READ THIS BEFORE YOU SHOP ON AMAZON THIS 2021 HOLIDAY SEASON!

DID YOU KNOW….

• While 93% of parents start breastfeeding exclusively at birth in San Diego, only 56% continue doing so at 3 months, largely due to a lack of access and financial resources to ongoing lactation support.

• You can help low-income families and women of color gain access to critical breastfeeding support by purchasing Amazon items online, just by shopping through smile.amazon.com instead of amazon.com!

GUESS HOW EASY THIS IS???

We are asking you to take 60 seconds of your time today to designate the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation as your charitable recipient for Amazon Smile.  All you have to do is go to their website (smile.amazon.com) and choose the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation as your Amazon Smile recipient.  Then as you make your holiday purchases, as well as your staples of diapers, nipple cream, baby toys, book, etc, the SDBFC Foundation will receive 0.5% of every purchase, at no extra cost to you.  This money will go directly to paying for lactation consultations for families in need.  

You can also register in the APP!  Open the app and find ’Settings’ in the main menu (☰). Tap on ‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on AmazonSmile on your phone.

Your Amazon Smile purchases can help families, like Nohamaly’s, get the breast/chestfeeding support they deserve!

“The San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation saved my breastfeeding journey. I am very grateful to the lactation team for helping me in my journey! I would’ve quit breastfeeding if I did not make an appointment at the center. As a first time mom, I felt lost and did not know where to start, but I left my lactation appointment feeling confident about breastfeeding for the first time since my son was born. Also, the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation was able to offer me the rate of $25 for my appointment, which was extremely affordable. If I had to pay full price I probably wouldn’t have been able to see a lactation consultant.” - Nohamaly

Wishing you all the best during this giving season!

Increase Access to Breastfeeding Support this Giving Tuesday 2019

We’d like you to meet Veronica.  She is one of the moms who was able to access affordable breastfeeding support because of the reduced-free consultations provided by the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation.

I reached out to the San Diego Breastfeeding center after experiencing the hardest eight weeks of my life. My baby was born a few weeks premature, he had a tongue and lip tie, he experienced colic, and we had many lactation problems among a number of other issues. I was desperate, I felt helpless and was beginning to experience postpartum depression and anxiety. As my last hope, I left a voice message at the SD Breastfeeding Center thinking I would get a call back until Monday since it was a weekend; however, I was surprised to get a call back that same day. The person on the phone was very understanding and empathic, and she was able to schedule my appointment with Robin right away. I explained that we had so many expenses given all the issues we experienced and I was worried that I would not be able to keep my appointment because I could not afford it. Again, the administrator who helped me was very understanding and I was offered a lower fee.

I felt so fortunate to be able to work with Robin, who is extremely knowledgeable and professional. I was in tears at my appointment, but with her positive and calm energy she was able to provide the support and empowerment I needed to not lose hope. Had they not offered a reduced fee, I would have never been able to breastfeed my baby, something which was extremely important for me to do. I am forever grateful with Robin and the SD Breastfeeding Center for giving me such an opportunity to obtain services I would have never imagined I could have access to. I am happy to say that my baby is now five months old and we are breastfeeding beautifully.

- Veronica G.

Did you know that San Diego has pockets of ‘breastfeeding deserts’ where there is limited access to breastfeeding support groups and lactation consultants.  These deserts exist in areas that have a higher population of low income families and families of color. This is absolutely unacceptable! Access to breastfeeding education and feeding support is a basic human right, not a privilege.  

Your donation today, no matter the size, helps us train breastfeeding support staff and provide free and low-cost breastfeeding consultations to families living in these breastfeeding deserts.  Help us break down these income and racial disparities today!

Join me in helping local families, like Veronica’s, gain access to critical breastfeeding support on this #GivingTuesday. 

Wondering how to do this?

We are asking you to help us #SupportSDMoms by donating your weekly coffee money!  It’s that simple!  If everyone reading this blog post/email donated $20 today (the amount they would spend at a coffee shop this week), we would be able to raise over $40,000 on #GivingTuesday.  

Can you help us reach our $10,000 goal?

All you have to do is click on this Go Fund Me link to donate this week’s coffee allowance and help bring affordable and accessible breastfeeding support to hundreds of local families.

To donate to the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation, you can send a check to:

San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation

8325 University Ave.

La Mesa, CA 91942

Or donate through Go Fund Me!

Increase Access to Breastfeeding Support this #GivingTuesday

We’d like you to meet AnaKaren.  She is one of the moms who was able to access affordable breastfeeding support because of the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation.

Breastfeeding was something I always knew I wanted to do, I just didn't know how hard of a process it was going to be. When I had my baby girl I suffered from postpartum anxiety and pretty bad baby blues. Diana, like all babies, lost a lot of her birth weight and was not gaining it back as fast as she should've been. Breastfeeding her became a real struggle, and with my anxiety I was at a loss. I almost gave up multiple times because I didn't know what I was doing wrong, and I always had this anxious feeling that she was going to lose weight again because she was not feeding well.

Someone recommended I reach out to the San Diego Breastfeeding Center, so I called and made an appointment with Robin. When I arrived for my appointment I was welcomed with a warm smile and I instantly felt more comfortable. During our meeting I felt reassured and was given many helpful tips and advice. When our appointment was over I received an email with my breastfeeding plan and all the tips she had provided. I was so happy at how efficient the appointment was, and how fast Robin emailed me with the information. During our appointments, Robin was able to point out to me that my baby had a lip and tongue tie and I was referred to two dental specialist. Diana was able to get both her lip and tongue tie revised which helped immensely with breastfeeding. During our appointments, I was not only able to receive great advice but I was able to afford coming back two more times.

With limited income and a husband in school, it would've been very difficult to be seen at SDBFC without their affordable $25 appointment fee. Being able to afford the appointments made the difference between breastfeeding my baby and not breastfeeding. My baby and I are now three months into this incredibly breastfeeding journey, and I continue to see all the support I receive from the SDBFC team every time I go to their free breastfeeding support groups. Without their affordable cost fee and support I know my baby and I would've had a completely different outcome on this breastfeeding journey. The bond that my baby and I have created through breastfeeding has been possible because of the support and help from San Diego Breastfeeding Center.

AnaKaren

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Breastfeeding is a right. It is not a privilege for only those who can afford support. That is why I give. - Robin

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Join me in helping local families, like AnaKaren’s, gain access to critical breastfeeding support on this #GivingTuesday.

Wondering how to do this?

We are asking you to help us #SupportSDMoms by donating your weekly coffee money!  It’s that simple!  If everyone reading this email donated $20 today, the amount they would spend at a coffee shop this week, we would be able to raise over $40,000 on #GivingTuesday.  

Can you help us reach this goal?

All you have to do is click on this CrowdRise link or on this SDBFC Foundation link to donate this week’s coffee allowance and help bring affordable breastfeeding support to hundreds of local low-income moms.

To donate by check, please send to:

San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation

3355 4th Ave.

San Diego, CA 92103