Breastfeeding is not always easy! Having personally experienced breastfeeding challenges with both of my kids, I know firsthand how critical breastfeeding support is for a mom in those first few weeks after her baby is born. Critical, both physically and emotionally.
Join me in helping local low-income women gain access to critical breastfeeding support on this #GivingTuesday.
So you thought you were just coming to the Big Latch On event to hang out with friends and latch on your kiddo, right? Well, wait until you see all of the fantastic breastfeeding and pumping swag you have the opportunity to win at our drawing on Saturday!
We feel incredibly fortunate to have the support of so many local businesses and national breastfeeding-friendly companies. These businesses have graciously donated goods and services to help raise money for the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation, our non-profit organization which offers reduced-fee private breastfeeding consultations for local low-income families. Last year we raised about $2500 for our foundation at the Big Latch On event and we are hoping to DOUBLE that this year!
We are so excited to announce that the San Diego Breastfeeding Center and Wonderful and Wild are co-hosting a 2017 Big Latch On event! For those who are unfamiliar with the Big Latch On, this is an event that started in New Zealand in 2005 during World Breastfeeding Week. The mission of the Big Latch On is to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding women and each year groups of breastfeeding women come together at locations all around the world to latch on their children at a designated time and day in honor of this mission and to attempt to set a new record! This year, our Big Latch On event will also serve as a major fundraiser for our non-profit organization, the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation.
Written by Anna Choi, BS, IBCLC
On March 1st, we asked our community of mothers, families, and friends to help us #givehope to refugee families in San Diego by supporting our effort to collect diapers and women’s hygiene kits for the International Rescue Committee in San Diego. Our initial goal was to collect 500 diapers and 50 hygiene kits in 50 days. Within the first ten days, we had surpassed our diaper goal and were overwhelmed with gratitude as more diapers and hygiene kits continued to be delivered to our office throughout the following weeks. We are thrilled to announce that our final totals were as follows:
Anna Choi, BS, IBCLC
Here at the San Diego Breastfeeding Center, we love women; we love moms; we love our community. And perhaps most of all, we love helping the women and mothers in our community. When we heard about the recent travel ban put forth by President Trump’s Executive Order, we knew it was time to reach out to our friends at the International Rescue Committee of San Diego to see what we could do to help. In our discussions with IRC San Diego staff, we learned about the devastating effects the Executive Order was having [and would continue to have] on the ability of the IRC to provide support and basic necessities for refugee families who have resettled in San Diego. As we read about the decision of the U.S. Appeals Court to uphold the suspension of the Trump travel ban, we celebrated with our friends at the IRC.
This past Saturday, I had the honor of hosting the Breastfeeding Lounge and speaking at the Your Natural Baby Fair about my favorite topic... breastfeeding, of course! The topic for this presentation was a little different than those discussed at the prenatal classes I teach each month. Instead, I was finally able to address all of the questions I am asked at my weekly support group. You know... those questions about hiccups that happen AFTER the initial latch/positioning/initiating milk supply issues. The questions that pop up AFTER the first few months of breastfeeding, right when you think you have it ALL figured out! Now those are truly my favorite!
My presentation was titled: Managing Speed-bumps Along Your Breastfeeding Path. During this talk I focused on:
Appropriate feeding amounts for babies (for up to a year)
Appropriate weight gain for babies (for up to 1 year)
Lactogenic foods that support your milk supply
How to maintain your supply during baby's distractable times, returning to work, and when offering solids
Benefits (both nutritional and emotional) for breastfeeding beyond 1 year
Since this talk could only accommodate 60 people (who happened to be in San Diego at the fair), Sunny, from New Mommy Media and the Preggie Pals podcast, interviewed me to discuss the topics in my presentation.
Recently San Diego, California (aka America’s Finest City) has been hit with some pretty obnoxious breastfeeding-in-public harassment situations. While I assumed that most Californians knew that breastfeeding in public was legal in our wonderful state, apparently, most people don’t. Even my husband, who is an attorney and married to a lactation consultant, was unaware that there was actually a California law that protected a woman’s right to nurse in public.
HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE????
First and foremost, it is shocking to me that we actually need a law to protect a woman’s right to feed her baby in public, but yet, I must remind myself that most people think breasts are for fun rather than functionality.
Secondly, why don’t most people know that this law exists?
Third, how is it possible that EVEN WITH a law stating a woman can breastfeeding in public, mothers are STILL being harassed for doing so?
What does the California law actually say?
