This morning, the Latch on America Tour arrives at the Children’s Museum of Houston to help local moms learn more about breastfeeding and connect with local experts who can help.
The tour was founded by 27 year-old Ryan Comfort (yes, a guy) who shares here a little about the tour and its goals:
The Latch On America Tour is thrilled to be spending the day in Houston!
As stop #26, we have learned so much about the landscape of breastfeeding across America, but continue to learn more with each person and organization we meet.
If you see me today, the first thought that will likely come to mind is: “Wait — you are the person with the idea behind a breastfeeding website and a big pink bus?”
I’ve had the privilege of answering that question hundreds of times over the last 35 days. I used to answer that question by telling the story about how I arrived at this point in my life (idea for a witty t-shirt, sister who had issues with breastfeeding, being inspired by the Surgeon General’s Call to Action), but now I focus more on why I wake up every morning excited about the plans for Milk for Thought.
I have learned so much on this tour… after spending so much time with moms and experts across the country, it’s clear that breastfeeding is not just about getting the best nutrition in a baby’s stomach, but instead about helping a mom achieve the personal goals she has set for her and her family.
The advocacy community has done a great job of getting moms to want to breastfeed (rates were around 20% in the 1970s, now they’re better than 75%!). The modern challenge is making sure that moms who want to breastfeed are able to reach their goals.
That’s why this trip is about empowerment and raising awareness of the Surgeon General’s Call to Action — the actionable steps that can make a difference in a mom’s breastfeeding journey.
The events we’ve been attending in every city on the Big Pink Bus tour allow moms to get connected with many of the local resources that are available and the people who want them to be successful.
I’ve heard repeatedly, “Wow, I had no idea this kind of help was available.”
With such a large, supportive breastfeeding community all across America, no mother should ever have to feel alone and overwhelmed.
While, these events provide a one-time visualization, one of the goals of www.milkforthought.com is to serve as an online platform that connects moms with their local resources. It’s been really exciting to see moms come with concerns and questions, connect with local resources, and then leave feeling supported and more confident.
We’re also traveling with a 3-person film crew that has completed more than 130 interviews with leading experts, moms with a range of backgrounds (active military, deaf women, moms of multiples, teen moms, etc). We are posting clips of these videos on our website and are trying to pre-sell DVDs in order to raise funds to produce a feature-length documentary. These interviews have been amazing and we believe if heard by the general public, we could challenge the way America thinks about and supports breastfeeding moms. Please watch a trailer of the documentary here. We’d greatly appreciate if you would fund what you can and help spread the word!
We have two weeks left of the trip and will be wrapping up this wild adventure in Los Angeles. Here are the dates for the remainder of the trip:
- Austin, August 18th
- Dallas, August 19th
- Lubbock, August 20th
- Navajo Nation, August 22nd
- Las Vegas, August 24th
- Phoenix, August 25th
- Los Angeles, August 28th
The more the merrier, so please tell your friends in these cities that a big pink bus is coming their way! You can also find out what we’ve learned, get updates, watch videos from the trip, and track us as we head West at www.milkforthought.com/tour.
Latch On!
– Ryan Comfort, Founder & Chief Empowerment Officer, MilkforThought.com
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