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Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.

In this episode, Brenda shares how becoming a mother sparked her interest in becoming involved in breastfeeding advocacy, which became her life’s work.

“I like to say that it began the day my first child was born. Becoming a mom was the beginning,” she said. “I became an advocate the day I became a mom.”

She had challenges with breastfeeding and reached out to La Leche League, which supports breastfeeding mothers, for help. She then began volunteering with that organization, where she helped for almost 20 years.

As she helped moms, she discovered there were common issues many women faced. She started to see there could be a larger impact possible.

“I thought, ‘Oh, if we could only talk to your employer, if we could only talk to the physician’s office or hospital, maybe this could fix the problem for a lot of people and not just one person,” she said. “So that’s kind of what got me curious about how can we work to fix problems further upstream.”

She has now worked in breastfeeding advocacy for several decades and oversees the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition to provide education and support statewide.

In this episode, she also discusses:

• The benefits of breastfeeding for both babies and mothers
• The background and mission of Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition, Inc.
• Breastfeeding initiation and duration rates
• The business case for breastfeeding
• The role hospitals and doctors have in increasing breastfeeding rates
• The role lactation specialists play
• The First 1,000 Days program
• Paid leave for mothers
• What gives her hope

And much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Brenda is an innovative leader in Kansas.

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Please see the Pioneers in Health page on our website for more information on our podcast series and links to other episodes.  

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