Webinar “GIFA Breastfeeding Afternoon” on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, 1 PM – 3 PM (online) Title: “The Baby’s Cries” – A source of confusion, questioning, and also concern for parents. How to interpret them and how to manage them?
Speakers:
- Estelle Soahi, Specialized Nurse in Emergency Care, IBCLC Lactation Consultant
- Catherine Watt, PhD, IBCLC Lactation Consultant, LLL Facilitator
The Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82749454129
- Meeting ID: 827 4945 4129
Obtain e-log points or a certificate of attendance
- Registration is not necessary.
- The event is free, unless you wish to obtain a certificate.
- To receive a certificate and/or 2 e-log points, please donate 10 CHF (or more) to GIFA and provide us with your email address.
Crying, Sleep, Weight Gain…
One of the keys to successfully breastfeeding is the mother’s self-confidence. However, this confidence is precisely what can be undermined and shaken if the mother does not receive the right information or support when she needs it. The baby is a champion of sleep. In the womb, it was surrounded by sleep.
At birth, there is a rupture and exposure to a completely different environment, but the baby continues to sleep a lot. The real problem with sleep is not the baby, but rather society’s perspective and its rhythm of life, which are not adapted to the needs of young children. The baby exhibits behavior that is physiologically “normal” in a context that is culturally “out of sync.” After many years of research on this topic, Dr. Helen Ball, a sleep specialist at Durham University (UK), even turns the situation around. She emphasizes that it is not the baby that has a problem sleeping, but perhaps the parents (and society) who need a sleep coach. See our page https://www.gifa.org/suisse/pour-les-mamans/#htoc-sommeil-du-b-b
How to Maintain Self-Confidence?
Both the baby’s cries and sleep can confuse parents. It is crucial that they can trust the information they obtain or that we provide them. Conversely, the marketing of infant products can sow doubt in parents on all sensitive topics: crying, sleep, and the baby’s weight gain. Indeed, The Lancet describes in a series of three articles how typical infant behaviors, such as crying, fussiness, and lack of nighttime sleep, are portrayed by the baby food industry as pathological and presented as reasons to introduce formula, when in fact these behaviors are common and developmentally appropriate. https://www.gifa.org/lancet-breastfeeding-series-2023/
The Problem with Marketing
This marketing can have disastrous consequences on the self-confidence of mothers and parents. For this reason, an International Code regulating advertising and marketing has existed since 1981. It is regularly updated with resolutions to reflect current practices, as companies’ marketing strategies are constantly evolving. With the power of data centers and the subtle activities of influencers, “advertising” is often not perceived as such. The International Code is continuously adapting to protect all families from commercial marketing and invasive advertising activities by companies. See our page https://www.gifa.org/international/code-international/
Why “GIFA Breastfeeding Afternoons”?
Established in 2022, the “Breastfeeding Afternoons” are online training and exchange sessions. They aim to connect the many skills and goodwill scattered throughout the Canton of Geneva and beyond. Each “Breastfeeding Afternoon” focuses on a theme that highlights the benefits of breastfeeding. See the history https://www.gifa.org/en/news/breastfeeding-platform-geneva/
To receive information about future breastfeeding afternoons and other GIFA activities, please subscribe to the Breastfeeding Network Newsletter by sending a message to info@gifa.org. We invite you to share this newsletter with your colleagues and anyone interested.
Team GIFA