The Mother of All...

The Mother of All Canadian Mothers and author Ann Douglas, needs our help to raise funds for a special little girl. Ann is donating 100 signed copies of her parenting and baby books, to help out Holly -- a baby with schizencephaly -- an extremely rare developmental disorder characterized by abnormal slits, or clefts, in the brain’s cerebral hemispheres.

We think it's a great idea for a baby shower... how cool would it be to not only give one of Ann's best-selling baby books, but to have it signed for the mom-to-be. And since Ann has done so much for Canadian moms, babies and families, we can do this little thing to support her!

You can choose from the following books and Ann will write a little note and sign to the book for you!! (THE MOTHER OF ALL PREGNANCY BOOKS, THE MOTHER OF ALL BABY BOOKS, THE MOTHER OF ALL TODDLER BOOKS, and THE MOTHER OF ALL PARENTING BOOKS)

The books retail for $26.99 Canadian (plus GST plus shipping). Ann will be donating the full cost of each book sold ($26.99) -- a possible total of $2699. If you are interested in ordering books, please email Ann's assistant Florence.

For those who are attending Babypalooza, you could win one of these books, signed by Ann, as we'll be purchasing one and giving it away to one lucky person. (you'll get to choose the book you want and what you'd like written in the book.

For more information check out Ann's Blog or Help for Holly.

Just added...

We are so pleased to let you know that we have added a Message Board to the site.

Many people who completed our survey asked us to create a message board and here it is!. Now, you can Get Connected! with other parents and parents-to-be in York Region.
Check it our here... and get posting.

As well, we have also created printable event calendars for October -- so you can print it off, put it on your fridge and always know what's happening around York Region!

We did it!

Thanks to team Babypalooza! We raised approx. $750 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation on Sunday for their walk for heart! Thanks to our small, but powerful team who had lots of fun walking, as well as in the bouncy castle and enjoyed a yummy lunch.

Early Years Centres in York Region

Ontario Early Years Centres are places where parents and caregivers can: take part with their children in a range of programs and activities get answers to questions, get information about programs and services that are available for young children, talk to early years professionals, as well as other parents and caregivers in the community.

These services are offered for no charge and there are some great activities to do there. Whether you are doing an activity lead by an instructor, or you go in to "Stay & Play" -- there are lots of things going on at each centre.

Here are the calendars for our local centres.

Ontario Early Years Centre - Oak Ridges
Ontario Early Years Centre - Thornhill
Ontario Early Years Centre - Vaughan-King-Aurora
Ontario Early Years Centre - York North
Ontario Early Years Centre - Markham
Have fun!

Fun Family Event

Join La Leche League - Newmarket Group for A Family Fun Event

When:Saturday September 30, 2006 10:30 A.M. - 2:00 P.M.

Event Schedule

10:30 a.m. Yoga Warm Up with Yoga Source and Breastfeeding Challenge - Newmarket Public Library
11:30 a.m. Walk For Breastfeeding

12:15/12:30 p.m. Potluck Lunch

12:30 p.m. Mom and Baby Friendly Product and Services Displays

1:00 p.m. Musical Sing Along with Jennifer Lumsden of Prenatal Plus Centre

Raise Funds for La Lache League Canada and it’s Newmarket and Bradford Group, Enjoy the company of Moms, Dads and Children and share a nutritious pot-luck lunch at the Newmarket Town Square and other family fun events including singing, face painting, bake table and more!!!
Loot Bag for every participant, Eligible to win great prizes from Baby Ola, Bundles of Luv, Grace Announcements, Mark Levine, Prenatal Plus Pregnancy and Parenting Centre,& York Region Baby.com.

Some more info about the walk!!

Every year from coast to coast dozens of La Leche League Canada Groups participate in our Annual Walk for Breastfeeding. In addition to raising much needed funds for all areas of La Leche League Canada, this event can be a wonderful occasion for those who support breastfeeding to gather and celebrate healthy babies, mothers and families.

Canada's World Breastfeeding Week - World Breastfeeding Week: Protecting Infant Health for 25 Years

October 1st to 7th 2006 is World Breastfeeding Week in Canada. World Breastfeeding Week is an annual event that celebrates the importance of breastfeeding for all women, children, families and communities. The first week of October, the tenth month of the year, is chosen to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week because it is in the first week of life (after nine months of gestation) that a baby starts to breastfeed.

This year’s theme is The International Code: Protecting Infant Health for 25 Years. This commemorates the creation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Childrens Fund (UNICEF) in 1981, a document that provides regulations for the marketing of infant formula and other breastmilk substitutes with the aim of preventing the undermining of breastfeeding. The protection of breastfeeding is vital to global infant health, as UNICEF estimates that 6 million lives are saved every year by proper breastfeeding practices.

The key precepts of the International Code state that there should be no advertising of breastmilk substitutes to the public, no promotion of such products through the health care system, and infant formula must not be portrayed as equally healthy as breastmilk.

“The International Code is an invaluable tool for the protection of infant health,” said Elisabeth Sterken, national director of INFACT Canada. “It restricts the unnecessary marketing of breastmilk substitutes such as infant formula and ensures that mothers receive unbiased information about infant feeding. This is vital for infant health because aggressive marketing of infant formula has been shown to lead to drastic declines in breastfeeding rates, and as a result, substantial increases in infant morbitity and mortality, especially in the impoverished regions of the world.”

Not only does the use of artificial baby milk lead to increased health risks, but the proper use of infant formula requires clean water, good sanitation, a literate parent, and an adequate family income. In the poor parts of the world potable water is rare, and illiteracy and poverty are high, yet formula companies persist in attempting to convince mothers in these regions to feed their babies artificial milk. The Code ensures that mothers who don’t breastfeed do so on the impartial advice of a health professional, not because they have been persuaded to by aggressive marketing.

The International Code isn’t only important in the poor countries of the world, however, as studies have shown that formula-fed babies everywhere are at increased risk of childhood cancer, asthma, ear and respiratory infections, allergies, diabetes and gastrointestinal infections; score lower on intelligence and vocabulary tests, and as adults, are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease and obesity.

Although the International Code was ratified by all 182 member countries of the World Health Assembly, it has only been passed into national law by 60 nations. The United States and Canada are not among them. Over the past 25 years, policy makers have been able to use the International Code to reverse the severe declines in breastfeeding that were being faced in many parts of the world in the 1970s, yet in most regions breastfeeding rates remain unacceptably low and there is still much to be done to protect infant health. Events held across Canada during World Breastfeeding Week 2006 will serve as a reminder of the need to legislate the International Code and promote the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable members of society.