Tomorrow is the 2nd Annual Miracle Milk™ Stroll, and this year we are especially pleased that La Leche League USA is partnering with Best for Babes and the NEC Society to raise awareness of the life-saving power of human milk, as well as raise funds, and increase the number of ounces of human milk that are donated to help save sick and fragile infants.
The very first meeting of La Leche League (LLL) was held in 1956, in the home of Mary White. Less than 10 years later, La Leche League became La Leche League International (LLLI), and mother-to-mother support meetings are now held all over the world. In the last 59 years, La Leche League International has done some amazing things. In addition to training mothers who have breastfed their own babies to help other families reach their own breastfeeding goals, LLLI has published countless books, supported millions of families worldwide, and engaged in notable actions such as supporting the Breastfeeding Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), initiating World Breastfeeding Week, and establishing the Peer Counselor Program and the Center for Breastfeeding Information. La Leche League USA has hundreds of highly trained leaders helping mothers and babies!
Tova Ovits, a La Leche League Leader in New York, is the liaison between La Leche League USA and Best for Babes. Tova was passionate about having LLL USA involved with the Miracle Milk™ Stroll because both organizations are committed to helping babies receive the breastmilk they need. Tova explained that LLL supports the WHO hierarchy of infant feeding (which includes exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of the baby’s life). Donor milk, when safely available, is an important part of this equation, and the Miracle Milk™ Stroll is all about increasing awareness about safely donated milk.
Hospitals and NICUs need pasteurized donor milk from milk banks as a standard of care, especially for fragile babies whose mothers cannot provide all the milk they need. It’s important for breastfeeding mothers to know that their breastmilk is needed and wanted by non-profit milk banks all over the country. Mothers with an abundant milk supply or an abundant freezer stash of milk are encouraged to donate. LLL USA and the NEC Society are teaming up with Best for Babes to raise awareness of the need for human milk, and to encourage and increase milk donations. Please join us!
Read: Fast Facts about Miracle Milk™
Join and/or Donate!
Dianne Cassidy, MA, IBCLC, ALC, CCE is a Lactation Consultant in Rochester, NY. She is very passionate about supporting informed choice and evidence-based information. Dianne has been assisting mothers and babies for 10 years, and is an educator, public speaker and published author, in addition to volunteering for Best for Babes. Dianne has 3 children, including twins. www.diannecassidyconsulting.com
