21st Anniversary Celebration at PMC

It's been almost 1 week since I last posted something - mostly because I've been swamped with WABA assignments.  Pretty boring as a blog entry for all but the most die-hard lactation consultants, I'm afraid.  WABA staff wanted to put together a special handout commemorating their 21st anniversary and thought that it would be really good if we could launch the handout's release at our anniversary event scheduled for today, 28 February, at Penang Medical College.  So, in addition to having to put together a stimulating yet academically respectable powerpoint presentation on  the "Evidence for a Life Time of Health" (the research behind breastfeeding's benefits), I was asked to help put together a front-&-back document on "21 Dangers of Formula"  (21 dangers for our 21 years as an international breastfeeding advocacy organization).  Needless to say, it took me a LOOONG time to search via George Mason University Library's research databases for published articles of research studies on all of the 21 dangers. I bet I downloaded and carefully reviewed over 150 articles before including over 50 citations in the final document.  I must say - I am pretty proud  of the final publication.  A young reporter from the regional newspaper, The Sun, was there covering the event and he was very interested in my lecture as well as the 21 Dangers publication.  (His wife is still  breastfeeding their 1 yr old).  Anyway - I think that he plans to do an article for the paper - we'll see.....

As far as the actual event goes: there were about 75 folks in attendance including about a dozen teens involved in the youth action division of WABA, a dozen student teachers from a nearby teachers' college, nurses, government nutrtionists, med students, assundry medical professors, and even some from the general public. Several other speeches related to WABA and breastfeeding advocacy were delivered prior to my lecture, and Aida (WABA staff person) led the teens in a dance routine especially put together to commemorate the day.  So it was already 4pm by the time I got up to speak (the event was scheduled to begin at 3pm but actually started at 3:15 - 'Malaysian time').  I was VERY conscious of not talking too long- but I tried to get the audience to interact with me some, and I tried to intersperse my lecture points with entertaining illustrations....  The usual 'Nancy Forrest' type of lecture, judging from the photos that our IT person Sam posted on our organization's Facebook page. (note my facial expression as I speak)  I think it went fairly well - people graciously said so, anyway.

the Youth performing their dance entitled
"Feed the Future"

We ended with a big chocolate cake for everyone to enjoy. It was delicious!  (Even though it gives its' eaters blue tongues & lips! )