The Niagara Region Breastfeeding Coalition would like to thank the following women for sending out this e-mail and compiling the following letter. 

Please consider supporting our endeavours by supporting their cause. 
Danielle Arnold
Mom2Mom Toronto
Administrator
www.mom2momtoronto.ca
and
Greenmom Inc.
www.greenmom.ca

“Breast is Best.” 
That's what they tell us. And yet what is our government doing to support breastfeeding women in our country?

Right now in Toronto, The Newman Breastfeeding Clinic & Institute considered a world leader in breastfeeding education and support, is pleading for donations. Because without new funding, the Clinic is in serious danger of closing down.

The Newman Breastfeeding Clinic lost all Government funding in 2005, and since then has relied on the sole support of a private donor. That funding has now come to an end.

Right now the Clinic helps over 2500 mothers every year, and is place of last resort for mothers who aren't able to find help from other clinics or from private lactation consultants, doctors, or public health nurses.

and so to repeat: what is our government doing to provide the best start in life to it's newest citizens?

Many families have written to their provincial Ministry of Health, asking for funding and better breastfeeding support. The replies to these outcries are  form letters full of empty words and typical governmentese platitudes about how they are "Exploring how to integrate breastfeeding approaches into a comprehensive continuum initiatives into maternal and pediatric health...."

It means nothing. And they are doing nothing.

Now it's time to change this.

A letter has been written to the Government of Ontario telling them that their so called “support” is seriously lacking and asking them what initiatives are being developed by the Ministry of Health to address breastfeeding support and education and also, the time lines for those initiatives to be implemented.
We are asking that everyone please send a copy of this letter to their local MP, and to the Minister of Health of their province. Please forward a copy to the following email address, as we are hoping to present a collection of all of the letters to the government in person. 
daniandnick@hotmail.com

And if you are one of the many many women in Canada who struggled to breastfeed and couldn't find the support or information or the help you needed, please tell your story- tell your MP and Minister of Health about how the system failed you!!

So please spread the word far and wide!!! Ask your friends and family to speak out! and stay tuned for more news, join our Facebook group: Breastfeeding in Canada, a call to our Government!

Dear Sir/ madam


As I am sure you are aware, World Breastfeeding week is celebrated in Canada the first week of October and the Canadian Breastfeeding Challenge takes place across Canada during that week.  I would like to focus our government’s attention on the health of our children and the policies that are needed to insure that they are receiving the best possible start in life.

We know that "Breast is Best".
We know that Babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of their life and that breastfeeding should continue for up to 2 years and beyond.
We know that breastfed babies have a significantly lower risk of many major health problems. A more important consideration however, is that formula fed babies have a much higher risk of asthma, diabetes, gastrointestinal issues, obesity and ear infections. All of  which  lead to increased emergency room visits and hospitalization, adding unnecessary costs to our already strained  provincial health care system.
It is also important to remember that women who have breastfed are have a reduced risk of ovarian and cervical cancer, osteoporosis, post-partum depression. The longer a woman breastfeeds in her life, the lower her risk of breastcancer.  One study in Iceland suggests a 50% decrease if the mother breastfeeds 2 years or more.


We know these things.  So why are more Canadian mothers not breastfeeding their babies?

At this moment breastfeeding support is provided at many hospitals which are  funded by the Local Health Integration Networks.  The government promotes breastfeeding through the Healthy Babies, Healthy Children program and through the Public Health Mandatory Health Programs.

On paper this may seem like enough support, enough funding.  But obviously it is not when the following statistics are considered.

The latest facts tell us that 90% of mothers in Toronto initiate breastfeeding  in the hospital at birth. However,  after they are discharged, these number fall drastically. Many stop breastfeeding in the first month, and by six months of age, the number plummets to only 17% . The reason is  simple : they do not have the support they need to properly initiate breastfeeding, to insure that they continue to  nurse effectively, or to aid them in overcoming the problems and issues  they may encounter.

At this moment there are only 9 hospitals in Canada which have achieved the WHO/UNICEF "Baby Friendly" Status.  There is not enough education about breastfeeding within the Canadian medical community.  Women  should be learning about breastfeeding and receiving support from  the medical professionals they are closely in contact with,  ie  their  obstetricians & midwives, maternity care nurses and public health nurses.  In order for them to be able to provide effective support and information, those professionals need to first have access to the information themselves. New mothers regularly receive conflicting information from the very professionals on whom they rely to aid them in establishing breastfeeding.  I believe that our government needs to encourage all Canadian hospitals to attain "Baby Friendly" Status. In so doing , medical personnel  within our hospitals and out in our communities, need to be further educated on the support that new mothers require to initiate and continue breastfeeding successfully.  They need to be educated on  the latest information and studies regarding breastfeeding and infant health.  This would also be achieved by educating and employing more Lactation Consultants (IBCLC)


I realize that both the MOHLTC and MHP are continuing to collaborate on issues concerning maternal and infant health, including breastfeeding and that the staff are exploring how to integrate breastfeeding approaches into a comprehensive continuum of initiatives on prenatal, maternal and paediatric health.   I would like to know exactly HOW they are approaching these initiatives, what initiatives are being developed by MOH to address breastfeeding support and education  and also, the time lines for those initiatives to be implemented.

I would like to call upon you, our elected government officials, to move forward and initiate new  policies with regards to providing the necessary support to breastfeeding women in Ontario.  The support that is in place right now is obviously lacking and without new policies and new funding, Canadian infants will not receive the support they need for the best possible start in life.

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