The C.A.R.E.-Code Alliance would be nothing without its members.
When we launched the C.A.R.E.-Code Alliance, we were hoping to start a revolution. For too long, the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (or the Code) had been misunderstood, ignored, and dismissed. We disagreed with that, and set out to find organizations that felt the same way. The Alliance has grown tremendously over the years, proving that the Code is important and needs to be protected. We have designated a handful of Allies as Legacy Allies because of their ongoing commitment to the Code, families, and the Best for Babes Credo.
The following organizations have earned Legacy status because they have been a member of the C.A.R.E.-Code Alliance for 5+ years and/or have contributed over $5,000 to Best for Babes projects. They have shown a deep commitment to protecting families from predatory marketing and promoting non-judgmental breastfeeding support.
Legacy Allies
Everything Ameda offers – from breast pumps and products to education – reflects their passion for breastfeeding. Since 1942, Ameda has been a leading innovator in breastfeeding technology. They have a legacy of delivering unmatched quality and service to lactation professionals, institutions and most importantly, mothers.
Since 2002, Earth Mama Angel Baby has been supporting mamas and babies through the birth process. They offer nature’s solutions to natural pregnancy discomforts. They provide safe, herbal alternatives for pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, and babies of all ages. In addition, they help educate people about traditional plant medicine and safe personal care. Generations of women’s wisdom and traditional plant medicine intertwine with the safety and assurances of evidence-based research, creating natural and organic products that work.
Fairhaven Health is a leading provider of natural, doctor-designed products to support fertility, pregnancy, and nursing. Their mission is to provide trying to conceive couples with the information and tools they need to successfully conceive and to experience a healthy pregnancy. Preconception products focus on fertility awareness, ovulation prediction, and nutritional supplementation. Once pregnant, Fairhaven offers dietary supplements to promote the prenatal health of a developing baby and help ensure pregnancy wellness for the mother. Their products can be used from the first days of pregnancy through the first years of nursing.
Leading Lady is one of the country’s oldest and most successful intimate apparel manufacturers. It is the legacy of an out-of-work entrepreneur with two sewing machines, $240 and four sales accounts who saw a need and filled it. They specialize in quality lingerie for mothers-to-be and new moms. They also offer full-figure bras, sleep/leisure bras and other specialty lingerie and accessories.
Limerick Inc. promotes healthy families by supporting breast milk as the best nutrition for babies. They provide education, support and products featuring the highest quality of safety and comfort. They support the individual choices of each family. The needs of families are addressed through their research-based products. They provide guidance and education through the innovative Workplace Lactation Program. Limerick, Inc. strives to be the company that best understands the needs of mothers and their babies.
Melinda G uses beautiful fabrics similar to regular bras - only their bras open for nursing access. Their nursing bra styles include sizing options so you are sure to find your most comfortable fit. All feature easy nursing access, great styling, beautiful fabrics, seamless cups, non-stretch comfort straps and easy 4-adjustment back closures to accommodate changing post-natal figures.
MOBY® Wrap was started by parents looking for the perfect baby carrier. Made from the softest of cotton fabrics, the MOBY® Wrap distributes baby’s weight evenly on the wearer’s shoulders and hips and aligns baby’s center of gravity as close to the wearer’s body as possible. Since its inception in April 2003, MOBY® (MOther & baBY) has focused on sharing the benefits of babywearing with parents and caregivers worldwide. With informed parenting as its mission, Moby partners with other organizations that emphasize empowering parents. See our review!
Kathryn Higgins, Motherlove’s founder, was passionate about the uses of the plants surrounding her mountain home in Northern Colorado’s Rist Canyon. She began incorporating the wild plants into her daily life for food and medicine. Not able to find herbal products to support her pregnancy and birthing experiences, she began making her own—and sharing them with other women. In 1987, local markets began asking for her products and Motherlove was born. Motherlove moved out of Kathryn’s kitchen in 1995 to meet the growing demand from hospitals and retailers. Over the last decade, as the company grew internationally, she expanded the Motherlove family to include her daughters, Silencia and Jasmin Cox. The seeds were now sown to pass the family herbal legacy to future generations of Motherlove customers.
With a business degree, curiosity and a belief that anything was possible, Andrew Zenoff, a bachelor at the time, set out to do what no one had done before: create a nursing pillow whose sole purpose was to meet all the needs of breastfeeding moms and babies. After compiling a list of complaints from breastfeeding moms, he created and refined prototypes until all the moms in the test group agreed it was perfect. Thus, the My Brest Friend was born. Today, My Brest Friend’s patented wrap-around design is sold in over 35 countries. It is also used in hundreds of NICUs and birthing hospitals across the country.
Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC, FILCA, fell in love with breastfeeding while nursing her three sons, Carl, Peter, and Ben, who are now grown. In 1982, before the lactation profession existed, she began working as a volunteer mother-support counselor. This is where she found her passion: helping women meet their breastfeeding goals.
Board-certified as a lactation consultant in 1991, from 1993 to 2003 she saw thousands of families in a large private lactation practice in the Chicago area. Since then, she’s worked for a major breast-pump company and a national corporate lactation program. Currently, she speaks at events around the world and contracts with hospitals to help improve breastfeeding practices. She is also on the Best for Babes Advisory Board. Nancy develops innovative breastfeeding education and tools, such as books and apps. In 2008 the International Lactation Consultant Association officially recognized Nancy’s contributions to the field of breastfeeding by awarding her the designation FILCA, Fellow of the International Lactation Consultant Association.
Snugabell’s mission is to support moms’ decision to breastfeed through education, community and beauty. Wendy Armbruster Bell, CEO and founder of Snugabell, struggled to find a pumping bra that was comfortable, stylish, and functional when she started pumping for her babies. Rather than settle for what she found on the market, she used her 9 years in the apparel industry and over 26 years of sewing experience to create the PumpEase hands-free pumping bra! After hundreds of pumping sessions, three years of research and development and two children, Bell knows what a pumping bra should offer a nursing mom. She refined the design to be not only functional and user-friendly, but pretty too!
In addition to our Legacy Allies, we’re thrilled to welcome back the following companies into the 2016-2017 C.A.R.E.-Code Alliance!
Ardo
Ardo is a second generation Swiss family company which develops, manufactures and markets premium quality products in the Medical Technology sector. In the heart of Central Switzerland, this company dedicates the knowledge, passionate commitment and effort of its people to create products such as the Calypso, Carum, and Amaryll breast pumps.
Babymama
Babymama is the exclusive distributor of Spectra (Korea) and Ameda (USA) breastfeeding products in the Philippines as well as the Simple Wishes hands free bra. It was founded by a mother who saw the need for affordable, effective breast pumps in the Phillipines.
Indigo Willow
Indigo Willow is the brainchild of a Registered Nurse turned stay at home mom and childbirth educator. She combined her passion for creating jewelry with her passion for nursing her beautiful little one. She creates breast milk jewelry help mothers commemorate this special time with a physical keepsake.
Juno Blu
Whether acting as sherpa, chef, executive or scraped knee mender, mom wears multiple hats throughout the day. Juno Blu’s products recognize the needs of the breastfeeding mom and aims to help bring balance to the daily juggling act of motherhood. Juno Blu develops products that help moms reach their breastfeeding goals in style.
Breastfeeding with Comfort and Joy
Breastfeeding with Comfort and Joy is a new kind of breastfeeding book. This e-book is full of beautiful full-page photos of real-life breastfeeding combined with breastfeeding tips. Embedded videos show babies taking the breast at various ages (1 week, 3.5 weeks, 5-8 weeks, and 1-week old twins). This is an excellent way to see how subtle adjustments can make a huge difference in the breastfeeding experience. Other videos include hand expression, breast compression, skin-to-skin, and more. See our review!
Mamava
Mamava is a business dedicated to transforming the culture of breastfeeding. Their freestanding lactation suite provides privacy, cleanliness, and all you need to use a breast pump or nurse an infant . At the same time, it is reminding passersby that breastfeeding should be supported and celebrated by all of us because of the good it does for babies, women, families, and society in general. That is to say, nursing moms are everywhere, and they need our support.
Oat Mama
Oat Mama has designed a granola bar that supports your specific breastfeeding needs, so you can better support your little one. That means jam-packing Oat Mama bars with wholesome superfoods to help you power up your energy, your mood, and your MILK. Every ingredient has a job to do, no freeloaders here.
Rumina
When the lack of a hands-free pumping option derailed her breastfeeding goals, Rumina founder Dawn became dedicated to fixing this Booby Trap® for other moms. She created the Hands-Free Pump&Nurse TankTM to help busy moms reach their breastfeeding goals.
Tiny Tummies
Tori Sproat, IBCLC, RLC, LLLL (and Best for Babes volunteer!) created Tiny Tummies Lactation Services when she identified a need in the Onslow County community for more outpatient lactation care. Her goal is to provide technically excellent, compassionate, and supportive lactation care for families, and Tiny Tummies has been filling the need.
Nurse Purse
Nurse Purse creates pumping totes that are a functional, stylish alternative to the typical black pumping bag. They aim to streamline the experience for busy moms by allowing them to carry just one bag that can hold everything they need to pump milk and get through their workday. See our review!
Ybreast
Serving businesses and moms alike, Ybreast is a full-service lactation support provider, offering 24/7 assistance to the nursing mom and the businesses that support her.
Zutano
Through their clothing lines, Zutano creates a world of children’s fashion that is sophisticated yet playful and fun yet functional. They design products that foster a deep emotional bond between parents and their babies during that most special time in everyone’s life. They also apply this philosophy to nursery bedding, décor, furniture, plush toys, and accessories such as socks, booties, shoes, beanies, and sun hats.
The C.A.R.E. Code Alliance program, and its accompanying seal, rewards and recognizes businesses that protect healthy infant feeding. It is the first-ever alliance of companies, professionals, and organizations to put positive pressure on the Booby Traps. Our members make the 360-degree world around expecting and new moms safe, supportive and positive. In hospitals and health providers’ offices, in stores and public spaces, at work and among friends and family, our Allies are making a long-term investment in protecting healthy infant feeding. They are positioned as trustworthy for expecting moms, new parents, and the public.
