Please Help Raise Funds for More Business of Being Born Films!

The Business of Being Born is a birth documentary film that I love. It helped open my eyes to home birth as a safe, viable option, and I think every woman should watch this film whether or not she's given birth yet.

The great news is that more films are being made! The producers need help with the funding, and YOU can help!


From producers Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein:

"Making our 2008 documentary, “The Business of Being Born,” was a huge labor of love for us (no pun intended); we shared intimate footage of our own births, funded the entire project ourselves, and fell way short of making our money back.  But like any new mom, we’ve forgotten the pain and we’re ready to do it all over again.  Now we’re giving birth to quadruplets.  “More Business of Being Born” is our new series of four educational films that deepens the conversation about childbirth options, supporting every woman’s right to empowerment and accurate information during the birth process.   We’ve also completed a 28-minute Classroom Edition of “The Business of Being Born” with a comprehensive study guide to reach younger women in University settings.


"This is where we need your help.  We’ve made these films with a microscopic budget, once again funded out of our own pockets.  But we’ve come as far as we can on our own.  


"We just launched a campaign on Kickstarter where you can purchase advance copies of “More Business of Being Born” to help us reach our goal of raising $100,000. This money will be used to both finish the films and fund their marketing and publicity, including hiring a publicist, an online marketing company, and funding campaigns on Facebook, Twitter, and various other marketing outlets. The ultimate goal is to make the information found in our films, as well as on our website, available to as many pregnant and soon-to-be-pregnant women as possible!


"Aside from the pride of being part of a revolution in the birthing paradigm, donors will receive incentive packages that include copies of the films, merchandise signed by we, the filmmakers (Abby and Ricki), and some very special packages for the most generous givers. 


"The deal with Kickstarter is that if we don’t reach our $100K goal, we don’t get any of the money – and if we can’t fund the marketing for these films, then our ability to spread the word about empowered birth will be severely hampered. Let’s not let that happen!

Click here for more information and to donate to this wonderful cause!

Lack of Breastfeeding Costs Lives, Billions of Dollars

A recent study concluded that "if most new moms would breastfeed their babies for the first six months of life, it would save nearly 1,000 lives and billions of dollars each year."

Here's a link to the CNN article about the study:

CNN: Study: Lack of breastfeeding costs lives, billions of dollars

This is important information! The study shows that breastfeeding actually saves lives.

The sad thing is how few mothers actually breastfeed their babies for the minimum recommended first 6 months of life. This is recommended by the World Health Organization, the Academy of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"A 2009 breastfeeding report card from the CDC found that only 74 percent of women start breastfeeding, only 33 percent were still exclusively breastfeeding at three months and only 14 percent were still exclusively breastfeeding at six months."

Why are breastfeeding numbers so low? The article states that mothers "receive mixed messages and often lack support from the moment their babies are born." The articles also says that mothers are not to blame, and that we need improvements in maternity care to give mothers adequate breastfeeding information and support.

One thing I run into when I post and talk about breastfeeding is that women often feel guilty if for whatever reason they did not breastfeed their baby. The guilt turns to defensiveness and seems to only build barriers in trying to communicate the amazing benefits of breastfeeding. I really feel that breastfeeding advocates (including myself) are not trying to hurt anyone's feelings or give anyone a guilt trip. We are really trying to educate mothers, fathers and their families and friends about the importance of breastfeeding.

There is a really good editorial blog post about this issue on the Public Health Doula blog:

Is it wrong to talk about the public importance of breastfeeding?

Are you ready for another one? An Absolutely brilliant blog post about breastfeeding and American culture. I couldn't have written it better myself:

When It Comes To Breastfeeding, We Can't Handle The Truth

And...

Click here to download Mothering.com's Pocket Breastfeeding Guide

Check them out and tell me what you think!

Mothering Magazine Interviews Ricki Lake about The Business of Being Born

I've blogged about this film many times before, but I just have to keep mentioning it, because I think it is so wonderful and informative about childbirth! I was browsing The Business of Being Born website this morning and found that Mothering Magazine interviewed Ricki Lake about the film and her upcoming book, co-written with Abby Epstein. The interview was recorded and is available to listen to on the Mothering Magazine website. It's a wonderful interview, and I was touched by Ricki's passion. I feel the same passion for pregnancy and childbirth, and I applaud Ricki and Abby for the amazing work they are doing to inform the public about childbirth options. Please take a few minutes to listen to the interview, and if you have not seen the documentary film yet, I urge you to get a copy of it and watch it. It could change your life!