The Breastfeeding Initiative of Ulster County had their one-year birthday party at the Kingston Farmer’s Market during breastfeeding week. Successful mothers, helpful fathers, agencies, businesses, and individuals all joined to be honored with certificates, “Nursing Mothers Welcome” DVDs and cake and cookies. Senator Tkaczyk was represented, she has been a breastfeeding mother and said she would love to help.
One highlight was a mother who was honored for donating to a milk bank. Women were also celebrated for longevity as nursing mothers, and breastfeeding in difficult circumstances. Supportive fathers were nominated for awards by their wives, and many excellent community organizations like WIC, La Leche League, YWCA, BIUC, and Northern Dutchess Hospital received awards.
Here are a few of the inspiring stories that resulted in nominations:
Shelia Dvorak: An amazing mother who in the face of severe adversity and health problems continues to drive long and far to obtain pumped milk for her daughter.
Shaquoia Hilton: A young mother who successfully breastfed through a year in a homeless shelter while working towards independence. She is now pumping at work and is a true model of inspiration.
This letter was sent in to nominate Miriam Pickett: I’m nominating Miriam Pickett for breastfeeding me and my sister in the 1970s for goodness sakes! When my mom was pregnant with me, her mother was very sick. She knew that she would probably pass away but she wasn’t sure if it would be before or after I was born.
She went into labor on Rosh Hasshana and her mother was making a big dinner to celebrate. My mom didn’t want to let on that she was contracting because she didn’t want to excite her mother and put her into cardiac arrest. My mom actually went food shopping, cooked dinner with her mom and sat for a big dinner, all while she was having contractions! So eventually she couldn’t hide the fact that she was in labor. I was born 4 weeks before my due date and my mother and I were separated after I was born. They actually knocked her out and she doesn’t remember the delivery at all. She said she woke up and I was gone and her mother was dying. Her mother passed away two weeks after I was born. My mother was depressed. She had planned on breastfeeding me, but as she put it her milk ”dried up” while she was depressed.
So, cut to the funeral then sitting shiva at her father’s house. She was sitting there and I began to cry ( as babies do at the most annoying times) and her mother in law, my father’s mother, picked me up and carried me into another room and shoved a bottle in my mouth. My mother watched this, became extremely pissed off, snatched me back and put me to the breast. The rest is history!! She nursed me exclusively after that. She built up her supply and never used another bottle again. Please send us your inspiring nursing stories and or photos we can share. We want to encourage nursing anytime, anywhere!