Hi everyone,
It was fabulous to meet and chat with many of you at the recent Health Professional Seminar Series. I was present in Sydney and Brisbane and enjoyed catching up, hearing about your work and answering your questions about ABA and our many services.
NEW addition to our Professional Membership
Introducing Student Memberships with access to all the features of full priced professional membership without the hard copy of Breastfeeding Review and Essence, and discounted online education. More information here Memberships Australian Breastfeeding Association for Health Professionals (abaprofessional.asn.au)
Are you a Professional Member? If so we have updated your annual FREE online education offering. This year it is ‘Fathers and Breastfeeding: Engaging them in the journey’. This one is now free for members and $30 for non-members.
Our free Covid-19 public forum brought together experts in the field of infant and young child feeding, with the aim to provide updated information to health professionals who care for women, families, and their babies, regarding breastfeeding in the context of COVID-19 and considerations around the vaccination for women who are breastfeeding.
Our expert panel guests were Dr Karleen Gribble, Western Sydney University, Dr Nina Chad, World Health Organization, and Prof Lisa Amir, La Trobe University and Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne. The event was chaired by Melbourne-based obstetrician, Dr Nisha Khot.
Professional Development points are now available for this event which was recorded and can be found via the Professional Development tab at: www.abaprofessional.asn.au
In late 2020 the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) invited submissions from interested parties in relation to an application by the Infant Nutrition Council that represents the major infant formula manufacturers, for an extension of the MAIF agreement in its current form for another 10 years.
The MAIF Agreement is Australia’s response to the World Health Organization’s International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (WHO Code) and plays a role in limiting the inappropriate marketing of infant formula.
ABA and other organisations and individuals made submissions to the ACCC regarding this extension of the MAIF agreement. ABA will be attending a Pre-determination Conference in April, 2021. ACCC is accepting submissions up to 13th April, 2021.
Mary Paton Research Award 2021
The Mary Paton Research Award recognises and celebrates outstanding breastfeeding research. An invitation to submit an entry for the 2021 Mary Paton Research Award is now open. The Australian Breastfeeding Association Information and Research team is very pleased to announce that, in 2019, the prize is $5000. The award is sponsored by Ardo breast pumps.
The aim of the award is to support and encourage research into all aspects of human lactation and breastfeeding. Topics covered in winning papers in past years include:
Reducing sleep-related infant mortality through understanding factors associated with breastfeeding duration.
A better alternative: Why women use peer-to-peer shared milk
Attitudes to infant feeding decision-making — a mixed-methods study of Australian medical students and GP registrars
Breastfeeding a preterm infant and the objectification of breastfeeding
Mastitis in lactation women: Physiology or pathology.
Previous year’s winners include Roni Cole, Nicole Bridges, Dr Karleen Gribble, Marie McLaughlin and Dr Wendy Brodribb.
For guidelines on submitting papers for the Mary Paton Research Award go to: https://abaprofessional.asn.au/events-media/mary-paton-research-award/mary-paton-research-award-submission-guidelines/
For queries, please contact Breastfeeding Information and Research on (03) 9690 4620 or bir@breastfeeding.asn.au.
As usual if you have any feedback about this newsletter or any of our services, we are more than happy to hear it, send to: info@breastfeeding.asn.au.
Take care,
Naomi Hull
Senior Manager Breastfeeding Information and Research
