Breastfeeding Advocacy Projects Need Your Vote for Funding

Remember when the Mothers’ Milk Bank of New England won $10,000 to help fund its new non-profit milk bank? Now there are two more breastfeeding advocacy projects in the running at Ideablob.

The La Leche League of Seattle Toddler Group proposes a children’s book depicting breastfeeding babies and toddlers:

Very few children’s books represent breastfeeding as a normal part of the life of a child. In contrast, hundreds of books portray infants, toddlers, and even baby animals holding bottles. Many publishers forbid illustrators from depicting breastfeeding at all! Only three books discuss nursing by toddlers. Many families would like to own a book portraying breastfeeding as a normal, healthy, and expected part of the life of a child. We will produce a children’s book illustrated with photos of children doing normal kid stuff. Each picture will include a baby or toddler at the breast, emphasizing that breastfeeding is just a part of what we do. Proceeds will benefit LLL of Seattle Toddler group.

Vote for this project here (simple email registration required).

Adrienne hopes to spread the word about the risks of formula feeding and continue her education in lactation:

My Mission: To help parents make an educated decision on how they will feed their babies. Parents research which crib to buy, stroller to get, car seat is safest. You have the right to know which car seats aren’t safe and you have the right to know that there are proven risks to formula feeding. Here is a document that backs up my claims (copy and paste it into your browser): http://www.infactcanada.ca/RisksofFormulaFeeding.pdf

My biggest challenge will be making the campaign sensitive to mothers who have already formula fed, like myself. I always encounter mothers who feel guilty as well as mothers who will argue to the end that formula is perfectly fine and their child came out healthy.

Vote for this project here.