infant mortality risk is linked to formula usage, and babies are more likely to be given formula where their parents see advertising messages, or a doctor, mother or relative recommended it. Parents who start using formula are more likely to stop breastfeeding before 12 months of age (Social Science & Medicine).

The international code of marketing of breast-milk substitutes (WHO) aims to protect and promote breastfeeding by ensuring proper use of breast-milk substitutes, when these are necessary, on the basis of adequate information and through prevention of advertising or other form of promotion to the general public of any breast-milk substitute for babies less than 12 months old, including giving away free samples. This is why toddler milks, for babies over 12 months old, were created – to allow legal advertising of formula.

In Australia, this is managed through a voluntary self-regulated agreement called the Marketing in Australia of Infant Formulas (MAIF). Individuals, members of industry, community and consumer groups are able to lodge a complaint with the Department of Health alleging a breach of the MAIF Agreement. However, in developing nations, compliance to the WHO code sometimes does not occur, and national agreements may not be in place.

This results in advertising and promotion reaching the most vulnerable, economically disadvantaged societies in the world, where successful breastfeeding can literally be the difference between life and death.

Infant Nurture is a social enterprise business with 50% of profits from Return-to-Work seminars donated to breastfeeding support organisations in developing nations.

Contact [email protected]

Meet the face behind the name!

My name is Kerry, and I love supporting breastfeeding parents to reach their breastfeeding goals.

My career as a breastfeeding supporter started when I was 2 years old and wearing my ‘breastfed is best fed’ t-shirt, took pride in handing out brochures at the breastfeeding classes my mum used to run for midwives. I grew up listening to mum help solve all sorts of breastfeeding challenges, and later, when I breastfed my own babies and started helping other parents myself, I realised that most of the challenges over the decades were exactly the same.

Do I have enough milk?
How do I prevent sore ni***es?
Why is my baby crying?
Can I return to work and still breastfeed?

I loved helping parents find solutions to their challenges, and in doing so empowering them to breastfeed with confidence.

I helped support parents with breastfeeding alongside a high-pressure role in the corporate world for about 10 years but when I was affected by layoffs in late 2020 it gave me a rare opportunity to take stock, connect with my purpose and passion, and consciously decide, “What next?”

I always loved the science behind breastmilk. The fact that breastmilk cells can “eat” cancer cells; that specific antibodies are produced when either mother or baby are exposed to germs; that fewer babies die of SIDS when they are breastfed; that breastmilk has stem cells.. and so it goes on. It truly amazed me.

I got stuck though on how to turn this passion into viable business. One day, I was listening to a podcast by Simon Griffiths, founder of Who Gives a Crap, a social enterprise business who sells toilet paper in developed nations and donates 50% of profits to building dunnies in developing nations. Light bulb moment! I knew what I could do.

Knowing that 820,000 children’s lives could be saved every year if all children were optimally breastfed (source: WHO), I decided I could deliver Breastfeeding & Return to Work seminars in developed nations and donate 50% of profits to breastfeeding support organisations in developing nations. Supporting businesses to support breastfeeding parents helps maintain workplace diversity, improves morale, supports employee retention and improves health outcomes for babies. Donating to breastfeeding support organisations in developing nations improves survival rates in vulnerable children. It’s a win-win-win!

I can’t wait to continue with breastfeeding support and make the world a better place at the same time.

If you’d like a Breastfeeding & Return to Work seminar at your workplace, contact me on [email protected]. I’d love to help you out.

Most mothers return to work after parental leave with a strong work ethic, determined to prove that they can deliver for the business AND express milk for their baby.

Sometimes, this may mean prioritising a meeting or an all-day workshop over her own need to express breastmilk. When there is a sudden long stretch between expressing or breastfeeding, this can lead to blocked ducts or even mastitis, both painful conditions that can leave the mother quite unwell.

It is important mothers feel safe and confident to put their own health needs first. A great way to do this is to schedule 'block-out' time in your calendar to express, and to let your manager and team know when you are not available for meetings.

The need to express milk for a baby is transient, and research shows that mothers who take time out of their day to express their breastmilk do not suffer negative repercussions in career progression.

Colostrum, the first milk produced when starting breastfeeding, is highly concentrated and nutrient dense so it is the ideal nourishment for a newborn. Up to two thirds of the cells in colostrum are white blood cells that guard against infections by producing antibodies that can neutralise bacteria or viruses, especially diarrhoea.

Colostrum is rich in a crucial antibody called sIgA, which protects against infection by lining the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory systems, and this offers protection against illnesses the mother has already experienced.

As well, colostrum helps your baby poo (which clears jaundice), is high in Vitamin A (for good vision), magnesium (for heart and bones) and zinc (for brain development).

For all these reasons and more, it is important that babies are breastfed within 1 hour of birth and are given no other fluids other than colostrum until the mature milk ‘comes in’, unless medically indicated. In some developing nations, cultural beliefs prevent the baby receiving this ‘liquid gold’ in the early days of life. This usually comes down to inadequate pre-natal breastfeeding education and inadequate support in the post-natal period.

Want to make a difference? Help us to help them. Book your breastfeeding & return to work seminar today, and 50% of profits will be donated to breastfeeding support organisations in developing nations.
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If you have returned to the paid workforce, study or other commitments, you may be pumping at your workplace to provide milk for your baby.

It can be harder to trigger the letdown reflex or milk flow when expressing, especially if you are in a cold, sterile environment.

Try warming yourself up with a wheat bag or some extra clothing, look at a photo of your baby or smell an article of their clothing, and take a few moments to relax with some deep breathing before you start.

Did you know...

Of the under-5 deaths that could be prevented in the 42 countries with 90% of worldwide child deaths, exclusive breastfeeding is the leading intervention.

Although over 90% of women initiate breastfeeding in these developing nations, exclusive breastfeeding rates remain low.

Infant Nurture is a social enterprise business with 50% of profits donated to breastfeeding support organisations in developing nations.

Help us to help them; book your breastfeeding and return to work seminar today!

email [email protected]

TOP TIP

Before returning to work, visit your child's childcare setting and expose yourself to the germs!

When a mother comes into contact with germs in her environment, she makes antibodies to fight those germs. These antibodies pass into the breastmilk and therefore on to the baby. Since a mother and her baby are generally in contact with the same germs, this helps protect her baby from the illnesses they are both exposed to. The main type of antibody in breastmilk is IgA. IgA antibodies protect the internal surfaces of the body, such as the mouth, stomach, intestines and lungs. These antibodies are not digested by the baby. Instead they coat the gut and block the entry of infections that could otherwise cause illness.

A fully breast‐fed infant receives as much as 0.5‐1 g of secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) antibodies daily, the predominant antibody of human milk. MIND BLOWN!

Did you know...

Employees who are breastfeeding may experience discrimination at work if employers do not provide reasonable measures to assist or support breastfeeding. By not providing breastfeeding and expressing facilities and flexible lactation breaks an organisation may be discriminating against breastfeeding women and may be breaking the law.

Do you know how to support breastfeeding parents in their return to work? We can help.

contact: [email protected]