Dear Readers,
It is an exciting time to be feeding and nurturing a little one! While breastfeeding remains the central means to health-protective factors when feeding a baby, a better understanding of lesser-known ways to provide human milk in special circumstances—such as exclusive expressing (also called “exclusive pumping”)—is spreading across much of the globe. The message that is growing clearer is it is important to honor other cultures and individuals’ medical or personal decisions to breastfeed or human milk feed in ways different than our own.
For example:
- Breastfeeding during the confinement period, as in traditional Japanese and other Asian cultures (see “New Baby Life in Japan: Adopting Customs and Finding My Own Way”),
- Nursing with a sling that has a tail, if you personally want some privacy (check out “Spotlight on Babywearing in Kuwait”),
- Breastfeeding a toddler or young child in public—as depicted by one of the children and teen contributors to this issue’s “Breastfeeding Through Our Children’s Eyes” artwork collection, or
- Exclusive expressing on the go with a portable breast pump (read “Life as an Exclusive Expresser”).
This is a “first” for us, having a children’s artwork collection in our relaunched Breastfeeding Today. And it is a tradition we hope to continue in future years. In each Breastfeeding Today issue this year, you will be hearing the word “first” somewhere, as part of the 2020 “Firsts” campaign for La Leche League International—a reminder to everyone that human milk is the ideal first food.
We hope this issue’s pages will inspire you to cheer on other parents of little ones, both in your home city and across the globe. Together, we can honor the many faces that represent feeding with liquid love.
Warmly,
Karen Williamson
Managing Editor