HIV From Mother to Child

HIV can spread from mother to child during pregnancy and through breastfeeding.  We have the ability to stop that from happening, and everyone should know about this.

ONE is a grassroots organization working to prevent the spread of HIV from mother to child, with the goal of no child born with HIV by the year 2015.  Please watch their video below and visit their website for more information.

Please also watch the second video to learn how mothers can pasteurize their own breast milk to kill the HIV virus and protect their infants while still providing the best nutrition.

Please help protect babies everywhere by sharing this information!

Prescription Human Milk: In Honor of World Breastfeeding Week

World Breastfeeding Week ends tomorrow.  What have you done to show your support?

Breastfeeding Advertising and Public Image

There's a new ad campaign by Best for Babies which describes breastfeeding as a miracle. "According to the ad, the real miracle isn’t the bra, but mothers, and their ability to make milk for their own and others’ babies."

The Best for Babes Foundation was established in 2007 to fight the barriers to breastfeeding, and to give breastfeeding a makeover by using mainstream marketing and branding.

I think this is much needed, and I'm really glad that breastfeeding advertising has had a makeover. The "Breast is Best" campaign wasn't able to really shift infant feeding mentality in the United States.

However, while I love the depiction of breastfeeding as a miracle, I can't help but wonder if it will have the desired impact in shifting views of breastfeeding. One potential problem I see is that it doesn't necessarily normalize breastfeeding. Afterall, if we want all mothers to breastfeed their babies, doesn't this mean we need to normalize breastfeeding for the public? If we tout breast as being best or being a miracle, are we successfully normalizing this amazing, beautiful, natural, NORMAL process?

What do you think? Does the new ad campaign portray the right image of breastfeeding? Do you think it will help normalize breastfeeding and shift public images about infant feeding? Is there anything that can be done to counteract the mass advertising by formula companies?

Do you know why breastfeeding is essential and formula is bad for babies? The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers by Dr. Jack Newman is an excellent resource. Dr. Newman explains why formula is bad, but the bulk of the book is dedicated to helping mothers overcome breastfeeding challenges and successfully nourish their babies the way their bodies were designed to.

There are real dangers of using infant formula, and this is something I think we should be advertising. Expose the risk of NOT breastfeeding, and then maybe we'll get the message across of how normal and essential breastfeeding really is. It may be controversial to come straight at formula as being bad for babies, but should we be walking on egg shells worrying about offending people, or should we be exposing the lies the formula companies have perpetuated?

Here is a video on the subject that I really like. What are your thoughts?

The Babies Are Coming

Coming, April 16, 2010

More Women Choosing Home Birth

While the majority of childbirths take place in the hospital, there has been an increase in women choosing to birth their babies at home. Midwives who offer this service are finding themselves in higher demand than ever before. The New York Times did a story about this recently, focusing on the New York City area, and it's worth taking the time to read.

It's interesting to note that in New York City most people live in cramped apartments with thin walls, and they are still choosing home birth. Another interesting and somewhat surprising fact in the article is that the reports say that most of the women who are choosing home birth are highly-educated professional women. Hooray for informed decisions!