icea's blog

Birth Choices Expo

Birth Choices Expo’s aim is to make information about pregnancy, birth & parenting more accessible so that you can make the right choices for you & your baby and experience the joy of a positive more normal birth experience and a great start to parenting, just as you always dreamed. The last Birth Choices Expo at Annandale Community Centre in October 2009 was a great success, triggering a move to a larger venue to accommodate exhibitors and visitors for March 5, to mark International Women’s Day.

Good childbirth education has been proven to help women have more success with natural birth. Your natural birth begins long, long before you feel the first hints of labour. Birth Choices Expo at Leichhardt Town Hall on March 5th 2010 is the one stop place to start to gather this information. 6pm – 9pm FREE ENTRY!

Rising caesarean rates are proving to be a concern internationally; the World Health Organisation places the average acceptable rate at 14%, Australia is fast outpacing the USA, with caesarean Section rate of 40%. Pregnancy can be overwhelming physically and mentally with lots of decisions and choices to be made; Birth Choices Expo is a unique opportunity for women & families to meet a range of highly experienced birth professionals and obtain information on how to have a great birth, all in one evening in a supportive and fun community event.

Call for Support for Appropriate Infant and Young Child Feeding in Haiti

In response to the emergency situation in Haiti- UNICEF, The World Health Organization and The World Food Programme have called for the support of “appropriate infant and young child feeding.”  UNICEF, WHO, and WFP have also advised attention be paid to the “unnecessary and potentially harmful donations and use of breast-milk substitutes.” Without the attention of such organizations the dangers specific to mothers and their babies could easily and unintentionally be overlooked. 

Urgent Call for Human Milk Donations for Haiti Infants

Washington, DC -- The Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC), International Lactation Consultant Association/United States Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA/USLCA), and La Leche League International (LLLI) are jointly issuing an urgent call for human milk donations for premature infants in Haiti, as well as sick and premature infants in the United States.

Lamaze And ICEA Bring Together The Birthing Community

WASHINGTON, DC, December 03, 2009; 24-7 PressRelease

Lamaze International and the International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA) are joining together in Milwaukee, Wis., September 30 - October 3, 2010, to celebrate their 50-year anniversaries. The 50th Anniversary Mega Conference, Celebrating Our Pasts, Uniting for the Future of Birth, will unify the birthing community in an unprecedented event that combines education, research, networking and social activities.

ICEA and Impact Media

Early in 2008, Impact Media Communications contacted ICEA and stated they would no longer be able to produce special issues of the New Parent Magazine for ICEA members that did not include formula advertising.

Since ICEA is in support of the WHO guidelines for breastfeeding and does not support advertising for formula, ICEA has severed its relationship with Impact Media.

If any ICEA educators are continuing to distribute the New Parent Magazine, please know that it does contain advertising for formula companies.