May Coalition Meeting & Mental Health Awareness

Boston Breastfeeding Coalition Newsletter

The Boston Breastfeeding Coalition is committed to improving access to breastfeeding support for every parent in Boston, promoting connections between individuals and organizations that engage in breastfeeding advocacy, and supporting pathways for professional lactation counselors.

Tonight: Vital Village Network Connection Meeting !

Join Vital Village , Child Witness to Violence Project , SPARK Center , Care Dimensions , and community partners as we work together to raise awareness, build understanding, and uplift community strategies to support mental health for every child and family. Our family-friendly evening includes activities covering mental health de-stigmatization, trauma-sensitive & creative coping strategies, and sharing community resources. Attendees also have the opportunity to enter a raffle for a Train From Within holistic health and mindset coaching session with network member, Kiyoshi Hiyashi.

State Representative Liz Miranda is making a special appearance. Rep. Miranda represents Dorchester & Roxbury and is a mental health champion in the State House.

Dinner will be provided. MBTA accessible. Street & lot parking on Vine St.

Coalition Gains National Recognition

The Breastfeeding Coalition has recently been accepted as members to the United States Breastfeeding Committee ! We are honored to join a Committee that is fostering a landscape of breastfeeding support across the country. Congratulations to all coalition members & partners on this achievement: your unwavering commitment is the heart of this work.

May Coalition Meeting

Save the date for the May Coalition Meeting on Thursday, May 23rd!

As the Coalition continues to grow and gain more local and national recognition, this is an important moment to examine how we can collectively strengthen the Coalition's impact. The May meeting will focus on how advocacy, outreach, and professional development can be leveraged to help grow the coalition.

The meeting will be from 12:00 to 2:00 at 85 E. Concord St (lunch served). Please RSVP here .

Scholar Support: Maternal Mental Health Night

Support needed: A facilitator to lead discussion about maternal mental health for breastfeeding scholars.

In celebration of May Mental Health Awareness Month , our next Scholar Support Night will be Maternal Depression & Breastfeeding: Developing Community Resilience, where we will learn more about the effects of maternal depression on breastfeeding and what peer counselors can do to support moms with mental health struggles.

We are currently seeking support from someone who has training in mental health, specifically maternal mental health, to help facilitate the discussion. If you would be interested in supporting, or know someone who would be, please reach out!

We will meet on May 28th at Frugal Bookstore from 6:00 to 8:00. Please RSVP here.

Job Opportunities: Baby Cafe & WIC

Upham's Corner Health Center is currently hiring a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor (16 hrs/ week) to provide breastfeeding education and support to women enrolled in the WIC Program. Applicants must be a current or previous WIC participant. See the job posting here.

Boston Medical Center is currently hiring two trained peer counselors to support the Codman Square Health Center Baby Cafe, which meets Mondays 5:00 to 6:30 and Wednesdays 2:00 to 4:00. This is a paid, per diem opportunity. ROSE Community Transformers, CLCs, CLEs, and other trained peer counselors are all encouraged to apply, here .

NOTE: When you first click on the link, the page may say that the position is no longer available. However, please search "Baby Cafe" in the search bar, the position will appear. We have confirmed with Human Resources that the position is still available.

Black Breastfeeding Week Planning Committee

Annually in August, Black Breastfeeding Week is dedicated to amplifying unheard voices and addressing cultural barriers in the breastfeeding community. For the past two years, Coalition members have formed a planning committee in celebration of Black Breastfeeding Week to show our support in Boston! The 2019 Committee has just begin planning events but would love more voices to be included.

If you are interested in joining the planning committee please email Amita and fill out this Doodle poll f or our second planning meeting.

Events & Leadership Opportunities

5/18: Community Baby Shower @ Morning Star Baptist Church - Opportunity for outreach

6/27: Save the Date! - STEPS Conference

9/23: Save the Date! - Breastfeeding in the Bay State Conference - Registration open!

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