Micky of the breastfeeding blog Mocha Milk started a thriving business called 9 Months and Beyond, LLC. It offers childbirth and breastfeeding support. She wants to grow the business even more, and has entered the Ideablob $10,000 contest. Here’s what her entry says:
9 Months & Beyond, LLC offers a full doula services, lactation support and parenting education. We combine the best resources of a doula agency and pregnancy/ parenting boutique with a respectful, supportive community. From conception through the first years of parenting, we help birthing families through a range of counseling and educational services and products designed for their …read more

MammamayI posted a very interesting and helpful response to my post on Choosing a Doula Worldwide. I particularly appreciated the information she provided on how women who are not able to afford a doula can find free or low-cost services. Read on for her advice on how to choose a doula:
“I’m a doula, and it’s GREAT that you’re addressing this! One of the best ways to have a mom who gets off on the right foot breastfeeding is to have that mom hire a doula. Women who have a doula in attendance at the birth of their child are statistically …read more

Several websites help women choose a doula. A doula is one of the cast of breastfeeding support characters who can assist a mother with labor, delivery and/or postpartum non-medical baby care and mother care including breastfeeding.
In alphabetical order, the websites are:
1. http://www.alace.org/ (U.S. and Canada)
ALACE is the Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators. It trains and certifies labor assistants, birth doulas and childbirth educators. Since its formation in 1977, ALACE has trained over 4,500 women. ALACE says:
ALACE is the only one of the five nationally certifying organizations to be developed and guided principally by women — women who …read more

While at first it appears that the breastfeeding mother and baby only need each other, there is a whole cast of people in supporting roles–people who help mother and baby have a positive nursing experience. When my daughter was a newborn, I joked that it took four people to nurse: me, my baby, my husband to help adjust pillows and latch the baby on, and my mother to bring me water and snacks. With that vital support, the nursing relationship quickly blossomed.
1. Husband/partner. If the breastfeeding mother is in a relationship, it’s important that her partner supports breastfeeding. A husband …read more