Season 4, Episode 3: Breastfeeding During Natural Disasters

When Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina in the fall of 2024, many families were left without access to power and clean water for weeks or even months. This made commonplace tasks such as safely storing pumped breast milk nearly impossible.  Brandi Harrison, a certified lactation consultant based in WNC, discusses her experience helping families navigate infant feeding during this crisis, and shares lessons learned to help others prepare for future disasters.Resources North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition (main site)NCBfC SAFE Team  Breastfeeding Family Friendly CommunitiesInfant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies Toolkit (IYCF-E Toolkit)Today Show: Women are horseback-riding heroes bringing supplies, support to new moms after hurricane devastationCorrection:  Brandi says the cost of not breastfeeding is $53 million to the US.  It was actually a global study, so that number refers to worldwide costs. Research study: The cost of not breastfeeding: global results from a new toolWe would love your feedback on our podcast!  Please take our listener survey to provide your comments.Follow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramMusic credit: "Carefree" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Please provide feedback here:https://redcap.mahec.net/redcap/surveys/?s=XTM8T3RPNK