Suzanne:  Fairhaven Health was started with the mission of helping couples achieve pregnancy naturally. We strongly believe that  by increasing fertility awareness (and helping women pinpoint their most fertile days in their menstrual cycle) and by helping men and women understand the role of proper nutrition and herbal support in optimizing reproductive health that many couples who are struggling to conceive  might actually have a chance of becoming pregnant without prescription medications and other invasive medical interventions. We also believe that natural products have an important role in supporting pregnancy wellness and breastfeeding success. As a result, all of the products we provide for fertility, pregnancy and breastfeeding, are developed by a team of experts, including medical doctors, naturopaths, and nutritionists, and formulated to include the safest, most natural, and most effective ingredients available.

TLB:  Fairhaven Health clearly values family and supporting breastfeeding, aside from the products, how does the company support breastfeeding both for those within the company and publicly?
Suzanne:  At Fairhaven Health, we support breastfeeding as the optimal feeding choice for moms and babies. But, we also understand that for some women, “choosing” breastfeeding isn’t always easy. Pregnant woman are constantly bombarded with confusing messages about breastfeeding and formula feeding, and even when new moms want to breastfeed, they often lack the information and support (from peers and professionals) they need to breastfeed successfully. The American Academy of Physicians recommends exclusive breastfeeding for at least the first 6 months of a baby’s life, followed by breastfeeding in combination with the introduction of complementary foods until at least 12 months of age, and continuation of breastfeeding for as long as mutually desired by mother and baby. While we understand that these guidelines might be easily achievable for some women, for other women, achieving these goals requires a Herculean effort. We are committed to helping new moms reach their breastfeeding goals (whatever those goals might be, 1 week to 1 year or longer) and we are proud to partner with several amazing organizations that are working to normalize breastfeeding, provide moms with the evidence-based, unbiased information they need to make a truly informed choice about feeding options, and ensure that moms have the support they need from peers and lactation professionals to successfully breastfeed.We are a small, family-owned business, so putting this into practice internally is quite easy! Although we don’t currently have any breastfeeding babies in our small Fairhaven Health family, it is not uncommon to have someone’s kids (usually mine!) here in the office  after school, reading Harry Potter, making microwave popcorn (no judgement on the nutritional choices, please!), and creating extra chaos! And, externally, it is our great pleasure to support the work of the following innovative breastfeeding organizations in their efforts to make breastfeeding accessible to all moms and babies:

Cottonwood Kids: Many new mothers receive their first can of formula for free, from the hospital where they give birth. These “free” samples come at a tremendous cost in terms of breastfeeding success. Cottonwood Kids was created solely to assist in elevating breastfeeding in the eyes of families across the country and to help hospitals and birthing centers create a breastfeeding-friendly environment for their patients. Cottonwood Kids created the Healthy Baby Bag, a useful product designed to store expressed breast milk that is given to new mothers at the hospital where they deliver. Packaged inside the bag are essential breastfeeding product samples and support information for new moms. Fairhaven Health provides financial support to the Healthy Baby Bag program to help ensure that hospitals can purchase these bags at minimal cost and distribute these wonderful bags as free gifts to moms.

BestforBabes: Best for Babes was founded by Bettina Forbes and Danielle Rigs, two moms eager to change the way breastfeeding is viewed in the United States. Best for Babes is the only mainstream nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of and removing the barriers (The Breastfeeding Booby Traps™) that keep millions of mothers in the U.S. from achieving their personal breastfeeding goals. Fairhaven Health is a proud to serve as Corporate Sponsor of Best for Babes.

And, last but definitely not least, we are thrilled to be part of The Leaky Boob community, helping to support the efforts of Jessica and Jeremy as they work to provide a safe, informative, and loving environment in which families can interact about all things related to breastfeeding.

TLB:  We’re giving away some Nipple Nurture Balm, what encouragement would you give to a mom dealing with sore nipples?

Suzanne:  Aaaahhhh . . .the only thing that we can say is . . .yes, it hurts so badly and yes, it will get better. Talk to your friends, your family and a lactation professional if necessary to make sure your little bundle is latching properly and then use as much Nipple Nurture Balm as necessary (it is completely safe) to soothe your sore nipples.

____________________________

This giveaway is for 1 bag of Nursing Time Tea and 1 Nipple Nurture Balm; 5 winners; retail value is $26.90