Our Fundraiser was a HUGE Success… all thanks to you!!!!

Our 2020 end-of-the year fundraiser was such a HUGE success and we cannot thank you enough for all of your support.  Our goal was to raise $10,000 between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve and we ended the fundraiser with donations totaling $13,015! 

We are truly humbled by our community’s support, which allows us to forge forward in 2021 to provide free and reduced-fee breastfeeding consultations for families with financial and/or racial barriers to receiving breastfeeding support. The recipients’ testimonials say it all…. these consultations were lifesavers!

So, what will your donations pay for this year?

• Over 150 free/reduced-fee breastfeeding consultations in 2021.  This covers over 50% of the consultations we plan to provide this year, so while our fundraising efforts never end, this gets us off to an amazing start in 2021!  

• $2,615 has been designated for our scholarship fund to support local BIPOC women to pursue a career in lactation!

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Each of our donors is incredibly important and imperative for funding our programs, which is why we like to share their names on our donor pages!  There also are a few donors we would like to personally thank today for their very generous donations this year.  These individuals and businesses donated $250 or more to our foundation in 2020:

The Schoenith Foundation

Audrey Conley & Gertrude & L.J. Whitaker Charitable Fund

Herwitz Law

Charity Dunphy

Robert and Patricia Dodson

Toshiko Umphrey

Stephen and Candice Kerner

Jack and Jennifer Einbinder

Kara Ballester

Andrew Eckblad

And a HUGE SHOUT OUT to our local anonymous donor who matched $3k during our fundraising campaign!

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Still want to donate?

You can make a one-time donation or a recurring monthly donation (which is one of our favorites!), through our website at any time!

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Thank you, from all of us at the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation!  You have truly made a difference in so many families’ lives and we so appreciate it!

Warmly,
Robin Kaplan

President, San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation

Will you help us dismantle racial bias in breastfeeding/chestfeeding support?

DID YOU KNOW?

• San Diego has pockets of ‘breastfeeding deserts’ where there is limited access to breastfeeding support groups and lactation consultants, specifically for low income families and families of color.

• Without access to breastfeeding support, these families stop breastfeeding sooner than they planned, negatively impacting the physical and emotional health of both the nursing parent and the baby. 

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Will you help us dismantle this racial bias and income discrimination?

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Your donations go directly to pay for lactation consultations for families, like Julia’s!

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We have raised $7920 this month. Can you help us reach our goal of $10,000?

Our ability to help families like Julia’s is only possible with your help. Thank you so much for supporting our foundation!

Warmly,
Robin Kaplan
President, San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation

Is the Covid 19 Vaccine Safe to Take While Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding?

Let me start off by saying that I don’t want this to turn into a vax/anti-vax conversation.  Whether you choose to vaccinate yourself and your family is a completely personal decision and one that is really none of our business.  

That being said, many of our clients have reached out to us this week to ask if the covid vaccine is safe for them to get while breastfeeding/chestfeeding.  Our goal is to share the most recent information about the vaccine, provided by medical professionals, so that you and your family can make an educated decision on what you would like to do.

So, what do we know about this vaccine, with reference to lactating parents?  

Honestly, not much.  

• Since this vaccine is so new (and fast-tracked with limited clinical trials), it has not been tested on pregnant or lactating parents.  

• According to Mother to Baby CA, the Covid vaccine is an mRNA vaccine, which means that it doesn’t contain the live virus. ‘The mRNA vaccine works by telling cells in the body to create harmless fragments (small pieces) of the virus that causes COVID-19. These fragments cannot cause COVID-19. However, they trigger an immune response in the body that helps make antibodies against the virus.’

• According to the CDC, ‘There are no data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in lactating women or on the effects of mRNA vaccines on the breastfed infant or on milk production/excretion. mRNA vaccines are not thought to be a risk to the breastfeeding infant. People who are breastfeeding and are part of a group recommended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, such as healthcare personnel, may choose to be vaccinated.’

• According to the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, ‘there is little biological plausibility that the vaccine will cause harm, and antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in milk may protect the breastfeeding child…. During lactation, it is unlikely that the vaccine lipid would enter the blood stream and reach breast tissue. If it does, it is even less likely that either the intact nanoparticle or mRNA transfer into milk. In the unlikely event that mRNA is present in milk, it would be expected to be digested by the child and would be unlikely to have any biological effects.’ They go on to say that,’Antibodies and T-cells stimulated by the vaccine may passively transfer into milk. Following vaccination against other viruses, IgA antibodies are detectable in milk within 5 to 7 days. Antibodies transferred into milk may therefore protect the infant from infection with SARS-CoV-2.’

So, with this lack of specific research on the Covid 19 vaccine, it is recommended that you speak with your healthcare provider to go over the pros/cons of taking the vaccine while breastfeeding/chestfeeding, based on your risk of possible exposure to the virus, your health history, and your child’s health history.

And, please continue to follow the CDC guidelines for preventing the spread of covid:

• Wear a mask

• Stay at least 6 feet away from others

• Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or using hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol

Stay safe! We will update our website with information as it becomes available.

We are matching funds up to $3000 this week!

We cannot begin to express how grateful we are to everyone who has donated to our fundraising campaign and shared about it with their friends and family!

So far, we have raised $3000 in the past 2 weeks.  This week, an anonymous donor has offered to match donations up to $3000 from 12/14 until 12/21, so your donation this week will be doubled!  Which means, we will be that much closer to our goal of raising $10,000 during the month of December!  Can we count on you to help us meet this goal?

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Meet Sabrina, a local mother who received low-cost breastfeeding consultations from the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation.

“I am a first generation, lower income, Latinx full-time college student. 

I battled a 7 month long struggle with breastfeeding.  I reached my breaking point and found the SDBFC Foundation, hesitant to make an appointment due to the cost, until I saw the option for Medi-Cal.  If I had to pay for the full price for an initial appointment, I doubt I would have made the appointment. This is not because I would not want to, but because I could not afford it. 

Through the SDBFC Foundation, my daughter and I were able to access the necessary services in order for her to receive the proper care and attention needed for her to survive and thrive. 

Nonprofits like these help break down systematic barriers that prevent Latinx and other BIPOC communities from successfully breastfeeding. They also allow lower-income parents to be able to provide an equitable childhood to their children beginning at infancy. I am forever grateful!”

-Sabrina

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Sabrina is one of the 200 families of color and low-income families that our foundation was able to assist this year, all due to your donations and those from our community!  We are 30% to our goal of raising $10,000.  Will you help us reach this goal?

Our ability to help families like Sabrina's is only possible with your help. Thank you so much for caring so deeply.

Warmly,

Robin Kaplan

President, SDBFC Foundation

READ THIS BEFORE YOU SHOP ON AMAZON THIS 2020 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 do it 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.

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

“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 my daughter had become a real struggle and with my postpartum anxiety I was at a loss. 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. - AnaKaren”

Meet SDBFC's Newest IBCLC - Tabitha Kemp

We are so thrilled to introduce you to our newest lactation consultant at SDBFC! Tabitha Kemp joined us on August 24th and will be doing office visits starting Sept 28th!  Here is my interview with Tabitha.  I can't wait for you all to meet her!

Tabitha, tell us about yourself!

I am a San Diego Native, married to Adam, my amazing husband of 10 years! We have two beautiful daughters. I am an amateur runner, and I love a good coffee and donut.

What inspired you to become a lactation consultant?

About 4 years ago, while working in the emergency room, I took care of a new mother and her child who simply needed help with breastfeeding. She was nervous and overwhelmed. I will always remember her because she was so thankful to have help with one of the most basic roles of parenthood: feeding her child. After that, I enrolled to take a course to become a Certified Lactation Educator and was overwhelmed by the importance of giving parents the ability to provide breastmilk for their child. I had found my way to contribute to my community by promoting and protecting the health of families.

What are you most excited about working for the SDBFC?

I am excited for the new challenge! I look forward to learning from the impressive lactation consultants at the San Diego Breastfeeding Center. The teamwork and collaboration is amazing, and I love the way all the consultants support one another and their clients as they work through feeding challenges. I hope I can be an advocate and support for all my clients to help them reach their goals!

What are your top 3 tips for a brand new breastfeeding parent?

1. Be patient. Breastfeeding is natural and normal, but this does not mean it is easy. So be patient with yourself and your baby as you learn. 

2. Find help. There will be hiccups and speed bumps, but resources abound, so do not wait to seek help when and if you have a problem. 

3. Find friends. Surrounding yourself with people (even online) who love and support breastfeeding can be a lifesaver. Having the opportunity to watch someone else breastfeed can be a game changer. So, find a neighbor, friend, or support group where you can be surrounded by breastfeeding.

Welcome to the team, Tabitha!

Our Breastfeeding Journey

A few weeks ago, we sent out a call for Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding/Pumping memoirs.  Our desire was to flood the Internet with beautiful breast/chestfeeding and pumping stories of triumph, overcoming challenges and struggles, and positive outcomes, regardless of the total amount of milk a parent was producing.  We are thrilled to share these stories with you, our readers, and hope that they offer support and inspiration for you, wherever you are in your breast/chestfeeding or pumping journey. 

Thank you to all of the parents who submitted their stories!  If after you read these memoirs you are inspired to submit your story, feel free to send it to RobinKaplan@sdbfc.com.    

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This Memoir is from Casey

Our breastfeeding journey began in June of 2018, following a traumatic (for me, fortunately not my son) childbirth. Combating an unexpected c-section, magnesium treatments, dehydration from blood loss, and significant tongue and lip ties with a macrosomic baby (11lb7oz) was a rough start. For about 5 weeks, I nursed my son with a shield, then immediately supplemented with pumped milk and formula, pumping almost as often as I was nursing him. I was recommended to see an IBCLC, and met with her a few weeks later, as well as regularly attending support groups one to two times a week. Our son had his lip and tongue ties revised, and we were able to immediately drop the shield and successfully latch FINALLY when he was about 6 weeks old. I attended support groups regularly, even once we established a solid latch and experienced success, to support others who were struggling with similar issues and for the camaraderie.

As we continued to nurse, my original goal of at least 1 year came and I had a choice to make. To conceive, my husband and I require IVF. While there are some unknowns and potential risks associated with nursing through infertility treatments, I consulted an IBCLC as well as professionals who research medication interactions with pregnancy and breastfeeding and decided the potential that the treatment wouldn’t work was worth the risk of continuing to nurse my son.

In July of 2019, we transferred an embryo and became pregnant with my second kiddo. My son nursed throughout the pregnancy, dry nursing when my supply diminished from typical pregnancy hormones, and continued as my colostrum came back in shortly after. I worked through some nursing aversion that arose from those same hormones. In March of this year, literally the same day that the state of California started a stay at home order, I went to the hospital to be induced. This was my first and only time away from my first nursling overnight, as my original plan of having him come in and snuggle with me and nurse was thwarted by the pandemic.  I gave birth to my daughter via c section on my second day at the hospital, and immediately began to nurse. She was much smaller than my son, only 7lbs1oz and had some temperature and blood sugar issues shortly following birth and wound up spending her first night in the NICU.  (I need to say that those long term NICU moms are the bravest women I’ve ever met, and many of them were pumping day and night to provide for their babies, even as their stay was stretched over several months.)

I traveled slowly to and from the NICU every couple hours to nurse my daughter, but her sugars needed a bit of support and we supplemented with formula after nursing those first few days.

After 5 days in the hospital, we finally got to go home and see my son. I wasn’t sure if he’d still be interested in nursing after 5 days with nothing, but as soon as I sat down at home, he instantly latched as if nothing had changed. I tandem nursed both my babies for the first time- my son at 21 months old, my daughter at 3 days old.

It’s been 4.5 months and both of my children still nurse well. I’m grateful that my daughter didn’t have any ties or other latching issues and was able to gain weight well. My new breastfeeding goal is as long as each of them want to nurse, though we have scaled back the frequency for my toddler, so that I have time to function throughout the day. He was thrilled when my full milk came back in!

I will forever be grateful to all of the IBCLCs for helping me salvage my breastfeeding relationship with my son and for continuing to support me and numerous other nursing parents to provide our children with the best start possible.

Nice Try, Covid…. But You Can’t Stop Us From Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week

The annual World Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7th) is usually filled with parties, gatherings, giveaways, and more.  It is a week to celebrate all of your breastfeeding, chest feeding, and pumping accomplishments with families around the world.  Many of you may have attended our Big Latch On event or participated in our Ultimate World Breastfeeding Week giveaway in the past. For some of you, this may be the first time you have breast/chestfed or pumped for a child.  

And while 2020 has been a complete physical and emotional circus (PG-version of what we really want to say), we are so incredibly grateful to still be here, providing our breastfeeding expertise and emotional support to all of you.  So, if Covid can’t shut down the San Diego Breastfeeding Center, then it sure can’t stop us from celebrating World Breastfeeding Week!

So, who’s ready to celebrate with us??????

We have several online events scheduled for August 1-7th, with more being added (so make sure you are following us on Instagram and Facebook because you will not want to miss out!)  Here is a list of what we have planned so far!

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The Big Virtual Latch On

August 1, 2020; 10-10:45a | Zoom

2020 has proved to make in-person gatherings difficult (to say the least!), so our yearly Big Latch On event has moved online! If you have never attended a Big Latch On event, this is where we bring together as many breast/chestfeeding parents together to latch on their babies all at the same time to set a world record!

This is an event you won’t want to miss this year, as hopefully this will be the only time in our lifetime where we will try to set a world record for the MOST latched on kiddos at the same time during a pandemic! (Well, that’s something I never thought I would write in a million years!)

There will be a few giveaways (like some awesome Kindred Bravely bras/tanks and Tula baby carriers!), laughter, camaraderie, and celebration as we bring together our community of nursing families.  And let’s face it…. we all need something fun to celebrate right now!

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Share Your Stories!

Throughout World Breastfeeding Month (all of August 2020)

To celebrate and acknowledge all the ways we feed; breastfeed/chestfeed/pump/bottle, AND to encourage other families, we would love to feature YOUR story. We will be posting the stories on our blog and featuring them on our social media. Peer to peer support is so crucial, and right now (due to Covid) this may be missing for some of you. So let's lift each other up and let other parents know that they are not alone! With this project we also hope to amplify the voices of communities who are underrepresented in breastfeeding/chestfeeding/lactation and who are failed to be properly supported by the health care system and community.

Stories should be no longer than 1 page, and if you'd like to share a photo that we can include that would be amazing! Here is a link to some breastfeeding memoirs we have collected for our website in the past.

If you are interested in sharing your experience with feeding your child, please email robinkaplan@sdbfc.com

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Instagram Giveaways!

August 1-7, 2020

We absolutely love giveaways because they allow us to collaborate with amazing and inventive companies/products and share with our SDBFC families and social media community!  This year, instead of having ONE large World Breastfeeding Week giveaway with a bunch of products, we will be launching a monthly giveaway event (name TBD!) so that you can really get to know our favorite companies, their products that make your life easier, and their communities.  We will launch our monthly giveaway event with Teat and Cosset and Baby Tula, both outstanding companies we have collaborated with many times in the past.  Start following them now to learn more about them and stay tuned for the giveaways and our IG stories Q&A takeover!

And, you never know when another fun event will be planned, so stay tuned and happy feeding!

What Happens During a Virtual Breastfeeding Consultation?

Since COVID-19 has sent all of us to ‘shelter in place’, we are getting asked so many questions about our virtual consultations.  Parents want to know what happens during a virtual breastfeeding consultation and how it can be helpful.

So, I wanted to take this opportunity to answer some questions we have been getting about our virtual consultations and explain all that we can accomplish during one.

Let’s get into the questions!

Can a lactation consultant actually help with breastfeeding without being in the same room?

100% yes!  We are total ninjas when it comes to this!  Our ‘detective’ skills and ability to see the whole picture help us understand your situation and concerns even when we can only see each other through our phones/computers!

What happens at a virtual breastfeeding consultation?

Here is how it works at SDBFC

Before your appointment:

1. We send you a video on how to do an oral assessment on your child.  This is how we check for tongue and lip ties and how everything is working in your baby’s mouth.  You can either record yourself doing this assessment on your kiddo and then send it to us before your appt (the preferred method) or we can walk you through this assessment during your consultation.

2. You fill out an intake form so that we have all of your background information and feeding history before we even meet.

During your appointment:

1. We discuss your baby’s oral assessment - which looks at suck, tongue range of motion, and overall oral structure

2. We watch your baby latch and breastfeed, offering advice on positioning and latch, while demonstrating these techniques with our lovely baby dolls.

3. We discuss milk supply and ways to make sure that your baby is getting enough

4. We can help with pumping and flange sizing

5. We co-create a personalized plan of care to help you meet your personal feeding goals.

What type of equipment do I need and is it helpful to have a support person nearby during the consult?

• We use Google Hangouts Meet (HIPAA compliant), so you just need your phone.  A phone is better than a computer because it allows us to get up close to your baby while we are assessing positioning, latch, and sucking rhythm.

• It can be VERY helpful to have a support person with you so that you can just focus on latching/feeding your baby and have someone else hold the phone for you.  Also, partner/family support is more crucial than ever now that we don’t have access to in-person support groups and consultations. Your partner will be included in the conversation and tips will be provided so that they can assist and support you with the feeding process.

How can a lactation consultant assess for tongue tie without putting her fingers in my baby’s mouth?

You actually get to do the oral assessment on your child while either recording a video to send to us, during your consult, or both!  This is actually really awesome because you get to feel what the lactation consultant would normally feel, helping you better understand how your child’s tongue is functioning… either at max capacity or with room for improvement!  We will look for how your baby’s tongue lateralizes, lifts, maintains suction, extends, and cups your finger. We will also view what his/her tongue frenulum and upper lip frenulum look like.

How can a lactation consultant help with positioning and latch during a virtual consult?

Using a baby doll, we can demonstrate positioning techniques, if you need guidance.  Once we evaluate your baby’s latch, we can use verbal recommendations and visuals (such as YouTube videos) to demonstrate how to help your baby achieve a wide latch.

I prefer to learn in-person.  How can I learn from someone without being in the same room?

We feel the same way!  We would prefer to offer an in-person breastfeeding consultation when given the choice.  We thrive while sharing space with a family while working with them. We miss our in-person consultations soooooo much!  Unfortunately, lack of access to PPE has required us to temporarily suspend in-person consultations provided by the San Diego Breastfeeding Center. So, we all have had to fine-tune our assessment and counseling skills to meet your needs and hopefully we will change your mind about learning from someone via the interwebs :-) 

How can we tell if my baby is getting enough without a lactation consultant’s scale?

Now, that is the one downside to virtual consults.  No scale to weigh your baby before and after a feeding.  So, we have to watch your baby carefully while feeding. We will look for jaw movement, suck/swallow ratios, stamina while feeding, and other indicators for milk transfer.  We also might recommend renting a scale from the hospital for weighted feedings for a few days (since there are no in-person support groups to gather this data.) OR you might consider purchasing a scale from Amazon just to track your baby’s weight for a few days, which will give us the information we need to know if your baby is getting enough over a 24 hour period. Also we will be very conservative in our recommendations for supplementation with pumped milk and/or formula.  We will make sure that we do everything we can to ensure that your baby is thriving while we work on the feeding details.

Should I just wait until the ‘shelter in place’ has been lifted so I can meet with a lactation consultant in person?

Definitely not!  Breastfeeding is not fun when it hurts or feels confusing.  We don’t want you to second guess yourself, especially during the heightened pandemic stress we are all under.  With possible formula shortages on the horizon, we want to help you solve your breastfeeding challenges ASAP, as well as be a resource when other feeding questions arise.

So, does that help?

Remember, we accept Aetna PPO, Tricare, and UCSD HMOs. Also, we have an amazing sliding scale, so if our cash prices are a deterrent, please call our office (619-724-4117) so that we can offer you a sliding scale rate.  

What other questions do you have about our virtual breastfeeding consultations?  I would be happy to answer them for you!