and by Emma Dorsey
Thanks to Everyday Miracles http://www.everyday-miracles.org/
for the stunning breastfeeding pillows. After much consideration, we have
decided to use them in ´´mothers´ waiting houses,´´ where women from rural
areas come prior to their due dates in order to await labor. We will teach them
how to use the pillows for ideal breastfeeding positioning. We will also teach
women how to make such pillows for themselves and others back home. Dar a Luz
is accepting donations for fabric for these pillows, which will cost about $2.50
each. We are piloting a system where the mothers contribute the cost of the filling
of the pillows, which will cost less than $2 per woman. Volunteers who give childbirth education and breastfeeding classes in hogar maternos and healthcare centers, will demonstrate how to make and use the pillows, both building vocational skills and improving women’s breastfeeding experiences in their communities. This is incredibly important in Honduras, where breastfeeding is on the decline and hovers just below 30%. Many mothers here resort to expensive, unhealthy formula that contributes to malnutrition and diarrhea, both of which are endemic in Honduras.
We believe that these pillows are an ideal vehicle for grassroots mobilization towards more extensive breastfeeding.