Best for Babes

My co-founder & COO Danielle Rigg and I are  in sunny (but chilly) Orlando, Florida preparing to run a workshop tomorrow at the Healthy Children Project’s Center for Breastfeeding 2010 International Conference on the Theory and Practice of Human Lactation Research and Breastfeeding Managment.  We will be talking about why breastfeeding needs a makeover and how the breastfeeding movement can benefit from cutting edge tools of social marketing—like our gorgeous ad campaign, our new message to moms and our glamorous and appealing brand, among other initiatives.  We’ll also be talking about what moms are experiencing with breastfeeding and what we’ve learned about social media.   Finally, we’ll be talking about how (with your help!) we can elevate breastfeeding to be the “mother of all causes” on par with Komen, (Red), March of Dimes and all the diseases that breastfeeding ameliorates—the breastfeeding cause is woefully underfunded, yet there is no disease from cancer, obesity, diabetes to heart disease and more that breastfeeding does not impact positively to some degree. You can see our presentation description and the full conference schedule here.

Best for Babes thinks they have excellent training for lactation professionals!

Healthy Children is where Danielle, first, and then I, 2 years later, turned to become certified lactation counselors.   They have a reputation for excellence, and their week-long training course, which travels around the country, is often sold out.    My trainers were Nikki Lee and Roxanne Hayek and they can tell you I was on the edge of my seat during my course, spilling over with excitement over what I was learning.  I considered myself pretty knowledgeable about breastfeeding (having breastfed and having started a breastfeeding non-profit and having read much, much literature) but was amazed by just how much I didn’t know . . . and I don’t mean just facts about lactation management like dealing with latching issues or the physiology of milk production.   The Healthy Children course gave me tremendous education about the larger context of the breastfeeding issue, techniques for working with patients, best resources, and framework.   It was simply awe-inspiring.   Many professionals who go on to become IBCLCs (International Board Certified Lactation Consultants) take the Healthy Children course as part of the qualification process.   If you are thinking of becoming a lactation professional, we strongly encourage you to take the Healthy Children course.   According to the CDC, there is a shortage in lactation professionals per capita.   We’d also love to see more doctors take it (and boy, breastfeeding rates would change overnight if they did) and also women’s health journalists and website editors—I’m constantly amazed at how many pregnancy/parenting magazines and websites have a Medical Advisory Board without one single qualified lactation professional on it!   Human lactation and breastfeeding medicine is a science, and should be treated as such.   There is too much misinformation about breastfeeding that is being perpetuated by well-meaning laypersons and medical personnel who are not adequately trained in this specialty.  We think that Healthy Children provides a gold standard of evidence-based lactation professional education.  One of the biggest “booby traps”, that we will discuss in a separate post, is that not all lactation professionals have undergone a similar rigorous training and have not demonstrated the  knowledge and skill-set that should be required of anyone who works with new parents and their babies.

Now for our questions to you.   What has been your experience with lactation professionals?   We have heard a number of stories where new moms did not have a good experience with the lactation professional in the hospital, but had a wonderful experience with the lactation professional they hired themselves, or with volunteers from La Leche League or elsewhere.   Do moms know the difference between a CLE, a CLC and an IBCLC?   How can moms be assured that they are getting excellent breastfeeding advice from a lactation professional who practices according to the highest standards and ethics and is not operating under conflicting commercial influences?    We know from the CDC that 70% of this country’s 3,000 maternity care centers perform poorly on breastfeeding support, so can we trust hospital lactation “specialists” to truly provide the best care to mothers?   What are your thoughts on this?  Please leave a comment below, or if you prefer, email me at bestforbabes.bettina AT gmail DOT com. 

We’re looking forward to your feedback, and will let you know what WE learn from the conference!

Bear with me while I make an analogy between breastfeeding and fishing, and tell me if you think I’ve gone off the deep end.

There is an old saying:  “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; teach a man a fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”

It would be easy to apply that to breastfeeding:   “Give a newborn artificial baby milk, you feed him for a day; teach the baby’s mother to breastfeed, you feed, nurture and improve the health of both for a lifetime, so that mothers, babies, healthcare, employers, society and the planet benefit.”

Upon visiting this fishmarket in Catania, Sicily, I learned that aggressive industrial & commercial fishing threatens the livelihood of local, small-scale fishermen. It also destroys the breeding ground of the bluefin tuna, diminishes biodiversity and threatens the health of our planet.

But here’s the rub. What if it is not easy to teach a man to fish?   What if men have had the best intentions of fishing, only to go to the lake, and find that the fish have been depleted by aggressive practices, or the waters polluted, or signs and fences put up threatening anyone who tries to fish?   What if men were being told that fishing is great for them, and healthy too, but every day they are handed a bag of fast food which just seems so much easier than getting prepared for fishing, and putting in the time and effort to secure a good catch of fresh fish?  What if the teachers who are supposed to teach men to fish are being bought out to promote fast food, too, because while fishing has huge long-term advantages, it takes just a little more work, a little more support?   What if the few fishermen who succeeded in fishing, are heckled and jeered at?   How many fishermen then, do you think, will really survive this process?

It’s no different for breastfeeding. 74% of new moms have the desire to breastfeed, but given all the cultural and institutional barriers, i.e. “the booby traps” that we have written about, it is no wonder that so few mothers are learning how to breastfeed.   (For more about the “booby traps”, see our Moms Rising piece in response to Hannah Rosin, our Martin Luther King Day inspired post, and hey, we even wrote a song: The Twelve Breastfeeding Days of Christmas).

So that leaves the question.  What do we do? Do we continue to try to teach the man to fish, one man at a time, and leave him to fend for himself against the forces that threaten the fishing industry?  Do we continue to send mothers to support groups, or to get expert lactation counseling (if they can afford it), and stand by wringing our hands as they are being failed by the lack of a breastfeeding infrastructure, and are being undermined by barriers?   Do we continue to tell them the benefits of fishing breastfeeding, and heap pressure on them while allowing them to be threatened and suffer botched and negative breastfeeding experiences?  Do we wait for them to tell each other their horror stories–stories that did not need to be, most of which could have either been prevented or easily solved by preparation and early, proper lactation management–and discourage each other?  Do we stand by as more mothers are robbed of an exquisitely intimate and precious experience with their babies that is as instinctive as kissing the ones we love?

There is another way, the way of social entrepreneurship. Ashoka Founder Bill Drayton, once famously said that “social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.”

Social entrepreneurs are “change agents,”  creating “large-scale change through pattern-breaking ideas,”  “addressing the root causes” of social problems,  possessing “the ambition to create systemic change by introducing a new idea and persuading others to adopt it,”  and changing “the social systems that create and maintain” problems.  These types of transformative changes can be national or global. They can also often be highly localized—but no less powerful—in their impact. Most often, social entrepreneurs who create transformative changes combine innovative practices, deep and targeted knowledge of their social issue area, applied and cutting-edge research, and political savvy to reach their goals. For all entrepreneurs, whether in the business or social realm, innovation is not a one-time event—but continues over time.–Skoll Foundation

And that is precisely what the breastfeeding movement needs, and what Best for Babes aims to deliver:   the passion, drive, creativity and innovation needed to revolutionize the breastfeeding movement and make it the Mother of All Causes.  For this reason, we are going to be nominated for the prestigious Ashoka fellowship by a titan in the foundation world who believes that we fit the criteria of a social entrepreneur.   It is a ridiculous long shot (past nominees have gone on to win the Nobel prize, haha) and we’ll just be honored to be nominated.  Heck, we’ll just be excited to finish the draft application we started last year.

We need your help. These days, it takes a village to protect the mother so she can feed her baby; and we are building that village one volunteer, one advocate, one influencer, one donation at a time.   It is your involvement, and your commitment to us, that will determine whether we succeed or fail.   It is our collective collaboration that will determine whether we can bring together not only the 2% of women who made it to one year of breastfeeding exclusively (the “choir” most of us are preaching to) but the 72% of women–some three million every year–that try to breastfeed, and the billions more that wanted to breastfeed but were set up to fail.     Moreover, let’s bring in those who are affected by a society that doesn’t support breastfeeding; the spouses, the employers, the health care system, the schools . . . and take to the streets, like those marching under the other pink ribbon, and race for the cure literally under our nose.  Trust us, if we can get everyone past the destructive trio of pressure, judgment and guilt, and unite all who have been affected by “the booby traps,” our numbers will be greater than any other cause to date.  It’s time to harness that formidable energy.

Will you join us?   This year we have accomplished much to set this ball into motion–our innovative celebrity interviews and our groundbreaking ad campaign are gaining steam (80 blogs are now carrying it!).  We are getting our message and our CREDO out into the media (through incredible coverage in SHAPE and Fit Pregnancy magazines among others), and we are the first non-profit to change the conversation by shifting the pressure OFF moms and on to the barriers that keep them from achieving their personal goals.   Despite being “outsiders” to the medical/scientific world, we’ve won over the breastfeeding movement leadership (see left, we made the front page of an AAP newsletter!)– we brought down the house at the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, and we’re slated for the Healthy Children Conference and the United States Breastfeeding Committee Conference in January–trust us, our message will shake up the status quo.   We have jumped headfirst into social media, becoming one of the fastest growing breastfeeding causes on Facebook and one of the only breastfeeding non-profits that is blogging and is active on Twitter.  We have dazzled more potential corporate allies than we’ve been able to follow up with, and there is tremendous untapped opportunity here to follow in the footsteps of the great cause-related marketing campaigns.

Truthfully we’ve bitten off more than we can chew, and that is the curse of being passionately obsessed with social change:  we can see so clearly what needs to happen to help moms and raise breastfeeding rates that we tend to ignore our very human limitations of time and funding.   But that’s okay.  As much as we’d like to be the type that does one thing and one thing well, instead of the type that sets a bazillion things in motion, we know that it is more important right now to act as a catalyst to put a little rocket fuel under this cause and elevate it to the stature that it deserves.   There is much, much work to be done, but we know you will stand with us, shoulder to shoulder!

We look forward to an awesome 2010 with you!

Under the influence of the holiday spirit,  (and late nights of deranged cookie-baking) I re-wrote the 12 Days of Christmas to reflect the Best for Babes vision of what it would take to really help moms.  I’ve explained below why each of these gifts would rebuild our shattered breastfeeding infrastructure, and contribute to a world where all mothers who want to breastfeed could meet their personal breastfeeding goals without pressure, judgment or guilt.  Moms, babies, our society and the planet would benefit.

Before you continue reading, click on the image to the right, and go ahead and sing it!  It’s more fun when you actually do it. It may take a bit of nimbleness, but I tried it out on my kids and husband, so can vouch that it is sing-able.

(As Dr. Seuss might put it, you can sing it to your hospital, doctor, employer and store, sing it at the mall, they’ll ask for more!  Sing it far and sing it loud, sing it to the squeamish crowd.  Sing it at your breastfeeding meeting, sing it as a friendly greeting.   Sing it to help moms succeed, and fulfill every breastfeeding need!”)

Print-out version of  Best for Babes’ Breastfeeding Days of Christmas

How 12 Gifts Would Rebuild Our Shattered Breastfeeding Infrastructure

A mother wanting to breastfeed: 74% of mothers want to breastfeed and are trying to breastfeed, but only 40% are achieving their personal goals, and only 12% are making it to the American Academy of Pediatric’s minimum recommendation of six months exclusive breastfeeding.   Even worse, most moms are not even getting through the first few days or weeks of exclusive breastfeeding, and it is not their fault.   Moms are being pressured to breastfeed but set up to fail by insidious “booby traps”–cultural and institutional barriers.  It is as bad as telling someone to run a race and handing them flip-flops. For more about awful mixed messages we are giving moms, see this excellent article by babygooroo.com.

Two doula/midwives: Having a labor doula or midwife can lower the risk of a c-section, reduce labor time, perception of pain, and generally provide superior birth outcomes, which lead to better breastfeeding initiation.   Many ob/gyns and hospitals welcome the participation of a labor doula as it makes their job easier, think of it as an experienced coach who can help you way more than your husband/partner, who in all likelihood, has never delivered a baby.

Three support groups: La Leche League is the largest and best known mother-to-mother support group provider; there are also support groups springing up through IBCLCs, Maternity and breastfeeding boutiques, and hospitals.  Shop around, not all support groups are created equal and word of mouth will lead you to the best ones.  Support groups that are judgmental or do not provide accurate, scientifically-proven information are a hidden “booby trap.”

Four (FABM) MDs: FABM stands for a Fellow of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, and means that this physician has demonstrated advanced knowledge and skills in breastfeeding and lactation management (read between the lines: this doctor is not just giving “breast is best” lip service while handing out formula samples and undermining moms).   Similar to FAAP (Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics) it follows the physician’s credentials, e.g. Caroline Chantry, MD, FABM .    We dream of a day when not just Ob/Gyns and pediatricians are FABMs, but allergy, diabetes, heart disease and other specialities that are impacted by increased breastfeeding rates.  When an expecting mother sees her allergist, he/she should be encouraging her to breastfeed, and discussing it in a supportive, evidence-based framework!  For more on choosing a breastfeeding-friendly physician, click here.

Five Baby-Friendly Hospitals: This is a biggie, which is why it goes in the “5 golden rings line.”  Only 3% of the 3,000 maternity and birth centers in the U.S. are designated “Baby-Friendly” under the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.    The Centers for Disease Control found that 70% of hospitals perform poorly on breastfeeding support; no wonder moms are not making it through the first few days!   If all maternity & birth centers followed the ten steps to Baby-Friendly, such as rooming-in, latching the baby in the first hour, avoiding pacifiers and bottles, providing donated, screened, pasteurized human milk from a milk bank if supplementation is needed, and not handing out gift bags filled with formula samples (shown to reduce breastfeeding duration), we’d see a meteoric rise in breastfeeding rates (and population health improvement, and employee morale, and reduction in carbon emissions, etc.–we could go on and on).   Moms are being “booby-trapped” by the hospitals they trust, and it has got to stop.   Let’s move the nurse-ins to the hospital lobbies, and start writing respectful, but firm letters to hospital CEOs and copying them to the media.

Six great IBCLCs: An IBCLC is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.   To find the best ones, click here, and be aware that like in every other field, there are some quacks.  If your “lactation specialist” in the hospital is judgmental, grabs your boob, hands out nipple shields like candy, or otherwises raises your finely-tuned mom’s instinct antennae, call your La Leche League group, friendly doula/midwife, or local breastfeeding boutique for the name of a good one that can visit you in the hospital.  We urge you to complain to the CEO of your hospital if you have a negative experience, and write a letter of commendation if you were helped.  Copy it to your local newspaper.

Seven partners protecting: The role of your partner or spouse in protecting the breastfeeding relationship when a mother is at her most fragile and vulnerable is invaluable.   Forget sending him or her to labor classes (get a doula instead); make sure your husband or partner is educated about the hospital booby traps and is ready to bare their teeth to all the insidious attempts to derail your breastfeeding efforts.  This is where he/she can really be your hero.

Eight friends a-helping: Not only should your friends cheer you on for your decision to breastfeed, they should line themselves up to cook, clean, babysit your toddler, grocery shop and run errands for you.   Your job is to rest and to get the hang of breastfeeding, you are an athelete in training with a single focus.  Entertaining guests is for later!

Nine celebs a-nursing: Celebrities are hugely influential in our celeb-obsessed culture, and can have a positive influence on the many women who have few or no breastfeeding role models.  After Angelina Jolie’s breastfeeding cover on W magazine, many women wrote that if she could nurse twins, they felt empowered to do it too.  We also need more celebrities to talk about more benefits of breastfeeding than just losing weight, and share their intimate breastfeeding stories in our context of helping moms (see our interviews with Kelly Rutherford and Gabrielle Reece).  We need celebrities to nurse in public to show solidarity with moms who face huge social disapproval for nursing discreetly, or are outright discriminated against.    We need celebrities to lobby for the Breastfeeding Promotion Act, and increased funding for breastfeeding infrastructure . . . in short, breastfeeding needs a Bono, Fox, Gere or Gore.   Salma, Angelina, Gwyneth, Sigourney:  we need your help!

Ten nursing nooks: Boy are we tired of hearing about moms who are thrown out of stores, restaurants and even airplanes for breastfeeding.   It’s really getting old. And just for the record, most moms prefer to be discreet, but some babies yank those blankets right off.   Wouldn’t it be great if every mall, every shopping plaza, and every airport had a cozy nursing lounge (i.e. NOT the bathroom)?   And every store and restaurant had a quick and easy supportive breastfeeding policy?  We’re working on it, and have an exciting platform, but we need your help to raise the funds to make it a reality.    We’d love it if big breastfeeding-friendly retailers like Nordstrom would sponsor it; and it would help the image and PR of Target, Applebees, Victoria’s Secret and Starbucks if they would jump on board too.   Did we mention that 74% of moms try to breastfeed?   That’s at least 3 million moms per year, and billions that have ever breastfed!

Eleven strangers cheering: Best for Babes is working to change the breastfeeding culture in the United States so that the public not only accepts breastfeeding, but thinks it’s cool, hip and fabulous.   This takes giving breastfeeding a makeover and branding and “marketing it to be as mainstream as motherhood itself”.   This does not mean the overbearing lecture to moms on all the benefits of breastfeeding, it means setting a positive example and attracting women to breastfeeding so they are psyched and pumped up to breastfeed, much like working out or making any other lifestyle change!   Face it, we all need a little motivation (benefits are great, but a cute workout suit can help too) to get to the gym, and breastfeeding is no different:  some helpful information, some stellar breastfeeding products that make it more fun and a little easier can go a long way.   Most of all, it takes a culture that adopts the Best for Babes credo of cheering on, coaching and celebrating ALL moms to make informed breastfeeding decisions, and achieve their personal breastfeeding goals whether it is one week one month or one year or not at all.  We need to gently lower the defensiveness of women who didn’t breastfeed or couldn’t breastfeed by ending the horrible cycle of pressure, judgment and guilt.   Like seatbelts and sunscreen, our mothers didn’t know better.   Many of our peers were “booby-trapped” by the barriers, and feel awful about it, and are blaming themselves not realizing they were set up to fail.   Some moms truly can’t breastfeed–how do you argue with a double mastectomy, or medication contraindicated by breastfeeding, or having tried everything to no avail?  If 95% of women are capable of breastfeeding successfully, there are still 5% that are not, no matter how many IBCLCs they see.  Another reason we need more milk banks!  Most importantly, ALL moms deserve compassion and respect.   With a little TLC for all, we’ll find the “breast vs. bottle” debate  and the mommy and boob wars will lose steam and that even the moms who decided not to breastfeed or couldn’t breastfeed because of barriers will start cheering moms on.   Case in point:  My co-founder’s mother, who didn’t breastfeed her daughter, is one of our staunchest supporters.  My special request, please read these two articles if you are a breastfeeding advocate (hint: become a mom advocate first):  “Shame and the Mom: A Boob Story” by herbadmother.com, and “When Boobs Collide” by Hisboyscanswim.com.

Twelve supportive employers: This is last on the list because the reality is that most new moms are not making it past the first few days and weeks of exclusive breastfeeding, long before their maternity leave ends and they go back to work.  (Oh yeah, and we have some of the worst maternity leave policies of any industrialized nation, so let’s assume that not all mothers even get maternity leave, unlike most European countries with high breastfeeding rates that provide a year or more.   Some companies provide 3 months but that is not enough.)   But the specter of having to fight for the right and the breaks to pump on the job, be sneered at and harassed, and have no place to pump besides the bathroom or a dirty closet with an outlet, can discourage many working moms from trying to breastfeed in the first place.   And the ironic kicker?   Breastfeeding benefits a company’s bottom line; less sick days used, lower employee turnover, higher morale, lower benefits expenses, better attraction of qualified employees, the list goes on.  Go figure.

Reality TV star and former Playboy model Kendra Wilkinson is successfully breastfeeding, despite her initial fears.  (You may remember that US magazine reported that both Kendra Wilkinson and Kourtney Kardashian were concerned they would not be able to nurse their babies because of breast implants received at a young age.)  While the full story in the  December 17 issue of OK! magazine does not mention breastfeeding (and states that husband Hank gave baby the first feed), we’ve been told by a spokesperson that Ms. Wilkinson started breastfeeding on the second day and is very happy to be nursing her baby.

Ms. Wilkinson got quite a bit of publicity for sharing about her fears.   We wrote about it, offered some breastfeeding advice and a shopping list, and extended our cheers to Wilkinson, Kourtney Kardashian and US magazine for helping to change the public perception of breastfeeding and making it more mainstream.   Soon after, we noticed an increase in the number of articles talking about implants and breastfeeding, which is wonderful!   More surgeons who are performing breast augmentation and reduction surgeries need to know about procedures that preserve the milk ducts, and it should be standard protocol to discuss those options with patients in their childbearing years.   More mothers who are planning to breastfeed deserve access to evidence-based information about breastfeeding with implants so they can prepare and plan accordingly.

Congratulations to Ms. Wilkinson for overcoming one of the earliest “booby-traps”–fear of breastfeeding due to misinformation.   On behalf of all the moms and babies we serve, we thank her for raising awareness of this important health issue.   Celebrities who share their personal breastfeeding stories, like Kelly Rutherford and Gabrielle Reece, help us cheer on, coach and celebrate moms to achieve their personal breastfeeding goals without pressure, judgment and guilt, and to get evidence-based and inspiring information into the hands of more moms.    This is an exciting and wonderful time in a new mother’s life and we want all mothers who decide to breastfeed to have a positive breastfeeding experience!

Starting a non-profit is no easy thing, so we are glad to have a guardian angel:  Earth Mama Angel Baby.  We love them and want to tell you why.

In the wake of recall after recall and unsafe chemicals making the news on a regular basis, it’s hard to find companies we can really trust.  As moms, we want to do right by our babies and give them the best that we possibly can. On the other hand, we don’t have time to read and research every ingredient, on every label, every time we need something.

With Earth Mama Angel Baby, there’s nothing to second-guess and you don’t have to read any labels to know that you’re getting safe, organic products.  All EMAB products are 100% toxin-free, cruelty-free, certified Vegan, and free from all artificial preservatives, fragrances and dyes.  In a nutshell:  products don’t get much safer or more natural for mom and baby.  This is a company you can trust, one that’s truly Babe-Worthy, and we’re proud to have them as a sponsor.

Danielle, EMAB Founder Melinda Olson, Bettina at ABC Kids Expo in Vegas '09

Getting safe, natural products (and the peace of mind that comes from that) is great, but EMAB doesn’t stop there.  It’s not even their efforts to use eco-friendly packaging that makes them so great (but we like that, too!). What makes this company stand out is their devotion to motherhood – in all its forms.  EMAB supports all phases of motherhood, from conception to babyhood, as well as in times of loss.  Their commitment to supporting moms, naturally and holistically, goes way beyond customer service.  This is a company born out of caring, and they really do want what’s best for moms and their babies.

Their above-and-beyond efforts shine through. Need something to quell your morning sickness or something to pamper a pregnant friend?  They’ve got it.  Seeking something to make labor or postpartum recovery a bit more bearable?  You’ve found it.  EMAB even has products and a website devoted to supporting moms in times of loss—last month was Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and they were up front, doling out comfort and caring. They do it all, and they do it all-naturally, which is a beautiful thing.

And of course, EMAB has a fantastic line of breastfeeding products!  As we all know (some of us, too well), breastfeeding doesn’t always go smoothly or come easily.  EMAB offers some great products to help beat the Booby Traps. Their Breastfeeding Support Kit includes everything a new mom needs to help her (and her newly milk-tastic boobs!) through breastfeeding.  The kit includes EMAB’s Natural Nipple Butter, Booby Tubes, Bosom Buddies, and Milkmaid Tea – everything necessary to address any soreness or discomfort, boost milk supply (when needed), and keep nipples in feeding shape.  And for the mom that’s ready to stop breastfeeding (perhaps because she was “booby trapped”!) , or for the mom who can’t breastfeed (rare, but you can’t argue with a mastectomy) or decides not to breastfeed, there’s also No More Milk Tea.  Giving up nursing can be a heartbreaking experience and we are grateful that this wonderful tea can soothe mom’s bodies, boobs and spirits.

We’re thrilled to have EMAB as a corporate partner and love all the wonderful support they provide to mamas. They’re a great company through and through.   They fiercely uphold the World Health Organization’s International Code on Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes, and they are generous too:  A portion of the proceeds from each Breastfeeding Support Kit goes to Best for Babes.  Next time you are looking for the perfect  Babe gift– baby shower or new mother, keep Earth Mama Angel Baby in mind!

Our ads launched in May 2009.

We’ve received wonderful feedback on our ground-breaking ad campaign, and have gotten a lot of interest from bloggers and websites who would like to run the ads as a public service.  We’re thrilled that others love the positive, provocative and humorous approach of the ads and want to join us in cheering on, coaching and celebrating ALL moms without pressure, judgment or guilt!   For what motivated the campaign, see the guest post we wrote for PhDinParenting.

Thanks to our wonderful friends at Frank About Women, who donated the six-figure campaign completely pro-bono, our most recent ad is now available in a variety of sizes for anyone who wants to run them, and we are giving away a magnet for every approved blog or website that participates!

Here’s how to do it:

Anyone suggestions for improving this post are welcome.  I’m technologically challenged.

1.  Grab the ads.   For help with codes to put it up on your blog, see this post.  (Special thanks to Crystal Gold of http://www.thevervepath.com!)   If you need jpeg files, email me at bestforbabes.bettina@gmail.com.

2.  Link the ad to our home page (www.bestforbabes.org) or to the ad campaign overview (http://www.bestforbabes.org/help-moms-beat-the-booby-traps/)

3. Leave a comment below announcing that you are running the ad.

4.  After I approve your site (just making sure it is not a spam request), I will contact you for your mailing address and send you a magnet.   You will have fun finding random places to put it.

5.  Bonus: Everyone who runs the ad and tweets about it will be entered into a drawing for a Best for Babes t-shirt.  Just put in your tweet:  “Our website is running the @BestforBabes ad!   Entries closed by December 31, 2009.

Special thanks to http://www.PhDinparenting.com for leading the way and putting our ad right up on the home page!   And for @cfoutz and @RobinPregnancy for pushing us to do this post.   You are all babes!

Best for Babes PSA ads are now available in these sizes:

new! 140 width (special thanks to  http://www.doudoubebe.com)

150 x 150

180 x 240

700 x 100

700 x 300

140 width online ad

150 x 150 online ad

180 x 240 online ad

700 x 100 online ad

700 x 300 online ad

For more help with the codes to put the ad up on your blog or website, see this post.  (Special thanks to @cfoutz and http://www.thevervepath.com)

Another suggestion, from http://www.phdinparenting.com:

Here is the code that I use for the PSA on my site, http://www.phdinparenting.com:

Just drop that into a text widget and you should be good to go.

If you want to customize it or use a different image/size, then just replace the right components of the code.

E.g.

* If you want to use the images in Bettina’s post http://www.bestforbabes.org/2009/12/how-you-can-help-run-our-ad-campaign-on-your-blog-or-website-and-get-a-magnet/, then pick the one you want to use and:
o Replace http://www.bestforbabes.org/images/BfB_Final_Economic.png with the URL for the image you want to use (right click and then choose “copy image location” to get the URL for the image you want

o Replace the numbers in quotes after “width” and “height” with the numbers indicated for the image you chose (e.g. 150×150 would be width=”150″ height=”150″).

We presented our work at the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine’s Annual Conference on Sunday and were humbled and overjoyed at the enthusiastic response.   Over 325 physicians, MDs, PhDs, and IBCLC—the true breastfeeding rock stars who are cheering on moms and babies—heard and embraced our message, and are ready to roll with Best for Babes!

Since our founding two years ago, the Best for Babes Foundation is the first independent, trusted non-profit to re-brand the breastfeeding movement, create a positive, inspiring and empowering message, change the conversation and develop innovative social marketing tools that are igniting change and bringing together respected celebrities, the best corporations, leading foundations, fashion, the media, the medical community, and advertising around a common cause.   We’ve acted as a powerful catalyst in the breastfeeding movement and industry, and are seeing the ripple effect and echoes of our vision and clarion call everywhere, and we are very happy about that!   We have volunteered tirelessly through great personal adversity (including Danielle’s breast cancer) and the incredible support and love we have gotten from you all, our friends and fans on Facebook and on Twitter has made all the personal sacrifices worth it!

Specifically, we shared with the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine:

• It is time to change the conversation about breastfeeding and shift the pressure off moms and on to the barriers–what we call the “booby traps”–that are keeping moms from achieving their personal breastfeeding goals.   We charged the crowd to  join us in “cheering on, coaching, and celebrating” ALL moms, helping them to make an informed feeding decision without pressure, judgment or guilt.   (See our CREDO!)  Why?   Because moms who want to breastfeed are having a negative breastfeeding experience, they and their babies are suffering, and it is creating a backlash against breastfeeding.   When we remove the “booby traps”, we allow moms to have a positive breastfeeding experience and share it with their families, friends, and peers, allowing breastfeeding rates to rise naturally.   Most moms want to breastfeed, and deserve to succeed!
• It is time to make breastfeeding the “mother of all causes” and to elevate it on par with Susan G. Komen and other successful campaigns that have won the following of millions.   Breastfeeding has a positive impact on almost every single cause we care about—-whether it’s breast cancer, infant mortality, premature birth, life-threatening allergies, heart disease, education or the environment, to name just a few, and it deserves the same attention and resources that all these causes enjoy.
• Marketing, the Media and Creating Consumer Demand:   We need the true Rock Stars of Breastfeeding–the doctors, board-certified lactation counselors and health providers–to  help us share the stories of moms who are struggling, get evidence-based, accurate, positive and inspiring messages into the media,  and to put positive social marketing pressure on the barriers by recognizing and rewarding those who are truly champions for moms.   For example, the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is one of the most powerful tools to put pressure on all the hospitals—70%, according to the Centers for Disease Control—that continue to undermine moms who WANT TO BREASTFEED!!!   Yet, so few mothers have even heard of the Baby-Friendly Hospital designation, and don’t know to demand that their hospital meet the baby-friendly (and mom-friendly) criteria!!   We need your help to market what works and cheer moms on.
• This cause needs more collaboration, not less.   There is much work to be done, and the barriers to breastfeeding are formidable and are costing our society billions and billions of dollars.    Mothers and babies can not afford splintered efforts; they need synergy and a united front among the leadership.   This cause is woefully underfunded and our dollars and our resources of time and energy need to be spent where they truly matter most and can have the biggest impact.   We need to bring everyone together under an independent, trusted umbrella whose sole purpose is to help mothers and babies, without any other agenda.

We will be sharing more of what came out of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine’s Conference and what this incredible organization is doing to help moms.   We would also be happy to share our presentation with those that want to be part of THE SOLUTION!   We wanted to leave you with two wonderful comments:

I am a physician and Fellow of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine who just attended and tremendously enjoyed your presentation about “Best for Babes.” My experience in trying to help mothers and their children to breastfeed has included just about every situation your excellent website identifies as “booby-traps.” I love that concept and I applaud your foundation’s approach towards moving mothers away from blaming themselves, breastfeeding advocates and other mothers for their breastfeeding problems, towards identifying the real barriers that cause so many mothers to wean long before their personal breastfeeding goals are met.

The booby traps to successful breastfeeding abound and one of the biggest is the medical system. How is it that I trained to become a pediatrician for 8 years and graduated with ZERO training about breastfeeding? Then I set out to work in a highly respected hospital that was accepting their formula for free. 92% of maternity facilities in the US are doing that TODAY. How about that for a dirty little secret? Arent we suppose to market health, and not be a middle man for a pharmaceutical industry? Then we had hospital policies that separated the brand new perfectly healthy baby from the perfectly healthy mom. Why? So we could get our paper work done. Unless your nipples and breasts are 80 yards long and can go under locked doors and up and over warmers, going to that nursery is a monstrous obstacle to breastfeeding. Then the nurse helping you out, well she probably had zero minutes of training on breastfeeding as well. You can’t keep it going if you don’t get it started.  The problem is not you new moms, WE are the problem. Do the best you can. You are doing a great job!! MD from Boston

Thank you again, Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, for inviting us to speak.   We were invigorated by meeting many of our heroes, and by the amazing work you are doing to help mothers and babies.   We are proud and honored to partner with you on upcoming initiatives . . . stay tuned!

Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine

We are very, very excited and honored to be speaking at the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine’s 14th Annual International Meeting, held in Williamsburg, Virginia from November 5-8th, 2009.   You can see the complete meeting program here.   If you have been hanging around the boob world for a little while, you will notice that many titans of the breastfeeding movement will be there . . . such as Ruth Lawrence, MD, FABM, Breastfeeding Section Chair, American Academy of Pediatrics;  Suzanne Haynes; Department of Health and Human Services (we idolize her for her tough comments when the government’s ad campaign buckled under formula lobbyist influence); Lawrence Grummer-Strawn, PhD, Chief of the Nutrition Branch of the Centers for Disease Control; Audrey Naylor, MD, DrPH, FABM, Marshall Klaus, MD, to name just a few!   We are in awe of these pioneers and leaders.

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) was founded by a group of physicians who met at an International Lactation Consultants Association (ILCA) Meeting in 1993.

“Physicians identified several common needs, including sharing resources on physician education and breastfeeding management issues.  . . . [The] drive to establish an organization was fueled by the many case reports presented by LC’s in training, which were able to illustrate situations where physicians participated in barriers preventing breastfeeding success. Several LCs were so enthusiastic about the start-up of a physician breastfeeding organization that they donated money on the spot, to ignite its beginning.”

The ABM’s  Position Statement (which is worth reading) explains that

“in order to optimize breastfeeding practices universally, physicians must learn evidence-based breastfeeding medicine, skills, and attitudes.   There have been relatively few physicians committed to these goals . . . physicians play a central role in the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding.   We stress that breastfeeding and human lactation warrant serious,  increased and significant attention in medical training, practice and research, given the substantial and longitudinal impact of breastfeeding on maternal, child and societal health, as well as the influence healthcare policies and practices have on women’s breastfeeding decisions and success in achieving their goals.”

In talking to hundreds of mothers about their breastfeeding experiences, we have heard wonderful stories of physicians who have encouraged their patients without pressure, judgment or guilt, but we have also heard horror stories of physicians who undermined a mother’s feeding decision, or her breastfeeding success, often unknowingly, thereby becoming one of the “booby traps!”     Jack Newman, MD has been very outspoken about how to spot a doctor who is not breastfeeding-friendly.    Finding an ob-gyn and pediatrician for your baby that is truly supportive of your decision to breastfeed is part of our Ultimate Breastfeeding Preparation Checklist and is discussed in “Your A-Team:  Finding a Pre-Natal Care Provider, Hospital, and Pediatrician. ”

Best for Babes believes that the work of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) is critically important.  Do you agree?   If so, how can we help the ABM grow and succeed?   The ABM has a membership of 525.   The American Academy of Pediatrics has a membership of 60,000.   Should all pediatricians be required to be educated in the basics of lactation management, even if it is just how encourage and appropriately refer patients?   Should ob/gyns be similarly required to attend a basic training?    The ABM offers a one-day course “What Every Physician Needs to Know about Breastfeeding” on the first day of the conference.  Do you think your child’s pediatrician, or your ob/gyn, or your allergist, or cardiologist, would be willing to take such a course?  Would your pediatrician or ob/gyn be willing to become a Fellow of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (FABM), much as many doctors are fellows of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP)?  What would be helpful to you in talking to your various physicians about breastfeeding support?   What experiences have you had?

We are looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

We are pleased to announce the winner of the Giveaway:   Can this Book Change Our Culture!   We were thrilled by the enthusiastic response to the contest which featured the book Breastfeeding with Comfort & Joy, by Laura Keegan, R.N., F.N.P. a nurse practitioner who has dedicated 20 years to helping mothers succeed with breastfeeding.

The winner is Cheryl Marian, who wrote:

Wow, reading your description and going to Laura’s website has sold me. I am a lactation consultant, volunteer at our local pregnancy center and give 2 hour breastfeeding classes for low income and other mothers who wish to attend. This book would be a wonderful resource to show in class and read excerpts to validate many of the points I teach.  I would also, have the book available for lending on and off site for all mothers to read and to look at the real moms actually breastfeeding and loving their newborn/s and showing how involved fathers are also, even though baby is Breastfeeding. Thank you!

Congratulations Cheryl!    (We have notified Cheryl that she is the winner, if we do not hear from her we will choose a runner-up.)

HURRAY:   A Special, Limited Time Discount for You . . . And a Fundraiser for Best for Babes!

Because it was so difficult to choose the winner from dozens of wonderful comments, we asked Laura if she would be willing to offer a discount  to anyone who wants to purchase the book, and she happily agreed!   Not only that, but Laura offered to donate an additional $3 herself to the Best for Babes Foundation, to further our mission of  Giving Breastfeeding a Makeover and Beating the Booby Traps so that moms can achieve their personal breastfeeding goals!    Thank you Laura!   To take advantage of this special, limited time offer:

Go to http://www.TheBreastfeedingBook.com and enter     babes7 all lower case and no spaces in the Customer Code box on the left of the shopping cart page when ordering .   You will receive $7 off  (a 20% discount off the retail price of $35)  of every book you  purchase.  Best for Babes will receive a donation of $3  from the author, Laura Keegan, for every book sold. Offer is good until 11/12/09, so act now!

This book makes the perfect gift for moms-to-be and is a great choice for the upcoming holidays!

Here are 3 ways you can help moms and babies by helping Best for Babes raise money for our cause:

1. BUY a book for yourself or a friend, for your local La Leche League Chapter, or your breastfeeding support group.

2. EMAIL friends and family about this offer by linking to this post.   Put it on your shower, birthday or holiday wish list!

3. POST a link to this blog post on your Facebook page and tweet this link:  http://bit.ly/3Q21zq on Twitter.

Thank you in advance for helping us spread the word and raise funds for this important cause, so that all parents can make an informed feeding choice without pressure, judgment or guilt and so they can achieve their goals and feel good about it!   We think this is a wonderful book and leave you with these closing reviews:

“Breastfeeding with Comfort and Joy is magnificent. It’s like having a wise and loving grandmother show you exactly how to nurse your baby.”— Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom

“I have worked with Laura Keegan for nearly 20 years.  Since her consultations with breastfeeding families are necessarily private, I never knew the secret(s) that made her patients so fiercely loyal and grateful.  Well, here they are.  Using beautiful images and clear, simple, accurate descriptions, Laura has created a manual of wisdom and celebration that should be read by anyone who is, has, or is going to breastfeed an infant.” —Larry Baskind, MD, FAAP

For actress Kelly Rutherford’s review of the book, click here.

November 2009 Issue

When we first heard that SHAPE magazine wanted to honor Best for Babes Co-Founder Danielle Rigg in their annual list of “Women Who Shape the World”, we were overjoyed . . . when the issue hit the newstands today, and we saw that Danielle was included in an incredible group of 10 movers and shakers, headed up by Michelle Obama, we were truly humbled and, well, blown away!

We are so grateful to SHAPE for shining the spotlight on the Best for Babes Foundation.   Best for Babes is  the first and only non-profit that is giving breastfeeding a makeover and bringing together celebrities, corporations, foundations, non-profits, fashion, advertising, the media and the medical community to “Beat the Booby Traps™” –the cultural and institutional barriers that keep moms from making an informed decision and from achieving their personal breastfeeding goals!    Best for Babes believes that ALL women deserve to be cheered on, coached andcelebrated without pressure, judgment and guilt, and is catalyzing a positive culture change.

Bravo to SHAPE for including an awesome photograph of a nursing mom, which helps normalize breastfeeding (many women have never seen another mother nursing) and puts breastfeeding squarely in the camp of fitness, health and HOT!   It sends a strong message to expecting and new mothers that “we’ve got your back, babe and you can do it!”

Best for Babes Co-Founder Danielle Rigg, (on right) with mom Claire Belanger courtesy SHAPE magazine

Thank you SHAPE for sharing Danielle’s story, which is especially poignant this month as Danielle  is also a recent breast cancer survivor.    A diagnosis at age 37, grueling chemotherapy and a double mastectomy only renewed Danielle’s commitment to preventing breast cancer and helping more mothers reap the protective benefits of breastfeeding for themselves and for their daughters.   New studies suggest that women with an immediate family history of breast cancer who breastfeed have a 59% lower risk of developing the disease themselves, and breastfed baby girls have a 25% lower risk of developing breast cancer later in life.   Every woman that is not prevented from succeeding at breastfeeding is potentially another life saved.  Every woman that shares her positive breastfeeding experience without pressure, judgment or guilt mends the broken cycle of intergenerational support and leads the way for her peers and future generations.

Being honored by SHAPE is a perfect fit (pun intended)! because breastfeeding is a lot like working out or riding a bike; there is a learning curve but if you stick with it, and get inspired, prepared and empowered you will be amazed at what you and your body can do (and your baby will thrive and love it!).  SHAPE magazine has over 1 million readers, and is an extremely popular magazine for women’s health and fitness, motivating women to eat better, exercise, and take the actions to become healthier and feel great about themselves.   SHAPE and Best for Babes use everyday and celebrity success stories to encourage women to achieve their personal goals and feel fabulous.    (I turned to SHAPE when I was desperate about my post-pregnancy bod.   You can’t pick up the magazine without immediately wanting to eat a delicious salad and head to the gym, and best of all, you will be pumped up to actually enjoy it!)   So it is a magazine that we respect and admire because it is doing something good for women and for the planet.   Healthier, stronger, more empowered women are what our world needs!

We congratulate the other honorees! It is profoundly humbling  to be included with 10 other leaders who are making a difference in women’s health and wellness.  Honorees include Michelle Obama who is leading a national trend back to homegrown produce;  Robyn O’Brien, founder of Allergy Kids, who is urging healthier eating of organic, unprocessed, non-GMO foods to curb the allergy epidemic, Karen Durkin, CEO of the Women’s Sport Foundation, who is helping inner city girls participate in team sports and thereby achieve greater health, self-esteem and academic achievement,  and Suzanne Jones, founder of YogaHope, who is teaching yoga, stress reduction and addiction coping skills to women recovering from alcohol or drug addiction.

On a final note, I want to acknowledge Danielle personally.   Danielle is not only my best friend and business partner, she is also my hero.   Throughout her devastating battle with cancer, and despite her recurring health issues, she has been my source of strength and inspiration.   Starting a breastfeeding non-profit is not easy, and we have faced many adversities and have often figured things out by the seat of our pants.   Danielle’s faith in me, in Best for Babes, and our mission of helping mothers and babies has been unshakeable, through thick and thin, and has been the glue that has held us together!    I am proud to be part of this venture with her!

–Bettina

To get involved or donate, go to http://www.bestforbabes.org. Best for Babes is a non-profit 501c3.  All donations go directly to raising awareness, changing the cultural perception, bringing more evidence-based information and our comprehensive strategy into the hands of moms and key influencers, catalyzing positive change, cheering on moms and those that support them, and “beating the booby traps”–the cultural and institutional barriers to breastfeeding success. Whew!