Best for Babes

Take it from me:  we mothers find it very difficult to ask for help!   When my son was born, I found myself entertaining guests even though I had a grueling delivery, suffered from undiagnosed post-partum depression and could barely walk (I’ll spare you the gory details of why).  The fact that I could not articulate my needs or felt uncomfortable assigning specific tasks to my friends just worsened my already fragile state of mind.   Being in my late 30s and having enjoyed a successful career, I was used to being in control of my life, so the more my house became unkempt, and the less I was able to accomplish, the more I spiraled into a dark place.  Many moms today are living apart from their families and are extremely independent and self-sufficient, so bringing home baby and adjusting to the new realities as a family, including relying on others for help, can extra be challenging.  Not preparing properly (expecting? see our ultimate checklist) or not knowing how to ask for help is a big “Booby Trap!”

But there is a better way.   If you have read The Red Tent, or had the chance to live in or observe cultures that protect the mother-baby dyad, you will already know that taking care of the mother is the best way to take care of the baby.   Julie Hamilton, Mrs. Nashville 2010, a mother of 3 including exclusively breastfed twins (read how she did it) and a blogger at memoirsofabreastfeeder.wordpress.com knows just how important it is to ask for help, and worked with us to create a tool that can go a long way in making sure that a mother of a new baby is being cared for.   The best gift you can give any new mother is to nurture the nurterer! So yes, pick out that cute outfit for the new baby, but also make sure you sign up to deliver some TLC in the form of a meal, some grocery shopping, laundry folding or other errand.    Many moms need more help with tasks; having a clean & organized house makes it easier to relax, turn off the brain, and sleep when the baby sleeps.  Especially for breastfeeding moms, who need to master the learning curve of breastfeeding during the first few weeks, getting help can make or break her success.   If you are an experienced mom, then you already know just how welcome your efforts are.   If you are not a mom, then consider it part of the “what goes around comes around” cycle that will be paid back to you some day, in some form or another!  If you are expecting your first, it is the best internship you could have to learn the ropes.

Here are the new tools Julie developed with us.  Please let us know if you have suggestions to make them more useful to ALL moms who just had a baby.  As a non-profit our goal we rely on volunteers and feedback so we can provide more free resources to moms!

BfB Help Sheet: A  fill-in sheet to help new mothers or a mother of a new baby (baby #2, or #3, or #4 . . . ) enlist friends and family members to take care of errands and everyday household chores.    There is space to add other things you need help with.   Don’t be shy!   The point is to ensure your success as a new mother so these first few weeks can be as enjoyable and rewarding as possible.  If you are sunk in a pit of laundry, grocery shopping and cleaning up, you are no good to anyone.  Here’s how to use it:  Fill out one sheet for each friend.  Record who is doing what accordingly on the master sheet, and give the help sheet to the person assigned to the task(s).   If you have a home print/scan/copy machine, you can also make a copy of the help sheet to keep for yourself, if that makes it easier for you to keep track.

BfB Help Sheet–Master: This is a chart to help you keep track of who is doing what.   It is to be filled out by the mom, her partner or a friend or family member who is helping the mom every week.    Write the person’s name & phone number if necessary in the appropriate square, for example, “Amy S.: 212-999-9999″ in Dinner row, Tuesday column.  If you have a really super organized friend who wants to coordinate this, even better!  You may want to keep phone numbers of friends and relatives on a separate sheet that you can refer to, or that your partner, a relative or your best friend can use to contact anyone if there is a change in plans.  Put it on the fridge, by the phone or by your bedside where you know you will see it.

We’re also compiling a list of helpful information and best resources on the ‘net on this topic.  Any suggestions?  Let us know, and we’ll add it to this list!   All we ask is that the information be mom-friendly:  non-judgmental, evidence-based, positive and encouraging, and not undermining of breastfeeding moms.

Tips for New Moms from About.com by Robin Elise Weiss

10 Tips to Help You Cope with New Mom Exhaustion from ivillage.com

How to Help a New Mom from Ehow.com

Just Had a Baby?  A Six-Week Survival Guide from Fit Pregnancy

What did we miss?   How did you ask for help when you had a new baby?

It’s been a crazy few days.  My Best for Babes co-founder Danielle and I were scheduled to fly out to Ohio on Tuesday morning to meet with a key player in the breastfeeding world.  Monday afternoon we noticed the weather report calling for a major snowstorm to hit the area and spread to the East Coast, where I live.   Should we go or should we call it off?  Every hair on my head said it was a mistake, that we should reschedule.   Various things started to go awry as if to prove that it was not meant to be; Danielle didn’t feel well, my printer kept fritzing as I was putting together our press packets, my daughter got a bad scrape under her eye while sledding with a friend . . . you know how it is.   I texted Danielle that I thought we should postpone.  An hour later I spoke to her husband who said she had gone to bed and was set to leave for the airport at 4:30 a.m.   So I worked until 2:30 a.m. and got up at 4:30 to leave for the airport myself.

We got to Ohio, and then I got a message that my flight back to Newark that evening had been canceled.   We went to our meeting, met some folks who are truly passionate about helping moms and babies breastfeed successfully and had a great time all around.   But what to do about my flight?   Danielle’s flight had not been canceled because she was flying into Atlanta on a larger jet.   I was booked on a flight for early Wednesday morning, but what if that flight too, would be canceled?   The likelihood was high because all the planes to the East Coast were smaller and more vulnerable to the weather.   My husband had already taken Tuesday off from work for me to stay with the kids, and now had to take Wednesday off too because school was canceled due to the storm, but I knew I had to be back before he left for a business trip Thursday morning.   I decided to drive.

Really, I should have my head examined.   On two hours sleep, pumped up with excitement from a great meeting and more ideas on how to “beat the booby traps” so that more moms can achieve their personal breastfeeding goals, I headed east on I-70 on Tuesday afternoon.   The streets were icy and snow was coming straight at me but I kept up a good pace until I hit a wall of exhaustion at midnight.  I had driven eight hours to Harrisburg, PA.   I pulled off, declined the seedy motels, and settled into a Howard Johnson, feeling a twinge of nostalgia from my youth.

When I woke up the streets looked really bad.   The snow had really come down hard, and there was not a crumb to be had at HoJo’s “Country Oven,” which was missing its employees due to the weather.  I cleaned 4 inches of snow off my rental car (with my bare hands, having not thought of gloves in the scramble to get to the airport the day before) and pulled out, figuring that at least the highways would be clear.

I have never driven in worse conditions in my life.   I thought the highway would be clear, but spent the next 8 hours (which should have been 3) crawling along single file on two grayish tracks in the snow.   The visibility was low, I sat hunched over, peering out my snow-encrusted windshield, sandwiched between two trucks, gripping the steering wheel so tight I now have blisters on my fingers.   I saw quite a few cars in various ditches, and a few slammed into the divider rail with a crushed bumper.   At one point in the Pennsylvania mountains, the road was so bad that a couple of jacknifed trucks were just stopped on the highway; traffic slowed to 5 miles an hour as we wove our way around them.  Anybody who was on the road was either a fool or was driving some precious cargo.

So, what about me?  What precious cargo was I driving in my bright blue Dodge Journey (aptly named for my trip from hell) from Alamo?  What on earth would persuade Danielle and I to fly right into the eye of the storm against our better judgment, and then have to practically dig our way out?   If I could have hunkered down in a hotel and waited for the storm to clear and the flights to stabilize I would have; but I simply could not let my husband miss his trip when he has done so much for me and for Best for Babes.  Was it sheer insanity?

Nope, it was love. As I drove back, high on adrenaline, I was thinking about only two things:  how badly I wanted to get back to my family and go sledding with my kids, and how much I want to help mothers and babies.   These two loves are linked: never in a million years would I have ended up in this gig if it had not been for the awful time I had trying to breastfeed my son.   My experience coincided with the stories of dozens of women that Danielle had been helping as a lactation counselor, and is what prompted us to found Best for Babes.   We simply could not bear to see more women decide to nurse, only to have their hopes dashed by one booby trap after another.   According to our contact at the CDC, 86% of expecting mothers say they want to breastfeed, yet only 74% even try once after giving birth, and the number of women breastfeeding exclusively as recommended drops precipitously during the first days and weeks, long before many mothers go back to work.   Something is very, very wrong.   If breastfeeding was really meant to be as hard as it is today the human race would have died out–hence our conviction that moms are not only not getting the proper support, but are actually being prevented from succeeding.   A lot of moms are not as lucky as I was to be able to get excellent help and have women in my family who had breastfed and encouraged me.

I still don’t know exactly what possessed me to basically endanger my life and make that crazy trip, but since I was listening to 80s tunes I’ll go ahead and be corny and say it was the “wings of love” (it’s okay, you can roll your eyes).   Love for my kids and my awesome husband, but also the love I have for transforming the breastfeeding movement into a true cause that cheers on, coaches and celebrates ALL moms, regardless of whether they breastfeed for 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years or not at all;  love for my best friend and business partner Danielle who keeps going despite ongoing health problems stemming from her bout with breast cancer; love for all the moms and babies I meet.   I do it because I know it can be done; we CAN create a culture where breastfeeding in public or pumping at work is not just barely tolerated but embraced and seen as the awesome power that it is, and where moms who can not or decide not to breastfeed are respected and cheered on and have access to the best substitute, screened, pasteurized donor milk from a registered donor milk bank.

I also do it because of the synergistic contagious energy that flies around when I meet people who care about making the world a better place.  Every day I “meet” another mother who has gone above and beyond to help another mother, or a nurse that has gone the extra mile to help a new mom see an excellent lactation consultant.    There is a lot of love out there, love and protection for moms and babies.  I hope nobody else  was nuts enough to drive in a blizzard, but I will bet that there are some incredible stories of the lengths friends and strangers have gone to help another mother navigate “the booby traps” and get the hang of breastfeeding her babe.

What have you done for love? In the spirit of upcoming Valentine’s Day, tell us your story of helping one or more moms breastfeed, or how you are changing the culture and “beating the booby traps“.   We can’t wait to hear it!

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.”

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!

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!

This post is part of the September Carnival of Breastfeeding, and it’s our first time participating, so we would love to hear what you think!  Please scroll down and read the other interesting posts, too.

This month’s theme is working and breastfeeding, since September starts with Labor Day.  We’ve put together a  summary of Best for Babes’ thoughts on working and breastfeeding:

1)       The case of Allen vs. Totes/Isotoner put a spotlight on just how difficult it is to go back to work and pump milk, especially for blue-collar workers.   Allen was fired for taking unauthorized pumping breaks (though unauthorized bathroom and smoking breaks seem to be okay), and the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in favor of the employer on the grounds that it was not pregnancy discrimination.  Salon.com and others pointed out the absurdity of separating lactation from pregnancy.  It would behoove all of us to remember that babies are born extremely developmentally immature, and that breastmilk completes the lining of the digestive tract in a way that no substitute can, so it is important to think of lactation as a later stage of the pregnancy/birth continuum.   I think it would also be useful to point out that asking for pumping breaks is no easy thing in a culture that is squeamish about breastfeeding.   When I was at Merrill Lynch, I don’t know if I would have been comfortable talking to my superior about needing to pump, I would have been far too embarrassed!     We need more mothers like LaNisa Allen to challenge the system; heck, this is one area where lawsuits would come in handy.

2)      Juanita Ingram, winner of the Mrs. U.S. Beauties 2009 success pageant, shares her story of fighting against humiliation and discrimination for pumping in the workplace.   A corporate attorney, Ms. Ingram put together an airtight case demonstrating cost-savings for her employer and succeeded in persuading them to establish a corporate lactation program.   She is a powerful role model and champion for moms, and we need to hear more stories of mothers that fought smart and paved the way for other working moms.

3)      Some companies have established excellent corporate lactation programs; sadly, some companies are forming shady alliances with companies who have a vested interest in seeing mothers fail at breastfeeding.    Be careful who you trust: Moms need to once again have their wits about them and make sure that their employer is not giving them clever marketing materials which look great on the surface but are carefully constructed with misleading information likely to undermine their breastfeeding success.   Hint:   if there are any formula company logos (or those of their pharmaceutical company parents) on those materials, you are being “booby-trapped!”   The best dressed wolf should not be minding the sheep!

4)       Every October, Working Mother magazine puts out an issue of 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers.   Much to our dismay, manufacturers of infant formula such as Bristol Myers Squibb and Abbott Laboratories have routinely made the top of this list despite aggressive marketing tactics that conspire to prevent all mothers from making truly informed feeding decisions, and actively prevent vulnerable new mothers who want to breastfeed from succeeding.   To improve their corporate image and win loyalty from working moms, these companies work very hard (and pay a lot of money) to get top billing on the Working Mother list, and be seen as a good corporate citizen.   Sorry, but we think that any company that at its very core undermines moms is not a great company for working mothers, period.  Formula-feeding moms (many of whom wanted to breastfeed but were boxed into a corner by the formula-industry created “booby traps“) will make 3 times as many visits to the hospital with baby than breastfeeding moms do, and mom and baby’s pain and suffering (think ear infections, reflux, intestinal infections, allergies, asthmas, some childhood cancers, obesity, diabetes) will be unnecessarily greater, not to mention the huge cost increase.  Formula-feeding is associated with increased health risks for moms too:  heart disease, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and obesity.  Sort of cancels out the nice policies and cushy benefits that won these companies a top spot, no?   I’ll take a company that respects me and my boobs, thank you!

5)      We’ve come across some great resources recently regarding working and breastfeeding, and I am going to list a few here just in case you haven’t seen them yet:

1. http://www.workandpump.com excellent!  pumping tips, download employer packet, more
2. http://www.workplacenursing.com a consulting service for employers
3. http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/programs/business-case/ The government’s resource guide for company lactation programs
4. http://www.breastfeeding.com/workingmom/lactation_program.html

6)      Many magazines and websites provide lists of “must-have” items for working moms.   When you do your shopping, consider patronizing companies that are supporting Best for Babes to bring about a culture shift and remove the “booby traps” to breastfeeding successfully.  We are only working with the crème de la crème, pun intended:    Nipple cream and soothing packs:  http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com.   Nursing tanks:   http://www.glamourmom.com Hands-free pumping support (type and pump at the same time!) http://www.pumpease.com And for an awesome lean, green pumping machine, try the Hygeia pump:  http://www.hygeiababy.com .

Please check out these other “Carnival of Breastfeeding” posts on working and breastfeeding (will be updated continuously:

Blacktating:   The 5 biggest mistakes working & pumping moms make

Stork Stories:  My breastpump and I didn’t get along (links to another great post, too:  Ask An LC about pumping)

Breastfeeding Moms Unite: Breastfeeding at My Family Daycare

Marshins:  Taking Your Working Boobs To Work

The Milk Mama:  A Job Where Everyone Breastfeeds

Strocel.com:  Working and Breastfeeding  a Toddler

The Marketing Mama:  Working and Pumping

Momnesia the Book:  Sorry, Facilities Guy

Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog:  Breastfeeding and working is possible, and you can make it work

Chronicles of a Nursing Mom:  Do you really need a pump?

Vanderbilt Wife:  I Think This Officially Makes Me a Mommy Blogger

babyReady:  What About Breastfeeding When I Go Back to Work

Breastfeeding 1-2-3:   Tips for Breastfeeding and Working

Breastfeeding Mums:   Breastfeeding and Working in the UK

MumUnplugged:   This is a Breastfeeding Office

My World Edenwild:  Nursing Mothers Need Workplace Support

Juanita Ingram, Mrs. U.S. Beauties 2009 (a national success pageant) saw our feature in Fit Pregancy and asked how she could support our cause! We asked Juanita to share her story in part because of the recent Totes/Isotoner v. Allen case (the Ohio “Fired for pumping” case) but mostly because we think she is a fabulous role model.  We admire her tenacity and positive attitude in approaching her employer and “beating the booby traps”–the barriers that keep moms from achieving their personal breastfeeding goals.    We are pleased to name Juanita Ingraham as a Best for Babes Champion for Moms.  Here is Juanita’s story:

I am a wife, mother, lawyer, national queen for Mrs. U.S. Beauties 2009 and strong proponent for breastfeeding and the rights associated therewith.

I set and accomplished a great number of goals in my life to date; I finished college and went on to obtain my JD/MBA, passed the bar in two states and practiced with large firms and corporations.  I served as a business law adjunct professor, inspiring young minds to pursue legal careers, received the Up and Coming Lawyer – Leadership In Law Award and recognized as on of the Top 40 Under 40.  In addition, I became the first African-American woman to compete and win the title of Mrs. Indiana United States in 2007 and just this year I competed and became the national queen for Mrs. U.S. Beauties 2009, a pageant system that celebrates the success of the modern woman and inspires all women to achieve their goals and dreams. While all of the aforementioned experiences were joyous, none of them compare to the happiness that motherhood has brought to my life.  When my daughter looks at me and smiles, I can see the unconditional love in her eyes for me. Her sincerity makes me feel like a queen everyday and I feel grateful knowing that I gave my daughter the best start in life that I possibly could -  I successfully and exclusively breastfed my daughter for the first 15 months of her life.  This accomplishment, like any other, was not without obstacles and challenges.

When my daughter was born in January of 2008, I was legal counsel for a large retail real estate investment trust.  Practicing law full-time as a new mom, while my husband traveled often for extended periods of time with his job, was an extremely challenging undertaking. I was determined, however, to set and achieve the goal of breastfeeding my daughter for at least 12 months. But setting the goal wasn’t all that would be required to achieve the goal.

Prior to leaving for maternity leave, I asked our HR department about the details of the company’s corporate lactation program.  I just assumed that a company of its size in the 21^st century would surely have such accommodations in place.  I was shocked to learn that it did not.  Not only was there no formal corporate lactation program, but it was against company policy at the time to use any office for pumping purposes.  In addition, many women in the company expressed to me that they had given up the idea of breastfeeding because of limited support and nonexistent accommodations.  Moreover, those who did continue were forced to do so in an almost public fashion by  sharing the “sick room” and pumping in front of each other, exposing themselves to one another whether they preferred to or not.  If the sick room was occupied with a sick employee, there were no accommodations available for employees to pump.  There were also numerous situations where lactating mothers within a particular department obtained permission from a supervisor to use a conference room to pump but those pumping sessions were often interrupted by HR personnel who would open the door, remove the curtain—without giving the lactating mothers time to cover themselves—and verbally admonish them, declaring their actions to be against company policy.  These women were humiliated and discouraged.  On several occasions I was even asked by fellow co-workers why I “just couldn’t use a bathroom stall” and I politely explained to them that I didn’t feel it was appropriate for me to pump in a toilet stall for the same reasons they would not prepare their food while standing next to a toilet in a bathroom stall.  After hearing of the numerous horrific incidents involving other lactating moms at the company and experiencing first hand the unsupportive atmosphere, I was determined to take action and initiate a formal corporate lactation program for myself and others!

I started by researching the law with regard to a woman’s right to breastfeed at work and was pleased to find that the state of Indiana had recently passed a law requiring all companies with a certain number of employees to provide reasonable time, pumping and storage accommodations for lactating employees. I then researched and created a proposal for a formal corporate lactation program setting forth all of the proven benefits that support the existence of such programs.   For example, studies have shown that if working mothers breastfed their infants for at least 100 work days, 41% of infants never get sick in their first year of life compared to 10% of formula-fed infants whose mothers experience more than twice as much absenteeism as do the breastfeeding mothers in the first year of the infant’s life.  Similarly, a study of Working Well Moms, CIGNA’s corporate lactation program for employees who breastfeed, revealed a savings of $240 thousand annually in health care expenses for breastfeeding mothers and their children. In addition, a savings of $60 thousand annually is realized through reduced absenteeism among breast- feeding mothers at CIGNA. The study also found that pharmacy costs for breastfed children are lower, because they require 62% fewer prescriptions.

After equipping myself with the applicable law and setting forth the persuasive facts in a written proposal, I requested a meeting with the head of HR and presented the recently passed legislation regarding breastfeeding rights in the workplace for the state of Indiana, along with my materials regarding the proposed corporate lactation program.  I also informed her of the recent incidents that were discouraging and humiliating to currently lactating mothers.  My presentation was a success! Two rooms were designation for lactating mothers and a formal corporate lactation program was established.  It was also permissible to utilize your office to pump if desired.   I considered this not only a success for myself, but for the countless number of lactating mothers at the company who did not have a voice because of fear of retaliation.

If you are a working mother facing a similar challenge in your workplace, my top five tips for starting a corporate lactation program are as follows:

• Know the law!  Most states have statutes addressing the rights of breastfeeding working mothers.  Start by searching on the La Leche League’s website to see if they have a summary of the laws for your state and then search the internet and make sure the law hasn’t been updated or amended.  Knowing what you have a right to do in the workplace as a lactating mother is powerful!  I often refer to the NCSL (National Conference of State Legislatures) to find the specific recent states laws regarding breastfeeding in the workplace.  (http://www.ncsl.org/issuesresearch/health/breastfeedinglaws/tabid/14389/default.aspx).  If your state has no worksite protection laws, contact your senator and representative and ask that such a bill be filed. Any problems with breastfeeding and employment should also be reported to your state’s commission on discrimination.

• Know the facts and be prepared to present them!  There are tons of templates and guides on the internet that will walk you through the steps that are necessary to start a corporate lactation program. Most sites will have the statistical data that is necessary to justify the program’s existence to your employer.  You should tailor these plans to your specific company and be prepared to present them to the appropriate personnel.  I found  http://www.breastfeeding.com/workingmom/lactation_program.html and http://www.mchservicesinc.com/ to be helpful websites.  Other resources include the government’s “Business Case for Breastfeeding” — http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/programs/business-case/, and http://www.workandpump.com.

• Be flexible!  Remember that some states provide more benefits and are more detailed than others. Work with the rights that you have and remain flexible.  You may not be able to use the lactation room at the same time(s) everyday if there are numerous other lactating moms seeking to use the same accommodations.  Work together on time slots but remain flexible – we are all working moms and we all know that sometimes you can’t help when a meeting runs over or when someone walks into your office, so try and be accommodating to your fellow lactating co-worker – we are all in this together!
  

  Juanita & Family

• Get the right equipment! Pumping can be time consuming and inconvenient if you don’t have the right equipment, so make sure you have a pump that will allow you to obtain the maximum amount of milk in the shortest amount of time.  For me, this meant breaking down and buying the most expensive pump on the market because to be blunt – it was the best and it worked! I could get out 15 to 20 ounces in 20 to 25 minutes flat. I was one productive momma!  For more tips on preparing for pumping at work, see http://www.workandpump.com.

• Get the right support outside of work!  I would attribute my success partly to determination and partly to being equipped with the right information and having the right support.  It is IMPERATIVE that you find a good WORKING mothers lactation group for support.  All work associated with motherhood, whether in or outside of the home, is meaningful, substantial and commendable.  However, mothers that work outside of the home have a unique set of challenges and hurdles that they will face when trying to exclusively breastfeed, such as quantity/ supply issues.   You need an informed support group that can offer tips and suggestions that will get your through the moments where you feel that you want to give up.  I used the Working Mothers group through LifeCare, a benefit that my husband received through his employer.  The advice and support I received was invaluable! La Leche league also provides local support groups for mothers working in and outside of the home.  Another great resource is your local IBCLC—International Board Certified Lactation Consultant—you can find IBCLCs in your area by zipcode at http://www.ilca.org.

To me, the right to choose to breastfeed your children is what being a modern day women is all about.  My husband and I are now expecting our second child in March of 2010 and I am going to set the same goal as before.  I am equipped with the knowledge of the law and inspired to provide the best start for our new bundle of joy as well.  I wish the same for you!

For answers to the Top Five Questions Moms have about working and breastfeeding, click here .

Get involved!   Support the Breastfeeding Promotion Act 2009, a bill sponsored by Rep. Maloney & Senator Merkley to end discrimination against breastfeeding mothers under the 1964 Civil Rights Act.  For a summary of the bill and easy steps to take action, click here.

In an exclusive interview, Us Magazine announces that reality stars Kourtney Kardashian and Kendra Wilkinson still want to breastfeed, despite implants!   Here from the joint interview:

“I was so scared that I wasn’t going to be able to nurse that when I saw stuff come out of my nipples the other day, I was like, I can breast-feed?” Wilkinson, 24, tells Us Weekly in an exclusive joint interview with Kardashian, 30. ” And I asked my doctor, who said, ‘That’s fine, but it’s not milk yet!’”

Adds Kardashian (who, like Wilkinson, is also due in December), “They say usually you can [breast-feed with implants]. I want to.”

First of all, hurray for Us Magazine covering a hot topic and drawing attention to an issue that so many moms have questions about, and kudos to Kardashian & Wilkinson for openly sharing their fears.    We need more celebrities to air their feelings about breastfeeding and share their breastfeeding experiences!  Hugely popular magazines like Us can help raise awareness and get info into the hands of more mothers.

Here is our advice and a shopping list  for Ms. Kardashian and Ms. Wilkinson:

The amazing ”stuff coming out of your nipple” is called colostrum! Your body starts to make colostrum before birth and for a few days after birth.  It is incredibly rich in nutrients, antibodies, live cells and  development and immune-building agents.  It looks like raw honey, and contrary to what your doctor told you, it is considered ”the first milk” by health experts and is even referred to as “liquid gold” because it is so precious and valuable to baby!   It coats the baby’s digestive tract and makes it less permeable to infection and disease–breastfed babies’ intestinal linings are 15 times thicker than that of formula fed babies!  Frequent, early feedings of colostrum (8-12 feedings in the first 24 hours) help your baby get rid of excess bilirubin and prevent jaundice.  Latch that baby on in the first hour after birth.

Many women who have had breast augmentation (implants) or reduction have gone on to successfully and exclusively feed their babies breastmilk.    A great resource for these, and all moms, is the book Making More Milk by Diane West, IBCLC and Lisa Marasco, MA, IBCLC.   You’ll find lots of information on increasing your milk supply.   You’ll be amazed at what your body can do, and what making milk for your precious wee one does for your mama mojo!   Check out and websites lowmilksupply.org and bfar.org (breastfeeding after reduction), and get the help of a recommended IBCLC–International Board Certified Lactation Counselor.   Should you need to supplement, there is nothing better for your babe than donated, screened, pasteurized human milk from a registered milk bank.

Shop! While all you really need to breastfeed is right under your nose, a few items can make the process easier and more enjoyable.   These are our recommendations, based on our and other experts experience in helping new mothers succeed with breastfeeding:

1) Simply Breastfeeding DVD. This awesome, full-length breastfeeding class will knock your socks off and you’ll be amazed and empowered with what you learn in the privacy of your home.  Round up your husband, future grandparents, and any caregivers of baby;  pop some popcorn and enjoy the show.

2) My Brest Friend Breastfeeding Pillow. There are lots of supposed breastfeeding pillows on the market, this one is the silver platter for bringing baby up to the boob bar.  There is simply no better product on the market to help you get a good latch and get breastfeeding off to a good start; it is used in progressive hospitals and by most lactation counselors and comes in soft cozy colors and prints.

3) Earth Mama Angel Baby Breastfeeding Support Kit. Tender nipples need tender loving care.   Spread on some all natural, toxin-free Nipple Butter and breathe a sigh of relief.   Booby Tubes are better than gel packs because they can be heated or cooled and don’t leak anything dangerous.   Milkmaid Tea boosts production, and Bosom Buddies soothes the swelling.

4) A Foot Stool.   Putting your feet up on a slanted breastfeeding stool will do wonders for your back, belly, boobs and baby.   No mom should be without one.

5) A Good Pump:  Especially for moms with concerns about low milk production, a good breastpump can be a lifesaver.   Our favorites are made by Ameda and Hygeia, and both are BPA free.   Hygeia’s breastpump is new on the market, and we love what we see:  a closed system means it is reusable, it is recyclable (wow!) and it is promising as being one of the best pumps out there.   We have already started to refer to it affectionately as a “lean, green, pumping machine!”

6) Cover Up? For some reason, we’re sure these gals are not too shy, but if modesty is called for, a cute cover-up by Lilabean or Hotslings is just the ticket.   Why not suckle in style?

Our last tip?     Set small realistic goals–commit to the first 6 to 8 week learning curve, and take it a day at a time or a week at a time in that vulnerable postpartum period.   Let your men be your heroes in  protecting you and your babies from the booby traps, and let your family and friends bring you food and nurture YOU until breastfeeding is going smoothly.   Remember that everything worth having is worth working for, and enjoy this precious time!

To win a Breastfeeding Support Kit, courtesy of our fabulous sponsor Earth Mama Angel Baby, leave a comment saying what you think of this post, why you need a kit, and including the word GIVEAWAY.  Winner will be announced.

Little Silver, NJ (August 4, 2009) –The Best for Babes Foundation released a provocative new ad to coincide with World Breastfeeding Week, which takes place from August 1-7 in 150 countries.

The eye-catching ad is a visual pun with a serious message:  Not only does breastfeeding save lives every day and in emergencies, but expecting moms need more help and to be better prepared to overcome insidious and systemic barriers to breastfeeding.  The ad urges expecting mothers to find a support group, get expert lactation help, and choose hospitals and physicians that are truly breastfeeding friendly.

Best for Babes Co-Founders Bettina Forbes and Danielle Rigg contend that women are being pressured to breastfeed, but prevented from succeeding.  “Moms don’t need more pressure, judgment or guilt,” says Forbes, who initially did not want to breastfeed.  “It’s the cultural and institutional barriers—or ‘booby traps’—that are keeping moms from making informed decisions, and keeping those moms who want to breastfeed from achieving their personal breastfeeding goals,” says Rigg,  who ran a successful lactation counseling practice.

What are the barriers?  “Last year, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that most U.S. hospitals actually thwart breastfeeding.  Add social disapproval, fear of nursing in public, insufficient insurance coverage for lactation counseling or supplies, and the beguiling and shameless promotion of infant formula, and you begin to get the full picture of how moms and babies are being thrown overboard,” asserts Forbes. “The U.S. has inadequate maternity leave policies.  While many employers offer smoking breaks, too few offer pumping breaks or lactation rooms, and breastfeeding women are not protected from being discriminated against or fired,” explains Rigg.

The new ad will run in the Fall/Winter issue of Mom & Baby and online through TheFamilyGroove.com and various blogs. Frank About Women, the nation’s leading marketing-to-women communications firm, donated the six-figure ad campaign entirely pro-bono. Leading breastfeeding experts and celebrities endorse the campaign, including Ruth Lawrence, M.D., Founder of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine and Chair of the Breastfeeding Section of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Joan Meek, M.D. Chair of the United States Breastfeeding Committee; actress and best-selling author Marilu Henner, and athelete and author Gabrielle Reece. The campaign is being backed by a growing corporate alliance of International Code Compliant companies, including Earth Mama Angel Baby, My Brest Friend, Hotslings, Pumpease, and My Baby Experts.

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The Best for Babes Foundation was established in 2007 to give breastfeeding a makeover by using mainstream marketing and branding to inspire, prepare and empower moms, and to reveal and remove the barriers that keep moms from achieving their personal breastfeeding goals, despite their best intentions.  The Best for Babes Web site offers breastfeeding inspiration, help for moms who don’t want to breastfeed, a ground-breaking checklist for expectant moms, important information about navigating the “booby traps,” as well as opportunities to become involved.

For more information about the ad or Best for Babes:

The Best for Babes Foundation

P.O. Box 454

Little Silver, New Jersey 07739

http://www.bestforbabes.org