Team member spotlight on Natasha

Natasha and her husband Chris

Our team member spotlight of the week is of Natasha.  She is our breastfeeding peer counselor here at the NEMS Birthing Project.  She supports and educates mothers in their choice to breastfeed their babies and is there with them every step of the way.   Here is what she has to say:

“My name is Natasha Long and I am a breastfeeding peer counselor at the Northeast Mississippi Birthing Project.  I have a college degree in computer programming as well as I have my certification as a breastfeeding peer counselor. I have five children, and it’s three girls and two boys.  What I love most about being a part of the NEMS Birthing Project is the fact that I have met an awesome group of women that are great to be around as well as they show everyone love and respect.  Great women to get advice from.   I love the support and education that I am sharing with the women in my community.  My biggest accomplishment is seeing how I have the opportunity to encourage women to have their own voice.  They have learned to  ask questions about what they don’t know or understand as well.  Also, I am getting more women to breastfeed for longer periods of time then they originally planned, and educating the family about breastfeeding.  The one thing that I would have in my bag are the balls that shows the size of a baby stomach and the reason is because most people are visual learners and when you can show them what you are talking about then you can get them to understand.  My goals as a breastfeeding peer counselor is to improve my communities premature birth rate, breastfeeding rate, to educate them with the knowledge and information, truths and myths about breastfeeding, and share my breastfeeding experience with them.

My goals in life are: to become financially stable, to show people in the community that you can do anything that you can put your mind to as long as you are willing to put in the work, to show my community to never give up and  to continue to fight for what they believe in.  In my free time I enjoy reading, playing softball, going to church, and spending time with my family and friends.  My favorite quote is: “The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. And the first to forget is the happiest.”  My favorite scripture is: ” I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.” The last thing that I want anyone to know about me is  I  am a loving, honest, trustworthy, loyal, straight to the point, caring person that believes in helping anyone that wants to help themselves.”

Interested in working with Natasha towards your breastfeeding goals?  Feel free to contact us at 662-269-3123 or instantly on Facebook.

 

Breastfeeding, Pumping, and Working for Change

I recently came across this article about exclusively pumping breastmilk to bottlefeed babies, and the consequences it may hold for children. Possible health consequences (increased chance of contamination, foremilk/hindmilk imbalance, increased risk of ear infections) aside, this quote from the original article over at Being A Mom brought up another consideration in the discussion about exclusive pumping:

“There’s also a danger that moms will go straight for the pump and never even attempt to breastfeed their babies, and that the availability of efficient pumps will make it more difficult to argue for the importance of legislated maternity leave.”

Pumping is an option for mothers who MUST work to support their family, but exclusive pumping is not the ideal situation that women should strive for. Whenever women are viewed as employees first and mothers second, then the health of babies and families will suffer. Instead of making breast pumps more portable for use while working, we should return the focus to ensuring that mothers and babies receive the best start from birth. We can achieve this goal by:

• Placing the baby on the mother’s chest after birth for skin-to-skin bonding
• Providing patient, one-on-one support to mothers and babies breastfeeding for the first time
• Helping the mother find breastfeeding peer support in her community once she leaves the hospital
• Continuing to educate our friends and loved ones about the benefits of breastfeeding in order to reduce the stigma around it
• Providing adequate, paid family leave to allow mothers to rest, heal, and establish a tight bond with their baby before returning to work

For more information about the advocacy work being done around increased family leave, visit Moms Rising to learn more about how you can contact your U.S. Senators about the FAMILY Act.

In Peace,
Zola