BestforBabes.org
Beating the Booby Traps® that prevent moms from
achieving their personal breastfeeding goals

Our Credo

ALL moms deserve to make a truly informed feeding decision and to be cheered on, coached and celebrated without pressure, judgment or guilt.

ALL breastfeeding moms deserve to achieve their personal breastfeeding goals without being undermined by cultural & institutional Booby Traps.

In forming Best for Babes, we spoke to hundreds of women, and listened to their stories.   Because of what you told us, one of our primary objectives with Best for Babes is to act as a catalyst in the breastfeeding and mainstream media community, and shift the focus OFF moms and on to the barriers that are keeping them from making educated decisions.

Moms don’t need to be harassed or made to feel bad!    We know moms who were made to feel bad for breastfeeding (or for breastfeeding in public), and we know moms who were made to feel bad for feeding formula.   We are moms who struggled with breastfeeding (unnecessarily, because of the booby traps); one of us used formula.  We know moms who were made to feel bad for going back to work,  for not going back to work, or for using pumps and bottles.  (That last one is rather silly, isn’t it?  As our beloved Dr. Ruth Lawrence likes to say, “what are moms who can’t breastfeed or have to pump supposed to use to feed their babies, their shoe?)

The bottom line is that  women are more prone to feeling guilty than men, and they don’t need help piling it on. So we are really eager to find a way to make mothers feel GOOD-inspired, prepared and empowered-and express our support for ALL moms, because motherhood is not easy!

If you have done evidence-based research, weighed your options, and understand how you are being influenced by marketing and cultural norms, and you decide not to breastfeed, we support you whole-heartedly.   We will defend your decision and will point you in the direction of resources to support you.

The first sentence of the Declaration of Independence is a Credo.  (P.S. We believe that all mothers are created equal!)

The first sentence of the Declaration of Independence is something of a credo. (P.S. We believe these truths to be self-evident: all MOTHERS are created equal!)

It also means that if you do decide to breastfeed, and you have set a goal based on doing the same evidence-based research, as well as understanding how your decision is influenced by marketing and cultural norms, we will support you to achieve that goal, no matter if it is to breastfeed for two days, two weeks, two months, two years or beyond.

We will defend your decision and help to fight the cultural barriers (disapproval, etc.) and the institutional barriers (hospitals, physicians, employers, insurers, stores, restaurants and companies that give lip service to supporting breastfeeding but are undermining or discriminating against breastfeeding mothers).

If you haven’t done your research, or looked into how your decision is being influenced by our culture and institutions, we may give you a gentle nudge, like any good girlfriend or even a coach would do.   Women who make a truly informed decision tend to feel positive and not guilty, and we want to empower all moms to step into motherhood feeling confident and good about their decisions!  We respect YOU!

We are excited about our Credo, because it is quite unique in the breastfeeding community.   We may get some flack for saying this, but we hope that more breastfeeding organizations and activists will do a little less “promoting, protecting and supporting” of breastfeeding and a lot more “promoting, protecting and supporting” of moms.   Perhaps the “promote, protect, support breastfeeding” slogan was necessary in the past, but with evidence in favor of breastfeeding constantly pouring in, it is time to shift gear and change the message!

Most moms—77%—already want to breastfeed.   When we  lead by example, give expecting and new moms the love, acceptance, compassion they need to be empowered, and break down the cultural and institutional barriers, we are confident that more moms will make healthy decisions and be better equipped to the best parents they can be.  None of us is perfect, we are all on this motherhood/parenthood journey together, and we need each other more than ever!

Finally, thank you for telling us what you wanted in a breastfeeding non-profit.   We hope we’ve shown you that we listened.   You have trusted us to lead the way, and we hope you are happy with our credo, and will make it your credo, too!

Source URL: http://www.bestforbabes.org/credo