Medela Celebrates National Breastfeeding Awareness Month with Breast Pump Donation & Storytelling Partnership

MCHENRY, Ill., Aug. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Medela LLC today announced its support of Breastfeeding: Uncovered, a partnership between Medela and Kimberly Seals-Allers, author of the best-selling "The Big Letdown", breastfeeding advocate and health communication expert. This digital narrative series shares stories from breastfeeding moms living in situations where the decision to pump or breastfeed requires persevering through a range of obstacles: incarcerated mothers, moms raising families in Native American communities, and substance abuse withdrawal.  Working with filmmaker Emma Reid, breastfeeding leader Kimberly Seals-Allers worked to create powerful vignettes to convey the power and determination that all new moms possess, the complexity of breastfeeding and what breastfeeding and pumping looks like in America today.

"We know that social support is a big factor when it comes to meeting your breastfeeding goals. That is why we celebrate breast milk feeding families and their networks, year-round," said Melissa Gonzales, executive vice president of the Americas for Medela LLC. "This August, we're stepping up efforts to celebrate all moms, and the hard-working individuals and organizations that we've partnered with to support maternal and infant health across the nation."

"Medela was an early supporter of Breastfeeding: Uncovered. It is an important digital narrative series documenting the experiences of breast milk feeding moms that truly reflect the modern American landscape," said acclaimed author and breastfeeding advocate, Kimberly Seals-Allers. "Sustaining breastfeeding in our society often requires heroic feats. Until we understand the full spectrum of breastfeeding experiences, we can't create solutions that will impact all mamas. Spotlighting these stories is a crucial step. In the best circumstances, they face challenges on the path to meeting breastfeeding goals, but many face significant obstacles from access to care to systemic hurdles and they still persevere."

Announced today, as part of the company's commitment to support every mother's breast milk feeding journey, Medela donated 650 personal-use breast pumps to the Good+Foundation to provide breastfeeding support to the mothers they serve. Since 2015, Medela has supported more than 135 organizations committed to maternal and infant health, giving more than $1 million dollars in funding and products.

"Our efforts to support families depend on our partners' contributions, like Medela's incredible breast pumps," said Laurel Parker West, Vice President of Programs and Operations at Good+Foundation. "With these donations, many mothers and babies who might not have had access to breastfeeding support, now do. We have more work to do, and we will keep fighting for vulnerable families."

About Medela LLC
Medela's US-based manufacturing and development facility is headquartered in McHenry, Illinois. Every year, more than one million mothers in the U.S. rely on Medela's technology. As the #1 breast pump brand*, Medela provides the best in research-based breast milk feeding products and clinical education to support moms' breast milk feeding journey. The company is fully dedicated to supporting mothers so that they can provide breast milk to their baby for as long as they choose. For more information, visit MedelaBreastfeedingUS.com.

About Medela Cares 

Medela Cares supports maternal and infant health amidst critical transitions such as the return to work, coming home from the hospital or fostering the mother-baby bond in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), with an emphasis on serving the underserved and underrepresented and populations experiencing crisis. Medela Cares provides products and educational resources to nonprofit organizations aligned with these goals. For more information about Medela Cares, visit medelacares.com.

About Breastfeeding: Uncovered – Four Women, Four Journeys

Breastfeeding in the U.S is a complex and compelling story. The lack of a federal paid family leave policy, the impact of commercial interests, societal pressures, cultural barriers and lingering racial disparities make the landscape for breastfeeding uniquely challenging for far too many women. Yet the story being told about breastfeeding is often centered on mainstream experiences and lifestyles. However, for us to truly rewrite the "story" of breastfeeding we must begin to uncover all the chapters—the varied experiences, the realities of life and the circumstances that truly reflect the scope of all mamas in the U.S. This is what Breastfeeding Uncovered—4 Women, 4 Journeys is truly about.

In this digital narrative series, you will witness the stories of women who are breastfeeding in unique circumstances, from a prison nursery to a Native American reservation to a mother in recovery from opioid addiction. This is America. And this is also our breastfeeding mosaic. 

To watch the video series, visit Medela USA's YouTube Channel. 

*IQVIA, using ProVoice Survey; Oct-Nov 2018.

SOURCE Medela

Related Links

http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com