Revised Breastfeeding Resource Guide
(BRG) September 2009
Alison Parkes and Karin Gausman
Directors, LLLI Leader Accreditation Department
From: Leaven, Vol. 45 No. 2-3, 2009, pp. 26-27
The Breastfeeding Resource Guide (September 2009) has a radical new look, clarifying its purpose as a reference tool rather than an assessment tool. It's a resource that can be used during the application period and after accreditation. The emphasis of this version is on an Applicant's preparation to support the normal course of breastfeeding; its primary reference is The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. Index references are given rather than page references, placing the emphasis on how to access information rather than necessarily learning the content. We see this revision as supporting the LLLI Strategic Plan by making leadership accessible to mothers with diverse study/learning skills and experience.
The work group for this revision was made up of Leaders from Canada, England, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Scotland, and the US. We would like to thank the following Leaders for their input: Marijean Amesan, Cindy Garrison, Rosemary Gordon, Monique Holmes, Toshi Jolliffe, Shera Lyn Parpia, Nina Robertson, Lesley Robinson, Rebecca Sato, Juanita Watt, and Maureen Whitman.
The goals of the work group were:
- To produce a resource that would continue to be useful to the Applicant once she's accredited.
- To produce something the Applicant could add to, such as listing resources she finds useful.
- To simplify the layout. Some Applicants find earlier versions of the BRG complicated and confusing. Applicants with dyslexia have often found them especially difficult to use.
- To put the emphasis on the Leader's role in learning about and supporting the normal course of breastfeeding, and knowing how to use the resources, if needed, to find answers to more complex breastfeeding issues.
- To include references to online resources, not just printed ones.
- To consider when it is appropriate to refer to resources beyond The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.
- To check availability of LLLI pamphlets and tear-off information sheets.
The BRG is available online so that LLL entities, departments, and individuals can access it and print it out as they wish. They may want to supplement it with references to locally available resources, in particular resources in languages other than English. There are links to such online LLL resources as the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) index (subjects listed alphabetically) www.llli.org/FAQ/FAQSubject.html and the Breastfeeding Answers resources index www.llli.org/nb.html
The 2005 version of the BRG is still available as an optional resource on the LAD pages of the LLLI Web site www.llli.org/leaderpages/LAD/app/applicant.html. If an Applicant prefers, she can still use that version to meet the Criterion for Leader Accreditation of having completed the BRG. The new BRG is formatted as a booklet, similar in style to the LAD booklet Childbirth and Breastfeeding. We think this version of the BRG will enable Applicants to use it in ways that support their individual leadership preparation.