“In the most successful ad campaign in history, formula companies convinced mothers to trade in their breasts for bottles, and the baby bottle swiftly became the most recognizable symbol of infancy. The phenomenon of the nursing mother has all but disappeared from our cultural landscape as the sexual breast supplanted the mothering breast. The simple act of nursing a baby engenders a plethora of reactions from society, especially when done in public.”
Bottle UP! is a new documentary discussing why the number of women who startbreastfeeding–and continue with it–is so low in the US. It’s got some big names in it: Alanis Morissette, Minnie Driver, and Carrie-Anne Moss all speak out in support of breastfeeding, and against the negative effects of formula advertising campaigns and businesses. The full-length film is coming out during World Breastfeeding Week, August 1-7.
“Breast milk is best.” We hear it all over the place.That doesn’t mean it’s easy, though! Biologically speaking, the percentage of women who truly don’t produce enough milk to feed their babies is only 1-5%. Many women are unfortunately told that they “can’t” breastfeed, and without supportive and knowledgable partners, lactation consultants, nurses, friends, La Leche League leaders, doctors, etc… many women quit much sooner than is recommended, or don’t start at all.
(And, let’s just get this out of the way: This isn’t a slam against women who choose to use formula. We all know that just like c-sections, there is a proper time and place for it. It doesn’t mean you love your baby any less. We all make choices in the way we parent our kids–how we feed them is one of those).
World Breastfeeding Week is August 1-7. The goal this year is to draw attention to peer support in helping mothers begin and sustain breastfeeding. In conjunction with WBW, The Big Latch On (http://www.biglatchon.org/) will be hosting events all over the US, including in Champaign. (More info to come on that!). I hope you’ll join me, and thousands of other moms, dads, lactation consultants, breastfeeding counselors, doulas, midwives, doctors, and la leche league leaders in raising awareness of the importance of breastfeeding, and the importance of SUPPORTING and ENCOURAGING mothers in their breastfeeding journeys.
The Water Cooler 
I had to go to Vimeo to watch the whole thing, but it’s a great trailer. š I can’t wait to see the full-length one.