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October Lactivism Challenge!  

post #1 of 21
10/8/08 at 8:03pm
Thread Starter 
ctober is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!:

I would like to issue a Lactivism Challenge for the month of October-- how can you (gently, kindly, and respectfully, of course) get word out that breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer for both mother and child? Perhaps you can write a letter to the editor, submit an article, share an experience with someone. Maybe you can post an article on your blog or your social networking site. Maybe you can thank a publication for sharing the information.

So, there's the challenge. Come back here and share what you did!

Some articles:
Breastfeeding Cuts Breast Cancer Risk

Breastfeeding vs. Breast Cancer Risk?

Study: Breast-Feeding Decreases Cancer Risk
post #2 of 21
10/8/08 at 9:21pm
I will take that challenge!

On a side note, I was extremely disheartened to see that Oprah didn't even mention it on her show when asked "what women could do to prevent breast cancer." It didn't even get a nod. :
post #3 of 21
10/8/08 at 9:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by randomacts View Post
I will take that challenge!

On a side note, I was extremely disheartened to see that Oprah didn't even mention it on her show when asked "what women could do to prevent breast cancer." It didn't even get a nod. :
Well see, you could write a letter!
post #4 of 21
10/9/08 at 3:14pm
I wrote up a little blurb summarizing the research findings and posted it on my Facebook account, and then shared it with my 500 friends. Nothing special, but perhaps someone will learn something they didn't know...
post #5 of 21
10/9/08 at 4:44pm
For those of you who post videos on their blogs, here's one of my favorite pro-breastfeeding ads- it mentions the breast cancer correlation first thing. Plus it promotes public breastfeeding!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ_cHpunck0
post #6 of 21
10/9/08 at 4:54pm
Going to write a letter to the editor of our weekly newspaper. They have a health page every Wednesday and hopefully I can get on that page.....will keep you updated!
post #7 of 21
10/9/08 at 5:13pm
Blog written!
post #8 of 21
10/9/08 at 5:29pm
I posted a blog on my myspace about it.
post #9 of 21
10/10/08 at 1:53pm
Subscribing to the thread to remind myself to blog about it soon.

I'm also planning to participate in Blog Action Day (on poverty on October 15), but unfortunately just learned about it now and just used up my energy on that topic recently when I wrote about Lactivism and the Homelessness Problem. Now I have to think of something else to write related to parenting and poverty.
post #10 of 21
10/10/08 at 2:23pm
I just had a thirty minute discussion about breastfeeding with my class of 6th graders. i was on the radio this morning promoting the World Breastfeeding Challenge Challenge tomorrow. The kids wanted to know why I missed homebase so I told them. Two kids yelled out "Oh, gross, I am never going to the Maumee Indoor Theater Again if women are goign to be breastfeeding in the seats!" I pointed out that breastmilk is a clean fluid that actually contains antibodies, and that if that bothered them, they should think about the sweaty gross person that hasn't showered that sits in the seats, or the little kid who wet their pants, and so on. This turned in to what was actually a decent discussion (this is my "rough" class in my Very large Urban Middle School) I was impressed, one student brough up that he had heard that breastfeeding reduces a mother's chance of developing breast cancer, and I reinforced that. Another student asked how long you were supposed to breastfeed and a 3rd jumped in with, "In the US they think its amazing if someone nurses to a year old, but in lots of places kids nurse until they are 4 or 5."

Of course, being 12 year olds, I got questions about can men make milk? why do women who don't have babies still have breasts if they are not for sex? Do men's nipples have holes in them like women's and if so why? What does breastmilk taste like? Can't they just have formula like they "always did"?
post #11 of 21
10/10/08 at 6:33pm
Thread Starter 
You all are awesome! I want to blog about this (I wonder if I can tie it in to Blog Action Day on October 15?). I did mention it at the park, but it was kind of preaching to the choir.
post #12 of 21
10/11/08 at 12:24am
My post is up! Save yourself, save our health care system Pop on by and let me know how many months you've donated to the cause!
post #13 of 21
10/11/08 at 4:09am
I think I too will work on a blog & maybe even post about it on my myfamily site in honor of my DH's aunt!
post #14 of 21
10/11/08 at 5:25am
subbing will post update when i do something
post #15 of 21
10/11/08 at 5:47am

yay me :D

I added pretty much every bf group on myspace i could find, and i changed my name title to BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, and put my mood* section as something along the lines of ' breastfeeding helps prevent cancer in mommies and kids! ' also i posted several bulletins on my myspace page that relate the fact that breastfeeding helps out with illnesses, such as using it for conjunctivitis and in the long list of things it 'cures' *** BREAST CANCER CHANCES ARE REDUCED BY BREASTFEEDING***** also i made my default a wonderful pic of a bf mom ( it looks like a painting, its really pretty)

i'm thinking that i'm going to make shirts for me and my girls that have the international bf symbol on them and that say ' how do you fight for the cause?' with a pink ribbon on the front . its gonna be a few weeks before i can do that though
post #16 of 21
10/17/08 at 2:46pm
I did mine! I wrote a note on my Facebook about it, citing the Lancet study (The Lancet 2002; 360:187-195) and the JNCI study (Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2004 96(14):1094-1098).
post #17 of 21
10/17/08 at 3:22pm
I have a "Breastfeeding Helps Prevent Breast Cancer" bumper sticker with the international breastfeeding symbol next to it.

I think it is SUPER important to get the word out because the breast cancer organizations aren't doing it. Also, I think that some women might not be willing to breastfeed for the sake of their little ones, but just MIGHT be willing to do it if they knew there was a direct benefit to themselves. I don't care why people breastfeed, I just want more babies to get their birthright.
post #18 of 21
10/17/08 at 7:20pm
annie_noah...posted on your blog...a little surprised that I have breastfed for over 5 years! cool:
post #19 of 21
10/18/08 at 11:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by momtoS View Post
annie_noah...posted on your blog...a little surprised that I have breastfed for over 5 years! cool:
Very cool! Now if only those of us that breastfeed for more than the 16 months that is needed to provide the greatest reduction in breast cancer risk could really "donate" our extra months to helping reduce other people's chances of getting breast cancer, then we could save the world!
post #20 of 21
10/18/08 at 4:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by annie_noah View Post
My post is up! Save yourself, save our health care system Pop on by and let me know how many months you've donated to the cause!
Thanks! I've posted it on my facebook!
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