Dear Readers,

I am so happy to present this new issue of Breastfeeding Today.

October is a month of many celebrations, starting with World Breastfeeding Week (WBW), which recurs from the first to the seventh of October in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and Sweden.

In her article “Green Feeding: Breastfeeding for a Healthy Planet”, Britta Boutry-Stadelmann, beginning with this year’s WBW theme, explores the concept of “Green Feeding” in relation to breastfeeding, and shows us how our health and the environment benefit from it.

October is also the month of Breast Cancer Awareness, an annual international health campaign organized to increase attention for the disease and to raise funds for research. 

“Valentina’s Story: Beating Breast Cancer to Become a Mother”, an emotional interview with a fearless mother – Valentina Lamanna – shows us how even the toughest of battles can be won. Carla Scarsi, with her gentle touch and her vivid language, will take us through the most difficult and joyful times of Valentina’s story.

To accompany the touching prose of Valentina Lamanna’s story is a sensitive and accurate article, “A Beautiful Story…”, written by Fedro Alessandro Peccatori, MD Ph.D., oncologist and gynecologist. Dr. Peccatori is one of the pioneers of oncofertility in Italy and shares with us his experience in helping women make their wish for motherhood and breastfeeding come true. He also reminds us, as Valentina’s story shows, that listening to and trusting patients are a fundamental part of the healing process.

Trust also starts with believing in ourselves. As Caroline Powell tells us in her article “The Benefits of Antenatal Colostrum Harvesting”, having confidence in our own abilities can give us the strength to face the most challenging and unpredictable moments of our lives. For Caroline, antenatally harvesting those precious drops of “liquid gold” allowed her and her baby to enjoy their first moments together in harmony.

Last but not least, something new for our magazine! Our first book review, kindly written by Laura Jessup, dedicated to Hilary Flower’s Adventures in Tandem Nursing: Breastfeeding during Pregnancy and Beyond, a second edition recently published in 2019.

I hope you will enjoy this October issue as much as the authors, the Editorial Review Board and I have loved making it.

Warmly,

Valentina Attanasio
Managing Editor