Take any one of a number of hot topics currently being discussed in Idaho and beyond – insurance (or the lack thereof), access to healthcare in rural communities and protecting against discrimination in the workplace – and you can draw a direct line to breastfeeding.
“There’s the PUMP [for Nursing Mothers] Act and some FLSA laws that definitely impact the breastfeeding family unit,” said Pattie Armor, board member of the Idaho Breastfeeding Coalition since its inception.
Armor, and scores of her colleagues – nurses, lactation specialists, dietitians, counselors, doulas, midwives and physicians – will be gathering June 23 and 24 for the coalition’s 8th annual summit, this year tilted “Back to the Roots.”
“The workforce that supports breastfeeding in Idaho is strong, especially in the Treasure Valley,” said Armor. “We have a common goal helping to meet those families’ feeding needs.”
Idaho’s breastfeeding statistics are strong, particularly “exclusive” breastfeeding, which is to say breastfeeding-only versus breastfeeding at first but then transitioning to infant formula.
“Breast milk is a living property. It’s dynamic. It changes with what the mother eats. It changes with where your environment is. It changes with the age of the child,” said Armor. “But infant formula … it’s the same thing over the baby’s growth and development time.”
Armor visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the breastfeeding versus formula debate, breastfeeding advocacy in Idaho and the coalition’s upcoming summit.
Find reporter George Prentice @georgepren
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