Since our founding two years ago, the Best for Babes Foundation is the first independent, trusted non-profit to re-brand the breastfeeding movement, create a positive, inspiring and empowering message, change the conversation and develop innovative social marketing tools that are igniting change and bringing together respected celebrities, the best corporations, leading foundations, fashion, the media, the medical community, and advertising around a common cause.   We’ve acted as a powerful catalyst in the breastfeeding movement and industry, and are seeing the ripple effect and echoes of our vision and clarion call everywhere, and we are very happy about that!   We have volunteered tirelessly through great personal adversity (including Danielle’s breast cancer) and the incredible support and love we have gotten from you all, our friends and fans on Facebook and on Twitter has made all the personal sacrifices worth it!

Specifically, we shared with the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine:

• It is time to change the conversation about breastfeeding and shift the pressure off moms and on to the barriers–what we call the “booby traps”–that are keeping moms from achieving their personal breastfeeding goals.   We charged the crowd to  join us in “cheering on, coaching, and celebrating” ALL moms, helping them to make an informed feeding decision without pressure, judgment or guilt.   (See our CREDO!)  Why?   Because moms who want to breastfeed are having a negative breastfeeding experience, they and their babies are suffering, and it is creating a backlash against breastfeeding.   When we remove the “booby traps”, we allow moms to have a positive breastfeeding experience and share it with their families, friends, and peers, allowing breastfeeding rates to rise naturally.   Most moms want to breastfeed, and deserve to succeed!
• It is time to make breastfeeding the “mother of all causes” and to elevate it on par with Susan G. Komen and other successful campaigns that have won the following of millions.   Breastfeeding has a positive impact on almost every single cause we care about—-whether it’s breast cancer, infant mortality, premature birth, life-threatening allergies, heart disease, education or the environment, to name just a few, and it deserves the same attention and resources that all these causes enjoy.
• Marketing, the Media and Creating Consumer Demand:   We need the true Rock Stars of Breastfeeding–the doctors, board-certified lactation counselors and health providers–to  help us share the stories of moms who are struggling, get evidence-based, accurate, positive and inspiring messages into the media,  and to put positive social marketing pressure on the barriers by recognizing and rewarding those who are truly champions for moms.   For example, the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is one of the most powerful tools to put pressure on all the hospitals—70%, according to the Centers for Disease Control—that continue to undermine moms who WANT TO BREASTFEED!!!   Yet, so few mothers have even heard of the Baby-Friendly Hospital designation, and don’t know to demand that their hospital meet the baby-friendly (and mom-friendly) criteria!!   We need your help to market what works and cheer moms on.
• This cause needs more collaboration, not less.   There is much work to be done, and the barriers to breastfeeding are formidable and are costing our society billions and billions of dollars.    Mothers and babies can not afford splintered efforts; they need synergy and a united front among the leadership.   This cause is woefully underfunded and our dollars and our resources of time and energy need to be spent where they truly matter most and can have the biggest impact.   We need to bring everyone together under an independent, trusted umbrella whose sole purpose is to help mothers and babies, without any other agenda.

We will be sharing more of what came out of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine’s Conference and what this incredible organization is doing to help moms.   We would also be happy to share our presentation with those that want to be part of THE SOLUTION!   We wanted to leave you with two wonderful comments:

I am a physician and Fellow of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine who just attended and tremendously enjoyed your presentation about “Best for Babes.” My experience in trying to help mothers and their children to breastfeed has included just about every situation your excellent website identifies as “booby-traps.” I love that concept and I applaud your foundation’s approach towards moving mothers away from blaming themselves, breastfeeding advocates and other mothers for their breastfeeding problems, towards identifying the real barriers that cause so many mothers to wean long before their personal breastfeeding goals are met.

The booby traps to successful breastfeeding abound and one of the biggest is the medical system. How is it that I trained to become a pediatrician for 8 years and graduated with ZERO training about breastfeeding? Then I set out to work in a highly respected hospital that was accepting their formula for free. 92% of maternity facilities in the US are doing that TODAY. How about that for a dirty little secret? Arent we suppose to market health, and not be a middle man for a pharmaceutical industry? Then we had hospital policies that separated the brand new perfectly healthy baby from the perfectly healthy mom. Why? So we could get our paper work done. Unless your nipples and breasts are 80 yards long and can go under locked doors and up and over warmers, going to that nursery is a monstrous obstacle to breastfeeding. Then the nurse helping you out, well she probably had zero minutes of training on breastfeeding as well. You can’t keep it going if you don’t get it started.  The problem is not you new moms, WE are the problem. Do the best you can. You are doing a great job!! MD from Boston

Thank you again, Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, for inviting us to speak.   We were invigorated by meeting many of our heroes, and by the amazing work you are doing to help mothers and babies.   We are proud and honored to partner with you on upcoming initiatives . . . stay tuned!

Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine

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!

The winner is Cheryl Marian, who wrote:

Wow, reading your description and going to Laura’s website has sold me. I am a lactation consultant, volunteer at our local pregnancy center and give 2 hour breastfeeding classes for low income and other mothers who wish to attend. This book would be a wonderful resource to show in class and read excerpts to validate many of the points I teach.  I would also, have the book available for lending on and off site for all mothers to read and to look at the real moms actually breastfeeding and loving their newborn/s and showing how involved fathers are also, even though baby is Breastfeeding. Thank you!

Congratulations Cheryl!    (We have notified Cheryl that she is the winner, if we do not hear from her we will choose a runner-up.)

HURRAY:   A Special, Limited Time Discount for You . . . And a Fundraiser for Best for Babes!

Because it was so difficult to choose the winner from dozens of wonderful comments, we asked Laura if she would be willing to offer a discount  to anyone who wants to purchase the book, and she happily agreed!   Not only that, but Laura offered to donate an additional $3 herself to the Best for Babes Foundation, to further our mission of  Giving Breastfeeding a Makeover and Beating the Booby Traps so that moms can achieve their personal breastfeeding goals!    Thank you Laura!   To take advantage of this special, limited time offer:

Go to http://www.TheBreastfeedingBook.com and enter     babes7 all lower case and no spaces in the Customer Code box on the left of the shopping cart page when ordering .   You will receive $7 off  (a 20% discount off the retail price of $35)  of every book you  purchase.  Best for Babes will receive a donation of $3  from the author, Laura Keegan, for every book sold. Offer is good until 11/12/09, so act now!

This book makes the perfect gift for moms-to-be and is a great choice for the upcoming holidays!

Here are 3 ways you can help moms and babies by helping Best for Babes raise money for our cause:

1. BUY a book for yourself or a friend, for your local La Leche League Chapter, or your breastfeeding support group.

2. EMAIL friends and family about this offer by linking to this post.   Put it on your shower, birthday or holiday wish list!

3. POST a link to this blog post on your Facebook page and tweet this link:  http://bit.ly/3Q21zq on Twitter.

Thank you in advance for helping us spread the word and raise funds for this important cause, so that all parents can make an informed feeding choice without pressure, judgment or guilt and so they can achieve their goals and feel good about it!   We think this is a wonderful book and leave you with these closing reviews:

“Breastfeeding with Comfort and Joy is magnificent. It’s like having a wise and loving grandmother show you exactly how to nurse your baby.”— Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom

“I have worked with Laura Keegan for nearly 20 years.  Since her consultations with breastfeeding families are necessarily private, I never knew the secret(s) that made her patients so fiercely loyal and grateful.  Well, here they are.  Using beautiful images and clear, simple, accurate descriptions, Laura has created a manual of wisdom and celebration that should be read by anyone who is, has, or is going to breastfeed an infant.” —Larry Baskind, MD, FAAP

For actress Kelly Rutherford’s review of the book, click here.

November 2009 Issue

When we first heard that SHAPE magazine wanted to honor Best for Babes Co-Founder Danielle Rigg in their annual list of “Women Who Shape the World”, we were overjoyed . . . when the issue hit the newstands today, and we saw that Danielle was included in an incredible group of 10 movers and shakers, headed up by Michelle Obama, we were truly humbled and, well, blown away!

We are so grateful to SHAPE for shining the spotlight on the Best for Babes Foundation.   Best for Babes is  the first and only non-profit that is giving breastfeeding a makeover and bringing together celebrities, corporations, foundations, non-profits, fashion, advertising, the media and the medical community to “Beat the Booby Traps™” –the cultural and institutional barriers that keep moms from making an informed decision and from achieving their personal breastfeeding goals!    Best for Babes believes that ALL women deserve to be cheered on, coached andcelebrated without pressure, judgment and guilt, and is catalyzing a positive culture change.

Bravo to SHAPE for including an awesome photograph of a nursing mom, which helps normalize breastfeeding (many women have never seen another mother nursing) and puts breastfeeding squarely in the camp of fitness, health and HOT!   It sends a strong message to expecting and new mothers that “we’ve got your back, babe and you can do it!”

Best for Babes Co-Founder Danielle Rigg, (on right) with mom Claire Belanger courtesy SHAPE magazine

Thank you SHAPE for sharing Danielle’s story, which is especially poignant this month as Danielle  is also a recent breast cancer survivor.    A diagnosis at age 37, grueling chemotherapy and a double mastectomy only renewed Danielle’s commitment to preventing breast cancer and helping more mothers reap the protective benefits of breastfeeding for themselves and for their daughters.   New studies suggest that women with an immediate family history of breast cancer who breastfeed have a 59% lower risk of developing the disease themselves, and breastfed baby girls have a 25% lower risk of developing breast cancer later in life.   Every woman that is not prevented from succeeding at breastfeeding is potentially another life saved.  Every woman that shares her positive breastfeeding experience without pressure, judgment or guilt mends the broken cycle of intergenerational support and leads the way for her peers and future generations.

Being honored by SHAPE is a perfect fit (pun intended)! because breastfeeding is a lot like working out or riding a bike; there is a learning curve but if you stick with it, and get inspired, prepared and empowered you will be amazed at what you and your body can do (and your baby will thrive and love it!).  SHAPE magazine has over 1 million readers, and is an extremely popular magazine for women’s health and fitness, motivating women to eat better, exercise, and take the actions to become healthier and feel great about themselves.   SHAPE and Best for Babes use everyday and celebrity success stories to encourage women to achieve their personal goals and feel fabulous.    (I turned to SHAPE when I was desperate about my post-pregnancy bod.   You can’t pick up the magazine without immediately wanting to eat a delicious salad and head to the gym, and best of all, you will be pumped up to actually enjoy it!)   So it is a magazine that we respect and admire because it is doing something good for women and for the planet.   Healthier, stronger, more empowered women are what our world needs!

We congratulate the other honorees! It is profoundly humbling  to be included with 10 other leaders who are making a difference in women’s health and wellness.  Honorees include Michelle Obama who is leading a national trend back to homegrown produce;  Robyn O’Brien, founder of Allergy Kids, who is urging healthier eating of organic, unprocessed, non-GMO foods to curb the allergy epidemic, Karen Durkin, CEO of the Women’s Sport Foundation, who is helping inner city girls participate in team sports and thereby achieve greater health, self-esteem and academic achievement,  and Suzanne Jones, founder of YogaHope, who is teaching yoga, stress reduction and addiction coping skills to women recovering from alcohol or drug addiction.

On a final note, I want to acknowledge Danielle personally.   Danielle is not only my best friend and business partner, she is also my hero.   Throughout her devastating battle with cancer, and despite her recurring health issues, she has been my source of strength and inspiration.   Starting a breastfeeding non-profit is not easy, and we have faced many adversities and have often figured things out by the seat of our pants.   Danielle’s faith in me, in Best for Babes, and our mission of helping mothers and babies has been unshakeable, through thick and thin, and has been the glue that has held us together!    I am proud to be part of this venture with her!

–Bettina

To get involved or donate, go to http://www.bestforbabes.org. Best for Babes is a non-profit 501c3.  All donations go directly to raising awareness, changing the cultural perception, bringing more evidence-based information and our comprehensive strategy into the hands of moms and key influencers, catalyzing positive change, cheering on moms and those that support them, and “beating the booby traps”–the cultural and institutional barriers to breastfeeding success. Whew!

Seminars on a variety of topics were held on the first floor every twenty minutes or so.   I thought Big City Moms did a great job addressing subjects that moms are interested in; including sleep, feeding, and safety.    As fun as it is to shop and prepare the nursury it is so important the new mothers have the information they need to make healthy decisions!

The first seminar that I did not want to miss was Dr. Alan Greene speaking about “Feeding Baby Green:  Teaching Your Baby to Love Healthy Foods.”   Boy is this guy excited about babies eating!!   He talked about how babies’ tastebuds are actually most sensitive in utero, and that they practice swallowing before they are born, drinking up to 3 cups of amniotic fluid per day!   Dr. Greene explained that not all nutrients pass through the umbilical cord, and that the baby is actually bonding with and getting to know his mother.    I really appreciated his non-judgmental style of speaking that addressed the concerns of mothers who were planning to breastfeed as well as those who were not.   He talked about “imprinting” and how babies who are breastfed get thousands of different flavors from mothers’ milk, exposing their tastebuds early on, and suggested that formula feeding moms switch brands a few times to change things up.   Dr. Greene doesn’t go for a lot of the standard feeding advice given by many pediatricians, especially as far as allergies and feeding schedules, and he explains why in his book, which was included in the gift bags.   I found his lecture to be super interesting and informative and well, really intuitive!   As a mom I always wondered why introducing solids had to be this highly controlled experiment, when really, babies have been reaching out of the sling for millenia to grab a bit of what’s going into mama’s mouth.

Me and Dr. Alan Greene at the Big City Moms Event

I was fortunate to get a chance to speak with Dr. Greene before his talk . . . I knew about his great work with Healthy Child, Healthy World and was excited to meet him.   I told him about what Best for Babes was doing and right off the bat he bubbled over with enthusiasm and fired off some recent breastfeeding research studies.   It was clear that he is very pro-breastfeeding and very knowledgeable about lactation science.   I told him I thought it was great that the Born Free bottles were BPA-free and hoped that the company would become WHO Code Compliant.  Dr. Greene shared that his wife is a breast cancer survivor (like my business partner, Danielle Rigg), and we talked about how strange it was that the big breast cancer organizations didn’t jump with joy over a recent study showing that women with a family history of breast cancer can reduce their risk by 60% — yes, 60% — if they breastfeed their babies.  We see eye to eye on a number of things and I was thrilled to meet him.

Kelly Rutherford & Me (Bettina Forbes, Co-Founder, Best for Babes)

The last seminar of the evening was actress Kelly Rutherford speaking about “Socially Conscious Mothering.”   She is incredibly down to earth and warm and spent most of the time answering questions from the floor.    She has a very nurturing style and made me feel like we’re all in this together, trying to do our best as parents, picking ourselves and each other up when we fall.   She talked about some of the personal decisions she had made, including tandem nursing (see our interview with her) and her choice not to vaccinate.   I appreciated that she was very open as a mother who is trying to parent in a socially conscious way, and shared her own experience.   I think she is an awesome role model and all the expecting moms really enjoyed talking to her.  Best for Babes is very lucky to have her as a Champion for Moms!

All in all it was a great evening and a great resource for moms-to-be.   Everyone left with a huge gift bag filled with gorgeous items, and better prepared for motherhood!

And then there is Laura Keegan’s book, Breastfeeding with Comfort and Joy:  A Photographic Guide for Mom and Those Who Help Her which can be ordered exclusively at http://www.thebreastfeedingbook.com.  (Enter giveaway below!) There are many ways that this book is different from all the others I have seen; and not just because it has almost as many photographs as it does words.   Uniquely, this book unfolds in lustrous images and reassuring words, page by page, drawing the reader in soothingly, much as a new mother draws her baby close for comfort and sustenance.   It is easy to read in one sitting; in fact I could not stop.   I was as mesmerized by the language as I was by the photos, most of which were taken by the author.    I still get goosebumps from the photo on page 2.

Although the photos–which are unapologetically graphic–do tend to take center stage, the text is a worthy match.   The introduction lays out the intention of the book to clear away the chatter of breastfeeding war stories we’ve all heard before, and to remind us that breastfeeding can actually be incredibly wondrous and enjoyable if moms are given the right support.   This concept is very much at the heart of what Best for Babes is all about–breastfeeding has been made far too difficult by a gauntlet of “booby traps” that keep moms from succeeding, despite their best intentions.   We believe that no one should tell moms what to do, but for pete’s sake, if she wants to breastfeed, let her succeed!   As long as 60% of moms are being prevented from achieving their personal breastfeeding goals by our disapproving culture and by hospitals, physicians, employers and insurers, it will be hard to get breastfeeding continuation rates to go up–only 11% are making it to the minimum 6 months recommended by the AAP.  As long as moms are struggling unnecessarily and not enjoying the breastfeeding experience they will pass on their horror stories and dissuade their peers.   We can do better for moms!

There is a surprisingly large amount of evidence-based information packed in to a small space.   There have been other excellent reviews (see the Motherwear Blog) of the lactation science in the book, and I defer to experts such as Tanya Lieberman, IBCLC.   However, I was very interested and happy to see the context Keegan established about “bottle-feeding imprinting” and how our culture interferes with mother’s natural nursing instinct.   I enjoyed how she succinctly explained skin-to-skin contact and the work of Lennart Righard, as well as the mother’s amazing ability to regulate her temperature to warm up her baby, even on command.    As someone who is squeamish about breastfeeding at heart, I did gulp at some of the photos, but I think they are incredibly important for helping moms get comfortable with their bodies, and they are needed to help change our culture.   Most of all, though this book wants us to fall in love with breastfeeding, and I did, in a way that I didn’t get a chance to experience when I was going through it myself.   For an expecting mother or new mother, I can’t think of a better gift.

I am especially pleased to be able to share actress Kelly Rutherford’s endorsement of the book as well.   Kelly has been very outspoken about breastfeeding, sharing her story openly with us and using her celebrity status as a star of “Gossip Girls” to raise awareness and appreciation of breastfeeding, and helping us shift the pressure off moms and on to the “booby traps”.   Here is what she had to say about Breastfeeding With Comfort and Joy:

To order the book, go to http://www.thebreastfeedingbook.com.  I am giving away one copy of the book, to enter to win, post a comment below by October 23rd explaining how you would use this book to help mothers and babies.   Only entries from the United States please.

But this is a feast for the eyes, stunningly beautiful,  inspiring,  gorgeous, provocative . . . it blurs all the hard, discriminating lines that our culture is trying to draw around us moms like a cruel iron cage.    Who says you can’t breastfeed and be sexy?   Who says you can’t be glamourous and nurturing at the same time?    WHO SAYS YOU CAN’T BE A COMPLEX, RADIANT WOMAN, A GODDESS IN ALL YOUR GLORY????

We say YOU CAN.  We say that you don’t need to breastfeed in a closet, or be ashamed of your beautiful body, no matter what it looks like.   (All bodies are beautiful and glorious, no matter the size of the nipples, bellies or butts, being used the way they were meant to be used, making, birthing, and breastfeeding babies!)  You can cover up while breastfeeding or not, we don’t care, we think it’s beautiful either way.   YES, We say that you can breastfeed and be sexy.   Yes, we say you can satisy your baby AND your partner (though probably not at the same time, LOL).   Yes, you can breastfeed a newborn and breastfeed a toddler, just like Kelly Rutherford did, and yes you are fabulous!!   YES.  You can do it, and we will help you, so you can be all the woman and mother that you are!

Thanks to the inspiration by Phdinparenting who posted another beautiful video worth watching.

Perfect Storm Beaten by Breastfeeding: Time Magazine, Oct.2 — Time reports that Typhoon Ondoy hits just before World Breastfeeding Week in the Phillippines, for the worst flooding in 50 years.  This underscores the power of breastfeeding in emergencies, and makes the theme Breastfeeding–A Vital Emergency Response:  Are You Ready? “eerily prescient.  . . . For mothers and young children caught up in the devastation of the sort wrought by Typhoon Ondoy on September 26, breastfeeding advocates say the practice can provide the key to averting a whole new set of disasters.” Time did a FABULOUS job reporting:

“Advocates . . . have helped make the Phillippines, which has one of Asia’s highest birthrates, one of the leaders in the international legal effort to support women’s right to breastfeed.  Aimed at controlling aggressive marketing of formula-milk companies, particularly in developing nations, pro-breastfeeding laws target corporate practices like sponsoring maternity-related events, giving out formula samples to mothers, and indicating on labels and advertising that their products make babies smarter. ‘Breastfeeding can save the lives of both mothers and infants.  It may be the single most important intervention for . . . [reducing child mortality and improving maternal health].  . . . In 2005 the world Health Organization estimated the nation’s total lost wages from caring for formula-fed children with diarrhea and acute respiratory infections during the first six months of life was $21.3 million, a figure that does not include the cost of doctor visits, medicine and hospitalization that parents have to pay.

The Philippines get [IBFAN's] highest rating, having ‘implemented most of the [World Health Organizations's 1981 International Code of Marketing Breast-milk Substitutes] by means of a comprehensive law, decree or legally enforceable measure.’ . . . the U.S. is . . . ‘at the bottom of the pile.’ Its position in the lowest category 9 indicates that the country has taken no action to implement laws that would protect breastfeeding or restrict the marketing practices of the formula-milk companies”.

More on the story can be seen here,  including these fabulous quotes by Filippino moms “ When I see foreign women breastfeeding, I also do it . . . I used to feel that breastfeeding mothers don’t have class because they can’t afford to buy milk. Or they were [too stingy] to buy formula milk for their kids. Now I see foreign women breastfeeding and they have money so it shows this is not true.”

Breastmilk Should be Drunk at Same Time of Day that it is Expressed - Oct. 2, 2009 Science Daily

We all knew that breastmilk changes composition to meet the needs of baby, flexing to give baby extra water or nutrients when sick or dehydrated (one reason breastfed babies need to go to the hospital less often when the stomach flu goes around), proof of the amazing power of our mom-made wonderfood!    This new, albeit small, study of 30 women suggests that breastmilk composition changes to help babies go to sleep at night, and has a high nucleotide content from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., which promotes restfulness.   We think more studies need to be done and experts like the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine need to weigh in with recommendations; in the mean time, a common sense approach may be to label pumped milk for nighttime or morning.  Easy enough.

Yet Another Recall of Infant Formula – Oct. 2, 2009 New York Times

The New York Times reports that 14-ounce cans of Neocate infant formula product by Nutricia North America Inc. of Rockville, Md.  have been recalled.   The recalled formula (number of cans unknown) was “distributed between Sept. 1 and Sept. 11 with the lot number P91877.   WHY: They do not contain as much protein as listed on their labels. Long-term use of the lower protein formula could affect the growth of certain infants.  ADDITIONAL INFO: Call 800-365-7354, option 8-6061; or visit http://www.nutricia-na.com.”

Please note that this is not to put pressure on moms, but to put pressure on the aggressive marketing of infant formula that makes misleading claims about breastmilk substitutes.

The “Mission Statement” part was easy, and we even managed to make it tighter:

Our Mission:

To Give Breastfeeding a Makeover,

and to Beat the Booby Traps™–

the Barriers to Breastfeeding Success.

But wait, what about our values, and how we feel about expecting and new mothers? We are two moms who struggled with breastfeeding (unnecessarily, because of the booby traps), and one of us used formula.   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 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 were really eager to find a way to make mothers feel GOOD—feel inspired, prepared and empowered—and express our support for all moms, because motherhood is not easy!   We wanted a really strong statement of our beliefs, that would influence and carry us through all our decisions with Best for Babes, and let everyone know where we stand.  So here it is:

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 full institutional and cultural support to achieve their personal breastfeeding goals.

In even plainer english, that means that if you have done evidence-based research, weighed your options, and hopefully 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 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!

Truthfully, we are excited about our mission, and 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!

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(I can’t figure out how to slap a pdf file into this post, but once I do, you’ll be able to see the beautiful foam core that our corporate sponsors displayed.   Special thanks to Earth Mama Angel Baby for donating the graphics and printing, and lugging the signs to the Expo in their suitcases!)

We also hope that this list is helpful to ALL the expecting and new mothers and parents who deserve to make informed feeding choices, and deserve to carry out those choices, (whether it is breastfeeding,  milk bank-feeding, or formula-feeding or any combination thereof) without being “booby-trapped” by cultural and institutional barriers, including myths, misinformation and unethical marketing practices.

Twitter names where known are included for your convenience.   Tweets regarding the controversy can be found with the #nestlefamily hashtag on twitter.com (and if you are a breastfeeding, eco, corporate watchdog professional or social entrepreneur who is not yet on twitter, time to get on and follow these people).

This impassioned tweeting and blogging by so-called “mommy bloggers” . . . many of whom are extremely successful journalists, authors, marketing professionals & entrepreneurs . . . has raised enormous awareness about the unethical business and marketing practices of Nestle, has educated thousands about the WHO Code and Baby Milk Action, and has demonstrated the power of social media to bring about change.   For example, because of Annie’s advocacy efforts, –and the timing would suggest that it is precisely because of the Nestle firestorm– BlogHerAds has just announced that “it has created a new opt-out category for members of the BlogHer ad network that would allow bloggers to ensure their blogs are compliant with the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk substitutes.”

Activist Bloggers:  your courage, determination, wit and marketing prowess is breathing new life and excitement into the relatively tiny (and underfunded) breastfeeding community that has been engaged in a Sisyphean task for decades.  On behalf of the moms, babies and professionals we serve, our deepest thanks!

Please leave a comment or tweet me with any corrections to this list, links we’ve missed, or helpful suggestions.  Special thanks to Crunchy Domestic Goddess for letting us take over the list.

Anthology of #NestleFamily Activist Blogs

September 29, 2009

@phdinparenting An open letter to the attendees of the Nestle Family blogger event

September 30

@crunchygoddess Did we learn anything from the Nestle Family Twitter Storm?

(Popdiscourse)  On Bloggers, Breastfeeding, Family, Morality, Change, & the Nestle Family Event

@Mommymelee Thinking Outside the Hashtag

@jsbagain On Missing the Mark

@cyn3matic Bloggers, Corporations and Plausible Deniability in the Age of Google

October 1

@themotherofall The Parenting Community Will Hold Your Company Accountable if You Pull a Stunt Like Nestle Family

@blacktating #NestleFamily, Bloggers & Race:  Why it Matters

@debontherocks A Night-Night Story for Nestle’s Blogger Junket

@amamasblog Nestle Family and Blogging Responsibility

@ilauredhel Nestlé moves from obfuscation to outright lies

October 2

@that_danielle Nestle Marketers Tell #NestleFamily Bloggers What They Want to Hear & Know They’ll Believe it

@EvilSlutClique Getting to the Point of #nestlefamily

@meloukhia What do you get when you combine a Press Junket, Uninformed Bloggers, Angry Activists, and the Internet?

@roxanne600 My thoughts on the Nestle Family Event

October 3rd

(Fusion Parenting)  I am Evil

@QueerSubversion Buying  Bloggers with Shiny Things

TiffanyWashko Nestle Blogger Firestorm

@momswhoblog Did Nestle Step on a Hornet’s Nest or Open a Door?

@marketingmommy The Nestle Family Twitstorm

@jsbagain Lay Down With Dogs, Get Up With Fleas:  Old Lesson, New Perspective

@phdinparenting Follow-up Questions for Nestle

October 5th

About.com   Let them Drink Formula and Eat Steak:  ‘Nestle Family Blogger Event’ Fallout

October 6th

babble.com  Nestle’s Courting of Mommy Bloggers Off the Rails

October 7th

Fusionparenting  Apparently I am not just Evil, I childish too

Note:  This list was compiled primarily for those who are disturbed by Nestle’s unethical business and marketing practices,  including the media, moms, and breastfeeding, environmental, and corporate watchdog activists.   In that respect, it is indeed one-sided, as we are not looking to support or defend Nestle!  However, in order for lasting change to occur, we agree that it is important to understand the viewpoint of the bloggers who chose to attend the #NestleFamily event and to engage in a respectful and open-minded dialogue with those bloggers.   Mom101 (see comment below) suggested we include the best summary with the most productive comments:  @OhMommy:  Nestle Blogger Event from a Participant, from October 2nd, and we are happy to do so.   We appreciate the efforts of bloggers/tweeters like OHMommy and That_Danielle (amongst others) who are keeping this a sane discussion from both perspectives, and who are asking the tough questions.