You’ve probably noticed by now that motherhood will thrust you into situations and roles you never saw coming. That’s what’s so great about connecting with other moms. No one really understands until they’ve been through it. And once you’ve been through it, there’s no going back. Sometimes, moms need to have each other’s backs, and that’s why new moms can unexpectedly find themselves in the role of advocate.

Travel is changing for the better.

If you have the good fortune to visit the Buffalo Niagara Airport while you’re nursing, consider yourself lucky. Their newly completed nursing lounge has all the amenities moms dream of – privacy, peace and quiet, zero judgment – and it’s not a bathroom. This totally reasonable amenity is there for you in part thanks to the work of Buffalo attorney turned breastfeeding advocate and founder of Rachel’s Remedy,  Rachel Jackson. You may not be able to count on pumping in peace at your destination airport, but if Rachel gets her way, rooms like this will become standard – and required – nationwide.

It started with one mom.

Rachel Jackson was 16 years into a successful career as a corporate attorney when she gave birth to her first child. Determined to breastfeed, she found herself up against a challenge she didn’t know how to handle. Her hectic travel schedule brought front and center a problem she’d never noticed. Airports have zero resources for nursing moms. Eventually she had to choose between flying and pumping, so she began turning down work. When The Buffalo News printed an op-ed asserting that nursing should be relegated to filthy restaurant bathrooms and – mystifyingly, changing tables – Rachel’s drive to breastfeed became a crusade to change the world.

“Feeding your baby at home has its own challenges,” Rachel acknowledges. “We need to do everything we can to make it easier and more comfortable for mothers to breastfeed their babies – whether at home, at work, or traveling.”

What you can do…

You are your own best advocate. Here’s where you can start today to make the world a better place for mothers who choose breastfeeding for their families.

• Understand your rights. They do exist, even in the workplace.
• Your comfort matters. Make choices based on what’s right for your baby and body.
• Breastfeed in public if that’s what feels right for you.
• When someone shames you, makes you feel uncomfortable, or makes nursing hard for you, know that they are doing the wrong thing. You’re doing the right thing for you and your baby, and there are many people out there who will support you.
• It’s easier to quit than to stick with it. Like anything you do for your health and the health of your baby, it takes commitment. It’s also worth it.
• Resources are out there. Find them, use them, and share them. Start with local IBCLCs and the La Leche League.
• Tell people why breastfeeding is important to you.

Changing the world starts with each one of us.

We asked Rachel the most important thing to share with new and expectant moms. “To change the world, we just have to educate people,” she said. “Teaching people why breastfeeding matters changes everything.” If anyone has seen the impact one person can make, it’s her. Moms can make a big difference by getting comfortable with talking about breastfeeding.

Rachel’s Remedy

We love supporting friends of Babies & Bumps and mompreneurs, especially when they have a mission like helping moms to breastfeed! Rachel’s passion for goes well beyond fighting for legislation to secure clean, private lactation areas in airports. She is the founder of Rachel’s Remedy, a company dedicated to helping women breastfeed more comfortably. Rachel’s Remedy currently offers the only FDA-cleared moist heat and cooling relief packs on the market. Their all-natural Breastfeeding Relief Packs slip right into any bra, and keep clothes dry. They can help increase milk supply and relieve (and prevent) certain conditions caused by breastfeeding, like nipple pain, engorgement, clogged ducts, mastitis, milk blisters and more. In addition to their online store, you can now find Rachel’s Remedy products at Target.com and your local Wegmans.