Preparing Resilient Communities Pre-Disaster, Part 1
During emergency response is a hard time to keep babies safe. The best time to prepare communities to feed babies safely during the aftermath of a disaster is before an emergency strikes – during what we call “blue sky” times.
With Norma Escobar, we explore key concepts in emergency preparedness for safe infant and young child feeding in emergencies (IYCF-E), including the idea that breastfeeding becomes a child survival strategy when safe water and electricity are unreliable. Next, Love Anderson shows how western North Carolina had already laid the groundwork for the success of the SAFE Team years in advance with community breastfeeding support and a strong network of infant feeding and perinatal professionals. She also explains how any community can do the same by implementing the 10 Steps to a Breastfeeding Friendly Community.
Topics with Time Stamps
00:00:00 – Introduction and homework review
00:07:31 – The Emergency Cycle, Emergencies Begin & End Locally, & Why Networking is Essential
00:10:49 – Gaps of IYCF-E Work in Emergency Preparedness
00:15:13 – Understanding Readiness vs. Response & Your Job
00:17:25 – Why Breastfeeding as Emergency Preparedness?
00:27:25 – Preparing Families for Emergencies – The Story of Love and Where This Work First Started
00:31:07 – Ten Steps to a Breastfeeding Family Friendly Community – Overview and Steps 1-5
00:42:42 – Ten Steps to a Breastfeeding Family Friendly Community – Steps 6-10
00:47:44 – Recognizing the Importance of Equity in All Components
00:51:05 – First/Next Steps
01:02:05 – Sponsor Appreciation & Homework
01:07:03 – Q&A
Session 7 homework
- Review Handouts
- Learn Your Community’s Breastfeeding Baseline Statistics
- Work on the 10 Steps to a Breastfeeding-Friendly Community Self-Assessment
- Continue (or Start) your Resource List
- Complete the Evaluation
Full instructions, with everything you need for each step, are on the homework page. The handout is the same material as a printable PDF.
Finished? Complete the session evaluation.
Handouts and Links
- Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities – 10 Steps Overview
- Breastfeeding Baseline for IYCF-E & 10 Steps
- 10 Steps to a Breastfeeding-Friendly Community Self-Assessment
- Continue (or Start) your Resource List
- Contact@BreastfeedingCommunities.org
- Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities Resources
- CDC Breastfeeding Report Card
- WIC Breastfeeding Data
- WIC Breastfeeding Data Local Agency Dashboard (includes most recent reported year)
- Ready, Set, BABY – UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
- Ready, Set, Baby
- Medicaid Coverage of Breastfeeding Support & Supplies
Keep going with us. The SAFE Support and Strategic Core meets quarterly as a free mastermind for people putting IYCF-E into practice — shared problem-solving, peer support, and updates from the team. See the dates and register.
Please Support Our Efforts
If you find this training helpful, please support our efforts with a financial donation. Click below and select “SAFE Team” to earmark for IYCF-E education and disaster response support.
Thanks to our sponsors
This work is free because these people and organizations paid for it.
Marcia Brady Tucker Foundation
A private family foundation dedicated to supporting charitable organizations that align with its mission of giving back. Grants are made only as a result of the Foundation’s own initiative.
Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities
Provides technical assistance to breastfeeding coalitions and health departments across the US, using the Ten Steps to a Breastfeeding Family Friendly Community. The SAFE Team is a project of BFFC.
In memory of Elsie Perry
Elsie Perry was a founding mother of La Leche League Boston in the 1960s. A gift made in her memory by her daughters funded an eleventh month of this training series.
BabyBjörn
Founded in 1961 and still family-owned, with a mission to make everyday life easier for parents with babies. If your community needs emergency baby gear, reach them at care@babybjorn.com.
Confident Pregnancy
Helps people be healthier, feel more confident, and find their inner strength. Tips for staying calmer and more resilient under stress at MelindaDelisle.substack.com. DBA Melinda Delisle Innovations.
Birthstone Center for Appalachian Perinatal Resilience
Strengthens perinatal health in Western North Carolina by centering families, uplifting birthworkers, and advancing equitable access to lactation, doula and maternal mental health support.
Sponsor this IYCF-E training
Interested in sponsoring or partnering with us? Get in touch.
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These materials are shared under the SAFE Team Open Source Use Agreement — please reuse and adapt them, with attribution.