The International Breast Milk Project (IBMP) is an organization that helps mothers in the United States send their breast milk to infants in need, who have either lost their mothers or whose mothers are not able to breast feed due to HIV infection, untreated tuberculosis, serious illness, and/or severe anemia or malnourishment. IBMP is the only international organization to provide breast milk to infants in developing countries. The recipients of the donated breast milk are infants of South Africa. It is estimated that 1.5 million children in South Africa have lost their parents due to HIV/AIDS, and many more have mothers who are unable to breastfeed because they are ill.

The organization estimated that it will be sending 262,655 ounces (7,767 liters or 2052 gallons) of healthy breast milk by the end of this year. This calculates to feeding 2,188 babies one bottle of milk a day for 30 days. New mothers, this is a meaningful, yet simple way to help make a difference. Help this orgization reach their goal.

Jill Youse, Executive Director of IBMP explains the donation process as follows, “Applications are completed online, blood work is done in the donor’s home, and coolers are shipped directly to doorsteps, making the process seamless and easy for a mom with a new baby at home.”

Do visit the website to learn more!

The same dynamic duo who presented America with the must-see documentary, The Business of Being Born, has just released a wonderful book entitled Your Best Birth. Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein have compiled a collection of wonderful birth stories shared by familiar faces such as Cindy Crawford and Laila Ali, distinctions of the commonalities of child birth and more.

The book is introduced with a foreword by Jacques Moritz, OB-GYN, Director of Gynecology at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital and Assistant Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University. It is then divided into 4 sections, Know Your Options, Putting Your Dream Team Together, Interventions: The Slippery Slope and Take your Birth Back. I commend the duo for also including a chapter on Birth and the Sexual Abuse Survivor.

This book stands out from the crowded world of the pregnancy book shelves. It is not intimidating in its size and it is filled with quality substance that is easily digestible. Whether or not, you have seen Lake’s and Epstien’s The Business of Being Born, this is a wonderful book for women to read if they are pregnant or are planning to be pregnant very soon.

Make sure to join the sister website of the book, Mybestbirth.com , to share your stories, participate in forums, and become a part of a supportive community.