Canada Breastfeeds News
Canada’s first baby-friendly birthing centre!
La Maison de Naissance Mimosa in Saint Romuald, QC, is the first birthing centre in Canada to receive the Baby-Friendly designation. The birthing centre, which is primarily staffed by midwives, has about 200 births per year and boasts 100 per cent breastfeeding initiation. All mothers are followed for the first six weeks post-partum when breastfeeding remains at 88.5 per cent. Congratulations to La Maison de Naissance Mimosa for achieving the demanding standards required for BFI designation and to the Quebec Breastfeeding Committee (CQA) for leadership and commitment to promoting the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Initiative.
Quebec expands parental leave
Quebec is initiating new parental leave policies that will for the first time extend benefits to mothers who are self-employed. Under the new arrangements, the federally-run program has been turned over to be administered by the province. Parents are eligible to receive 55 per cent of their income to a maximum of $39,000 for 50 weeks. Mothers can take off up to 50 weeks and fathers a maximum of five weeks. This will be the first time that self-employed mothers can take advantage of maternity leave benefits. Quebec parent leave grows. The Globe and Mail, March 2, 2005.
College of Family Physicians endorses Global Strategy
Mothers and babies will benefit from the recent endorsement of the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. The Infant Feeding Policy Statement 2004 recognizes the importance of breastfeeding for both infants and mothers, in the short term and to reduce the risks of chronic diseases. Additionally they note that the risks of formula feeding include inadequate micronutrient content, the variety of contaminants leading to withdrawals from the market, decreased neurodevelopment and lower IQ and a higher incidence of overall morbidity and mortality. Noteworthy is the recognition of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and that "marketing and promotion (of breastmilk substitutes) should not be conducted anywhere in the health care system."
Health Canada and Canadian Paediatric Society (finally) recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life
Both Health Canada and the CPS have finally extended their recommendation for exclusive breastfeeding from four to six months to a full six months. Citing the nutritional, immunological and emotional benefits of breastfeeding, the recommendation is at long last consistent with those from the World Health Organization and The Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. To date over 80 countries have adopted the WHO recommended duration of exclusive breastfeeding as part of their national policies on infant and young child feeding.
Code-compliant Mother
and Baby Kits: Northwest Territories lead the way!
A series of kits for pregnant and new mother funded by the Government of the Northwest Territories and partially by the Government of Canada, leads the way in providing mothers with useful, healthy and safe items for herself and her baby. The kits are part of the Early Childhood Development Framework for Action and are a series of four – distributed to all mothers from pregnancy, at birth and when her baby is six and 12 months of age. Intended to support new families, the kits contain helpful items such as a diaper change bag, sleeper, disposable camera, baby washcloth, baby books, a First Year Calendar, stickers, milestone moments picture frame, shopping list, potholder and more…
The Birth Kit distributed to all new mothers and their
babies in the Northwest Territories contains no free
samples or promotions for formula feeding.
We welcome Vicky Bourassa as the new coordinator of INFACT Quebec. C.P. 323, Granby, QC J2G 8E5, tel: (450) 360-3800; fax: (450) 360-3801; email: infactquebec@videotron.ca Much thanks goes to Suzanne Lemay, former coordinator, for her many years of work and commitment in making progress to establishing breastfeeding as the norm!