The  origins of the International Breastfeeding Centre date back to 1984 when Dr. Jack Newman created the first breastfeeding clinic in Canada. In 2006, the Newman Breastfeeding Clinic & Institute was co-founded by Jack Newman and Lactation Consultant, Edith Kernerman,  and quickly became the International Breastfeeding Centre, a not-for-profit organization in 2010.  

The International Breastfeeding Centre is unique in Canada as we are fully dedicated to providing care and resources for breastfeeding families. Our mission is to empower moms to achieve their own breastfeeding goals and to help moms breastfeed their BABIES! 

Newman Breastfeeding Clinic 

Every family who comes into our clinic sees a paediatrician and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant for one-on-one counselling. We provide highly skilled support for ALL challenges that may lead to non-initiation of breastfeeding or premature discontinuation of breastfeeding.  

Our present clinic location has ONLY 6 small treatment rooms and yet we see over 3700 babies and families each year.  We also train students in Lactation Medicine, Midwifery, Nursing, Paediatrics, Family Medicine, Naturopathy and many other health professions.

WHAT IS WRONG:

In order to save our clinic and continue to help families we need more space, funding for a patient subsidy, and new equipment to see our patients:

1. SMALL space: We need a larger office location as we want to see 3 times as many babies and empower even more moms and families to breastfeed.

2. BROKEN: A broken fax machine/printer means we miss faxes and important patient referrals and information. 

3. CRASHING computers: Our computers are outdated- Windows 98 :-( often crashing and we are way behind on technology-still using paper charts instead of electronic records.  

4. EMPTY PATIENT SUBSIDY FUND: Unfortunately, Lactation Consultant services are not covered by OHIP insurance in Ontario, Canada. We offer a sliding scale subsidy for patients who are unable to pay- however we have run out of money in this fund.

TO MEET OUR NEEDS:

1. We need funding to improve our facilities and increase space to see as many babies and families who need our help and support.

2. We need a new fax machine/printer in order to receive and print referrals from doctors and patients approximately $500.00 (we will gladly accept a donation of a new machine!).

3. We need 12 new computers (4 desktop for the physician and admin offices and 1 laptop for each of the 6 treatment rooms +2 backup) in order to set up an EMR system for electronic patient medical records to better serve our patients and meet Health Canada recommendations (We will gladly accept donations of new computers- laptops and desktops).

4.We also need funding for our patient subsidy fund as we offer a sliding scale subsidy for appointment fees to patients who are unable to pay. Appointments are $85+HST and we need to be able to help as many families as possible to pay the fee if they cannot afford it.  Donations of $100 covers the appointment fee and parking/transit for a family who really can't afford the financial stress when struggling to adjust to having a newborn baby. Please note we WILL NOT refuse patients who cannot pay the full fee. 

We work with the most amazing staff, students and paediatricians who believe that every baby, mom and family should have the opportunity to receive the best breastfeeding support and care. 

With your help we WILL continue to provide care to breastfeeding families and to help save the health of moms and babies. 

Please help us FEED HUNGRY BABIES by empowering moms to achieve their own breastfeeding goals!

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