e-Blender #50: March 2018



La Leche League of New York                                  March 2018
e-Blender #50

The Area Leaders Letter

LLL NY Area Conference
October 27 & 28, 2018
Syracuse, NY
https://www.facebook.com/LLLNYConference/

Leader Department News
Haley Scribner, ACL 
How often do you have a Leader Meeting?

If you are fortunate enough to be in a Group with multiple Leaders, it is essential to have regular Leader Meetings so you are all on the same page about plans, finances, and upcoming events.
 
A Leader Meeting does not need to be formal or have a strict agenda (or maybe you don’t need one at all). Our Group has a Leader Meeting (in person) at least twice a year. We typically meet at our local Starbucks for about two hours and discuss happenings within the Group. We often look forward to these meetings.
The Group has seven Leaders, and we all have varying levels of Group involvement. Some of us run morning meetings, some of us run evening meetings, some of us handle budgets, some of us handle fundraising, some of us do home visits or take helping calls, and some of us (this is me right now) just make the agenda for the next meeting.
 
If you’re interested in having a Leader Meeting, but you have too many conflicting schedules to meet in person, consider using an online video chatting forum. The NY Area has a Blue Jeans subscription that is always available for Leader use!
 
Not sure what you might talk about at a Leader Meeting? Here are a few of the things we typically cover during our meetings:

  • Group Jobs: what we’re doing for the Group and if we think we need a change
  • Budgets and how we plan to use the funds we’ve raised
  • Fundraising plans for the upcoming year
  • Checking in on how each meeting is running since we don’t all attend all of the meetings
  • Ways to make our meetings better attended
  • What is needed from each of us from our Monthly Group Newsletter

If you are having regular Leader Meetings, what are some things that you talk about? How often do you have them? Send me an email and share – I’m always curious to see how other Groups operate!
 

The Area Team is happy to report very positive movement on inclusive language and LLLNY’s diversity statement. Please stay tuned for updates to our website and for opportunities for continuing education. Should you have any specific thoughts on this, the Area Team wants your input as we move forward. Contact the Area Team at LaLecheLeagueofNewYork@gmail.com to share your comments and to volunteer to help.

Leaders in the News
 

DeAnn Shaffner
Oswego, NY
315.243.7757
deeshaffner1206@gmail.com
Accredited Feb. 20, 2018
 

 

Welcome to  LLLNY

Kathryn Thomas
 352.215.5978                 
katiehill@gmail.com
Group affiliation: Liverpool
Accredited Feb. 14, 2018

Coming soon LLL NY new and improved website!

 
Revisiting Mixing Causes
Leader Accreditation and Publications Departments

Mixing Causes
Deb Pladsen, CLA
Adapted by Scarlett Miles, APC from Northern Lights,
LLL of Minnesota/Dakotas, Summer 2014
 
     When Leaders mix causes at LLL meetings, attendees may not get what they came for, which is breastfeeding information and support. Although we are aware of this, we sometimes forget exactly what it means to mix causes. The LLLI policy statement on mixing causes says, in part, “Helping mothers worldwide to breastfeed, so that they can learn mothering through breastfeeding, is the main focus of La Leche League work.” In addition, “The LLL Group is not to be used as a forum for a Leader’s non-LLL interests or to do the work of organizations other than LLL” (LLLI Policies and Standing Rules, Appendix 10).
 
     Sometimes it’s quite easy to avoid the promotion of non-LLL interests, but could you be promoting something without realizing it?  Leaders frequently use media are emails and Facebook. Do you have an automatic signature that gets attached to outgoing emails? It can be a useful tool when responding to helping situations. You may include your full name, contact phone number, email address, meeting information, etc. However, it may also be sending information that could be viewed as mixing causes. Please check your email signature to make sure you aren’t sending mothers links to religious organizations, home businesses, or other sites which are outside the scope of LLL. Some Leaders choose to close with an automatic signature containing an inspirational quote or personal message that is meaningful to them. Check these as well to make sure they aren’t political or religious in nature, nor should they promote something which conflicts with LLL policies. (If you have questions about whether or not something could be viewed as “mixing causes,” please contact your District Advisor (DA) for clarification.) The LLLUSA Social Media Guidelines include this timely guidance: Group participants may see your personal online activity. Consider this before “friending” Group participants. Your current profile picture can be seen on any post or comment you have ever made in some formats. If you utilize forums such as Facebook groups, keep any advocacy or advertisement off your profile picture and your cover photo to avoid mixing causes.
 
     Another place we can easily include things which would be considered mixing causes is when we create conversation prompts or meeting audiovisuals. When we include pictures from other organizations, which may reinforce the subject of the meeting, it may look as if we are endorsing that other organization.  Asking a co-Leader to preview your meeting materials is an easy way to catch anything which might be construed as mixing causes. If you have questions about whether or not something could be viewed as “mixing causes,” please contact your District Advisor (DA) for clarification.

 

LLL Mixing Causes

Finance Department News
by Aimée Readhead, AFC

Your 2018 Leader and Group Dues Invoice will be arriving soon. Watch your inbox!

Group Financial Report (GFR)

Every Group is required to submit a report so I can include the information in the Area Finance Report. Please check with the Group Treasurer or co-Leaders to make sure a report will be submitted for the fiscal year April 1, 2017-March 31, 2018. Click on the green link below to reach the GFR. If you require assistance, please get in touch with me, Aimée, FinanceNYLLL@gmail.com or 347.735.3009. Thank you all so much for your prompt support with this! 

CLICK HERE for GFR

PL Department News
Update to Breastfeeding with Influenza by Katie Lewis, APL

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recently revised its recommendations regarding breastfeeding and the flu.  This was done in recognition of the importance of immunological factors in a parent’s own milk in protecting babies from getting influenza and to keep their information current.  Here is a link to the CDC website: 

https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/disease/influenza.htm

The major change is that the CDC is no longer encouraging the breastfeeding parent to quarantine herself from the baby in the home if the parent gets the influenza virus. Instead, the CDC recommends that breastfeeding continue as normal. The CDC does point out that, in some cases, a parent’s milk supply may drop due to dropped feedings and dehydration. This article from http://www.kellymom.com has some good information to help avoid such a decrease in supply.  It can be shared with parents: https://goo.gl/tegjcg

Some parents may feel so ill that breastfeeding seems too taxing.  The above http://www.kellymom.com link suggests keeping the baby in bed with the parent, which a lot of parents find helpful.  In cases where a parent prefers to pump and have a healthy caregiver give the expressed breastmilk to the baby, the parent should be supported with information about feeding a breastfed baby in a way that protects breastfeeding.  Leaders may find these are helpful links to share: https://www.llli.org/breastfeeding-info/bottles/ https://goo.gl/a5wS5B

Many parents may find the CDC recommendations for cleaning a pump helpful as well: https://goo.gl/Xw53Vf

The CDC does suggest that newly born infants who are still in the hospital should possibly be separated from the breastfeeding parent.  It is not a blanket recommendation, however, and health care providers are encouraged to consider parental wishes.  This may be a source of confusion for parents and Leaders when sharing information. This link from the CDC explains precautions perinatal and postnatal parents and health care providers can take to help prevent the transmission of the influenza virus to a newborn: https://goo.gl/QZm9Cv

Leaders can help parents who are separated from their newborns in the hospital by sharing information about getting their milk production off to a good start with hand expression and pumping.  These articles might be helpful: https://www.llli.org/breastfeeding-info/hand-expressing/ and  https://goo.gl/Nu9EEp

As Leaders, our goal should be to share as much information as possible to help the parent make the best choice for the baby and the situation. 

Works cited:

“Breastfeeding.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 Feb. 2018, http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/disease/influenza.htm.

Lyford, Eva. “How to Bottle Feed the Breastfed Baby • KellyMom.com.” KellyMom.com, 8 Feb. 2018, kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/bottle-feeding/.

Leaders are talking.
 
“Now that the new LLLI website is up,
how do I get into the Leaders only section?”

 
Usernames will continue to be the LLL ID used on the old site.
If Leaders have issues logging in, they can access support
by contacting Hannah Abernethy at hannah@llli.org.
 
“Many of my LLLI links no longer work.
How do I find them on the new website or what do I do?”

While migrating all 5,000+ pages of content from the old site was not practical, we will be happy to retrieve something you reference frequently. Contact Lee Claassen at lee@llli.org to ask for the archived articles you need or
to report broken links.
 
Looking for an article? The old Leader Today site is still up and running.
Eventually, these will move across to the new site under the Leader side with password protection. http://leadertoday.breastfeedingtoday-llli.org
 

Did you catch LLL NY Leader Leigh Anne O’Connor’s piece,  Oversupply: Gift or Curse? Nov. 17, 2017, Breastfeeding Today   http://ow.ly/jstY30iukgc

USA  Helpline Update  
The LLL USA Helpline is set to reopen soon! We are seeking volunteers who will be able to return voicemails on the USA warmline. The warmline has been remodeled to be a quicker and easier form of collecting and returning phone calls to families in need of help. If you are interested, please fill out the Helpline form and you will hear from us shortly!

The LLLNY Area Team

ACL
Area Coordinator of Leaders 
Haley Scribner 
518.755.8713
hmscribner@gmail.com

CLA
Coordinator of Leader Accreditation 
Cynthia Massey 
607.562.7364
CynthiaMassey1118@gmail.com

APC
Area Publications Coordinator 
Scarlett Miles 
315.597.5426
LLLNYPublications@gmail.com

 

AFC
Area Finance Coordinator 
Aimee Readhead
347.735.3009
FinanceNYLLL@gmail.com

APL
Area Professional Liaison 
Katie Lewis 
917.575.3078
LLLNYPLDept@gmail.com

ACE
Area Coordinator of Events
Heather Gansky
518.209.6465
LLLNYACE@gmail.com

CSIC
Communication Skills Instructor Coordinator 
Mary Fay 
518.392.7919
MaryFayconnect@gmail.com​

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La Leche League is an international, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization dedicated to providing education, information, and encouragement to women who want to breastfeed. BLENDER and e-BLENDER are publications of La Leche League of New York, 125 Curtis Hill Rd E., Nassau, NY 12062 and are devoted to the enrichment and inspiration of Leaders and Leader Applicants.

Copyright © 2018 La Leche League of New York, All rights reserved.

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