New Twitter Event for #Breastfeeding & #Expecting Moms: #bfcafe, Thursdays at 10 p.m. EST!

Best for Babes is pleased to join @ZealandsMom (see her blog) in announcing a new chat group for breastfeeding moms, to be held every Thursday from 10 - 11 p.m. EST on Twitter under the hashtag #bfcafe!   The purpose of #bfcafe is to provide support for expecting, new and breastfeeding mothers, to provide a safe, open forum where moms can cheer each other on, share success strategies, and receive evidence-based information.   While there will be a set topic for each week, all #bfcafe sessions are open to all questions that expecting or new mothers might have about nursing.   Each week there will be product giveaway, coordinated by Danielle @Zealandsmom.   (For upcoming sponsorship opportunities, please contact Danielle on Twitter @Zealandsmom.)

#bfcafe: New Weekly Twitter Support Group for #Breastfeeding Moms!

The idea for #bfcafe came about during an #Ecowed party on February 17 hosted by Three Green Angels (@3GreenAngels) and sponsored by Earth Mama Angel Baby.   Best for Babes was invited to be a special guest because the topic was “The Proper Care of Your Nipples,” certainly a hot (and sensitive, pun intended) issue for new moms.   It was an extremely successful chat and not surprisingly, “nipples” became a trending topic, attracting interested moms (and a couple of dads too!) as the hour progressed.  At the end of the conversation, it was suggested that a breastfeeding chat group be formed, and @that_danielle cleverly suggested calling it #bfcafe.   @Zealandsmom jump-started it by organizing a time, and starting to contact potential sponsors; I kicked off a discussion on how to structure #bfcafe so that it is of maximum benefit to moms.

The first informal #bfcafe, held on Thursday, evening after the #ecowed party, was a huge success!   It was clear that there are a lot of moms out there who are hungry for accurate information and support from other moms, just as there are other mothers who have been there and are glad to share their experience and provide encouragement.   As you might have read here the other day, finding quality breastfeeding support (i.e. not just “breast is best” lip service)  is a big “booby trap” for some mothers, and they are grateful for support on Twitter! 

Best for Babes’ mission is to break down the barriers (“booby traps“) to breastfeeding and ensure that ALL moms are cheered on, coached, and celebrated without pressure, judgment or guilt (see our Credo). 

Best for Babes’ primary role in #bfcafe:   will be to ensure that moms are getting the best evidence-based information and encouragement that they can use in achieving their personal breastfeeding goals, and in making decisions for themselves and their families.  We want moms to be inspired, prepared and empowered to succeed in carrying those decisions out, regardless of what they are.    

Specifically, Best for Babes will be contributing the following to #bfcafe: 

  • Weekly online participation of @BestforBabes to answer questions and generate conversation.
  • Topic development:   We are working on a list of preliminary topics, if you have specific topics you would like addressed, please comment below!  We will also strive to stay flexible and responsive to any breastfeeding-related news or issues that are making waves.
  • Tweets relevant to the topic with links for further information.
  • Expert Advisor:  In addition to a CLC (Certified Lactation Counselor) from Best for Babes, at least one expert from our vast network of trusted and social media savvy health care professionals will be volunteering to tweet relevant content and handle the volume of questions so that moms can get their questions answered and get evidence-based information.   We are constantly amazed at the dedicated professionals who care deeply about helping mothers and are grateful for their donated time.
  • Sponsorship Guidelines:  This is still under development, check back for more information, or please feel free to share your suggestions personally or privately.
  • Weekly blog post announcing topic and experts who will be on hand to answer questions, and link to the sponsor information.
  • Special guests:  From time to time we will introduce special experts and resources to moms from the breastfeeding community

Image courtesy of Earth Mama Angel Baby. If you try to steal it you will melt. EMAB is a proud ongoing sponsor of the Best for Babes Foundation, a nonprofit 501c3. They are ethical, loving, hilarious, and we love 'em.

Going forward, we invite your participation and help!   We will always be looking for new topics, help moderating, and for additional experts and special guests.  @Zealandsmom will be looking for new sponsors!  We are working together and volunteering our time to make this happen as a service for moms.  Assuming it takes off like we think it will  :-) we hope to be able to work with #bfcafe sponsors to enlist the services of 3GreenAngels who do such an awesome job with #ecowed!    Each week Best for Babes will announce the topic, expert advisors and any special guests; @Zealands mom will announce the topic and the sponsor & giveaway for the week (#bfcafe is already booked into April!).   To participate in the giveaway, you must RSVP to the event.  To participate in #bfcafe, all you need is an account in Twitter, and show up at 10 pm EST on Thursdays, including #bfcafe in each tweet.   You may want to download a tweeting tool such as tweetchat, tweetgrid or tweetdeck to facilitate the fast pace of tweeting and information exchange.    For more how to, see Earth Mama Angel Baby’s excellent guide to Twitter parties.

We can’t wait!   This will be a lot of fun!  And after all, isn’t it all best for the babes . . . mom and baby?



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1 Comment | Last revised on 02/24/2010


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One Response to New Twitter Event for #Breastfeeding & #Expecting Moms: #bfcafe, Thursdays at 10 p.m. EST!

  1. Deidrea says:

    This is the start of something TRULY extraordinary!! What a great, safe, non-judgmental forum to help breastfeeding Moms and those looking for answers and guidance!! So, so glad this is happening!

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