Celeb Parents Offer Support for Boobie-Palooza

Shoots & Giggles

Get ready for a breastfeeding baby bash.

On Aug. 5, in celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, celebrities will join together with the public in L.A. for Boobie-Palooza, a special event geared toward shining light on the benefits of breastfeeding.

To get ready for the big day, celeb parents Ali Landry, James and Kimberly Van Der Beek and Heather Tom have posed for the ad campaign in cute and quirky tees sporting fun sayings, including “Dessert” and “Milk Bar.”

“Nursing both of my babies has been the most rewarding experience as a mother,” says Landry. “It is not always an easy journey, trust me, but with support from events like Boobie-Palooza, moms feel like they have an entire boobie community rooting for them.”

With Kaitlin Olson, Sarah Shahi, and Jamie Lynn Grumet already scheduled to attend, invitees will enjoy several guest speakers — including author Dr. Harvey Karp and Ricki Lake — while participating in a nurse-in and learning about the tools and support needed for breastfeeding success.

“I breastfeed because I want to do what’s best for my kids in all areas. It’s really as simple as that,” Olson shares.

– Anya Leon

Comments

Mina on July 29th, 2012

TACKY! Parents need to act like parents and not teenagers with funny sayings on their shirts. I wish we could go back in time when parents were mature and the world was right…kids were well behaved because they were raised properly.

Shannon on July 29th, 2012

How sanctimonious. Mothers have been breastfeeding forever.

“Boobie Palooza?” Now wonder people don’t take these seriously. It’s not about “boobies” it’s about the milk and nutrition. Lame.

slb on July 29th, 2012

I seriously think that everyone knows that breastfeeding is better than formula. I tried breastfeeding and no matter what I tried my son refused to latch on. I was attached to a breast pump seemingly all day everyday trying to keep up with demand…It became impossible to keep up. My doctor finally told me “you gave it your best effort go to formula”. To this day I feel like a failure and it saddens me that I couldn’t breast feed. This feeling of failure is only perpetuated by “perfect moms” who had no problem breast feeding. I get on parent blogs and I see how those who had no problem breast feeding look down on those of us who couldn’t like we made a choice to not give our baby the best nutrition. Cut women a break and realize…many don’t breast feed because they can’t! We don’t need a PSA to tell us how to care for our kids!

Sarah, too on July 29th, 2012

Well said, slb! My baby couldn’t latch. I kept blaming myself and hired a lactation consultant to work with me while I relied on a pump. I went exclusively to formula when he was 6 weeks and felt such terrible guilt. Later we found out he has some health concerns and that’s why he was unable to latch. I’ve heard a lot of negative comments regarding my “giving up.”

Y on July 29th, 2012

As a mom who breastfeeds, I agree..these shirts are tacky and cheesy…

Daisy on July 29th, 2012

oh GAWD…here we go again with the guilt. Sorry, I am so sick of hearing guilt comments when no one is saying anything about formula in this entire article or promo for the event.

If anyone paid attention to what was being said, no one is criticizing bottle feeding.

America has made it pretty clear in the past few months they don’t understand breastfeeding. Events like these are made to give women courage to not be ashamed of how they are parenting their child. We are guilting women if the formula feed and we are guilting women if they breastfeed. We need to stop this rubbish.

This type of event encourages women to breastfeed their babies without shame. It has nothing to do with formula. That is like saying a gay right’s parade is guilting people who are straight. The point is pride in the way you are. How you live, and how you raise your family. This is one of many ways to be proud of how we parent, and the people supporting it look fabulous.

J on July 29th, 2012

Oh wow, lighten up folks.

Rebecka on July 29th, 2012

What exactly are the benefits? Average woman does not eat/live well to produce anything nutritious. – Breastfed for 1 year and have suffered from ear infections all my life.

Milk it on July 29th, 2012

Rebecka, good on you for asking a question on something you’re quite obviously not very educated about. Here you go:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breastfeeding#Benefits_for_the_infant
http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-breastfeeding-benefits-you-and-your-baby_8910.bc
http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/why-breastfeeding-is-important/

colleen on July 29th, 2012

So-called celebrity FOOLS being paid to wear IDIOTIC shirts that they probably would not even use as a dusting rag at home. If they dusted!

Janna on July 29th, 2012

Mina, gee, thanks for letting us all know how YOU think parents should be behaving…. and then to top it off, someone equating these t-shirts with immaturity AND as being the reason kids aren’t well-behaved. How’d you make THAT connection, you genius?

slb, you’re an idiot trying to go out of your way to prove there are breastfeeding Nazis. There isn’t a human alive who thinks you’re a worse mother because you COULDN’T breastfeed. You think people walk around putting down people in wheelchairs because they can’t walk, too?

Your guilt is your own, you have nothing to explain to anyone. How you can let other people make you feel guilty is mind-boggling UNLESS you really didn’t try, you really didn’t want to, and you did just give up too easily. Again, that’s your business. Who on earth would feel guilty about not being able to do something that they gave their all to. No one.

What of it? on July 29th, 2012

Why must everything to do with breasts (breast cancer awareness, breast-feeding) be infantilized?

Heather on July 29th, 2012

It’s tounge in cheek. It’s funny, it’s supposed to start a conversation. People do many silly things for fundraisers or to promote awareness of many things. I think people are getting up in arms because there is some underlying guilt. Mommy guilt is the worst, but hiding behind your computer and making uneducated and unnecessarily rude comments isn’t the way to deal with it. Just raise your kids the best you can, and support people who DO breastfeed just as people who breastfeed support their fellow mom!

lili4582 on July 29th, 2012

Damn Janna, b*tchy much? Women DO make other women feel guilty for not breastfeeding. Hell, I have no children but when I got my breast reduction in 2007, all I heard is “You won’t be able to breastfeed a child now, your future child won’t be getting all the nutrients breast milk will give them!” When in all actuality, even if I hadn’t got the surgery I wouldn’t breast feed. So don’t come on here saying that BS that people don’t try to make non breast feeding women feel guilty.

lili4582 on July 29th, 2012

Sheesh Janna, witchy much? Women DO make other women feel guilty when they don’t breast feed. I don’t even have a child, but since I got my breast reduction in 2007, all I’ve heard is how I won’t be able to breast feed my children and how formula is not the best thing for them when in reality, even if I never got the surgery I wouldn’t have breast fed. So don’t come on here and say that when it does happen, even when you have no children!

Jurnee on July 29th, 2012

I agree that the name of the event is really juvenile and doesn’t make it clear what it’s all about. It does trivialize something that is supposed to be important. Tacky. I’m in marketing, and all I could think of was “bet a bunch of guys made that up”! Kudos to the concept, boo to the marketing.

Meep on July 29th, 2012

YES there are people out there who make other mother’s feel awful for either choosing not to BF or being unable to do so. I can’t believe that anyone would/could think otherwise. For whatever reason, every choice we make as mothers seems to be up for debate among friends and strangers alike. While I get what they are trying to do with the T-shirts… Bf’ing isn’t a new thing and I’m sure everyone already knows the benefits of BF a baby. Some people choose not to, that’s their choice. Some mothers want to but can’t and they make the choices they need to for their babies. There’s always going to be a group out there who thinks they are doing it better or “right”. To them I say, “make the choices you want for YOUR kids… leave other mother’s alone to do the same for theirs”.

Rebecka on July 29th, 2012

If breast milk is all that why do doctors recommend that breastfed babies get vitamin drops? Because breast milk usually does not have all that the baby needs.

Also, almost all breastfed babies have little to no iron in their blood, a result of the mothers poor nutrition. Breastfed babies also get sick just as much, so I am not sure what the hype is about. It just doesn’t make a difference.

Mary on July 29th, 2012

Omg. The woman that doesn’t understand why “breastmilk is all that” is ignorant. All kids get sick-breastfed or not. It’s about longterm health. Here’s an example : I was breastfed and have had excellent health (I’m 39). My dh wasn’t breastfed he has type 1 diabetes; chrones disease; colitis and poor eye sight. He spends so much time in the doctors office it’s a shame. Does it have to do with the fact his mother didn’t bf? Who knows but in my opinion YES!

meghan on July 29th, 2012

Oh, yeah Mary you are a genius for figuring out the root of your husband’s health issues! Get real if you think any of his issues is related to BFing.

Actually most of the women on this thread need to lighten the hell up. They’re just T-shirts. Such a bunch of whiners.

Anonymous on July 29th, 2012

Rebecka- Yes, doctor’s recommend vitamin D supplements for breastfeeding babies (and ONLY vitamin D, mind you. Most breastfeeding babies do not require other vitamin supplements). This isn’t just because of a low amount in breastmilk (which is a naturally occuring thing and not dietery related). I’ll let the CDC (centers for disease control) explain:

http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/recommendations/vitamin_D.htm

As for iron deficiency in breastfeeding babies, that is actually extremely UNCOMMON (and by the way, there’s no way a breastfeeding baby- or anyone- could have NO iron in their blood, as it’s impossible to survive without it), as this site explains:

http://kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/iron/

Finally, breastfeeding increases and decreases the chances of things happening or not happening to the baby or mother. It doesn’t mean those things DEFINITELY will or won’t happen. So some breastfed babies WILL get sick as often as their formula-fed peers (but not all. I was breastfed, albiet for only three months, and to this day I rarely get sick!). It’s like wearing a helmet while riding a biycycle. It greatly reduces your risk of serious injury, but doesn’t eliminate it entirely.

Eli on July 29th, 2012

Really, Rebecka, do some research. Benefits of breastfeeding have been proved again and again.

To answer your points – some doctors recommend vitamin d drops added to breastmilk. I am currently a breastfeeding mother and my son’s pediatrician does NOT advise the drops. She said a walk outside accomplishes the same goal. It works that way for adults too, btw.

As for iron, all babies are born with iron stores in their bodies. At 6 months, the iron begins to decrease in ALL babies. At 6 months, babies begin to eat solid foods. The iron they need is then provided by those solid foods. It is NOT related to the mother’s nutrition.

Mina on July 29th, 2012

Janna….I would be mortified if my mother wore a shirt that said Dessert across the boobs…or Milk Bar or Boobies or anything else to that nature. Its immature. If you want to breatfeed….fine! Dont advertise. I dont walk around with an arrow pointed at my crotch that says “pee hole”.

soph on July 29th, 2012

“___ much?” is getting really old, y’all.

Kirsha on July 29th, 2012

I agree that the campaign name is a bit childish. With that said, breastfeeding is personal choice, not what others think you should do. Yes, there are the ones out there that are judgmental toward one that do not, but they can not tell you what to do, so get over yourselves.

I breastfed my son for almost a year, and yes he had a ear infection once in that year. BUT when we moved to a colder climate after his first birthday, he had serious ear infections. Was that because I had a poor diet and he did not get the nutrients he needed? NO, he got ear infections because of heredity. Because of BF, he gained more weight then a child that was formula feed. I never had to give him vitamins and the his doctor never told me to give him either.

Bottom line is you are the parent, you need to do what you think is right for your child, not what others tell you to do.

iamsushisamurai on July 29th, 2012

Look, we get it. Breast is best, but sometimes formula has to be used. Now with that said, those t-shirts are ridiculous. I would never wear those.

And Mary – “My dh wasn’t breastfed he has type 1 diabetes; chrones disease; colitis and poor eye sight. He spends so much time in the doctors office it’s a shame. Does it have to do with the fact his mother didn’t bf? Who knows but in my opinion YES!”

So because my mom didn’t breastfeed me (thrush made things a little hard) and did formula, that’s the reason why I have ADHD, mood disorders, anxiety issues, and depression? No it’s not. It’s because SHE has Bipolar Disorder and wasn’t diagnosed until I was 12 years old. Genetics play a HUGE factor in everything. My sister on the other hand (also formula fed), just graduated from high school in the top 25 of her class, never dropping below a 3.5 gpa. She has a full ride (thanks to College Bound) to any 2/4 year college in the state of Washington. Do NOT blame formula for everything.

slb on July 29th, 2012

Janna—Are you even a mother? Any GOOD mother who can’t give their child what they feel is the best of the best feels like a failure! If you feel OK with giving your kids 2nd best because “hey you tried” and you sleep at night good for you, however, you are certainly in the minority!

Hospitals are no longer sending mothers home with formula because breastfeeding should be the first and only choice. They have studies “they say” that women who are offered formula are less likely to try and breastfeed at the hospital so they took formula out of the whole equation. How dare hospitals, celebrities and other women tell any mother what the right choice is for them. If you don’t believe the whole “guilt theory” go ahead and jump on babycenter.com and search breast feeding vs. formula and see how nasty those blogs/women turn.

Traci on July 29th, 2012

I think this is hilarious! Brings attention to breastfeeding like never before. Bravo to those who are rocking these shirts.

Jurnee on July 30th, 2012

Breastfeeding has many, many benefits but it doesn’t impart perfect health on anyone. People may get sick due to heredity/genetics, exposure, personal constitution, etc. etc. For those of you who think their maladies are a result of not being breastfed, that’s simply ridiculous.

breastfeedingisgood on July 30th, 2012

The t-shirts are fun and quirky, however the name “boobie” palooza demeans breasts and their amazing purpose that are way more than sexual but to grow small children. I’m sure they meant to be “cute” in the name but they really could’ve done a lot better. Surely a guy came up with this name, no?

entertainedbythesupport on July 30th, 2012

How funny is this though – the celebs are “supporting” by wearing the teachers. I guess PAID to wear the t-shirts = supporting? Interesting.

noneya on July 30th, 2012

those shirts are funny and great ice breakers….as for not BF I couldnt and have never let anyone make me feel guilty about it I have 6 kids one is autistic but a genius, another is a genius no health problems 3 are normal, 1 has some fine motor skills problems WHY because they are individuals and not because I didnt BF (I have inverted nipples that not even the dr or lactation counselor could help me coax out of hiding hence nothing for my kids to latch on to or for me to pump) so put that in your pipes and smoke it ….there are much more pressing issues like childhood hunger and poverty to argue about

Emma on July 30th, 2012

Tacky, infantile, and sexualized (just like American men like their women–according to the media). The “it starts a conversation” defense is lame too…because you can apply that to almost anything. Glad to see other women are offended by this portrayal of breastfeeding turning into a ‘look at me’ campaign. Because, yes, if you make breastfeeding more sexy and associate it with alcohol—more women would do it! (Sarcasm alert!) Off I go to lighten up and have some fun!!!

ecl on July 30th, 2012

I wish people would understand that your personal experience does not a pattern make. Not everyone who breastfeeds will end up with better health outcomes. Not everyone who is formula fed will end up with poorer health outcomes. These are averages. Across large groups of people. Thus, on average, children will have fewer health problems when breast fed than when formula fed.

angie on July 30th, 2012

Wow I had no idea Heather Tom was expecting a baby until now!

Lisa on July 30th, 2012

One word comes to mind while reading these comments… Xanax.

Sporld on July 30th, 2012

Who are these ridiculous “celebrities?” Do they have no pride? The shirts are asinine and embarrassing. Considering the amount of information and support about breastfeeding, this campaign is needless grandstanding on the part of attention-seeking pseudo-celebs.

@Janna — I hope that earlier comments criticizing your view do not make you feel guilty. You have nothing to explain to anyone. How you can let other people make you feel guilty is mind-boggling, it’s your right to be angry and offensive in response to @slb’s heartfelt comments. Keep on being rude and condescending, you have nothing to explain to anyone. Who on earth would feel guilty about not being able to do something that they gave their all to? No one. You’ve given your all at being awful — BE PROUD! Keep on being mean, don’t let anyone get you down by encouraging you display compassion and grace.

@slb — all sarcasm and mockery aside, I agree with your comments. I am particularly frustrated that hospitals push breastfeeding so stringently that “formula” is a dirty word. I was discharged ASAP from my hospital when I told the head nurse my youngest baby would be bottle fed. It’s like they didn’t want to let the other new mothers see me role modelling a behavior that didn’t jive with the nurses personal agenda.

lovely123 on July 30th, 2012

“shining light on the benefits of breastfeeding”. Right…but as soon as someone does it in a public place everyone freaks out. If it is so good for a child then why do so many people want it behind closed doors? Can’t make everyone happy all the time.

Milk it on July 30th, 2012

Well, IMO, we should just all agree that breastfeeding is the best option but plenty of women (and babies) can’t, or choose not to, and that’s perfectly fine too.

Solved We should put *that* on a t-shirt!

It all starts to come undone when people start wrongly insisting that breast milk is no good after X months, or that breastfeeding in public is gross, or that formula is devil water, or whatever, so how about we all stop that?!

A. on July 30th, 2012

I’m surprised blessedwithboys hasn’t commented yet. She’s a nut.

Hea on July 30th, 2012

Only in America… haha

ZoeSquare.com on July 30th, 2012

@Mina – That was hysterical!

And to the one who said, “163 comments, grab the popcorn.” HAHAHAHA Love it! I think I enjoy the comments better than these articles!

I just gave birth to my 10th child yesterday (all breast fed) and I still do NOT claim to be any sort of expert. When I had #9, for whatever reason, my nipples tore partially off (yes, I know, TMI!) and even my lactation consultant said I was nursing correctly and had never seen anything like that. (Yes, continued nursing/pumping.) So in my not-important-opinion, the decision to breast feed is a personal decision and each mother’s situation is different.

As for the campaign name and t-shirts . . . it’s like the humor of a 12-year-old boy!

Nicole on July 30th, 2012

Gross. Just tacky and low-class.

Anonymous on July 30th, 2012

Um, you obviously weren’t raised Catholic. Guilt attacks many people who went above and beyond. While I don’t agree with the woman you’re back handedly supporting, many moms are judgmental to others. I had two extremely difficult babies that I managed to breast feed much longer than any saner woman would have tried and I still had guilt. 14 mos and 9 mos. I tell woman constantly mental health is worth a lot, switch to formula.

Anonymous on July 30th, 2012

Lol, I think the shirts are funny, but so are you.

Jen DC on July 30th, 2012

I don’t get the worry with regard to what other people are pressuring you to do or think you should do, especially if you (SLB) couldn’t have done it in the first place. Why not just remind yourself that you had a medical condition that precluded it and that while others’ “first best” was breast feeding, in fact your “first best” was the best formula you could provide? Because hey, guess what? That’s the truth!

The other truth is, people are judging you PERIOD. So, why take this particular alleged “judgment” to heart? No one knows the intricacies of your personal life, and because of that, they have insufficient info by which to judge your decisions. Not to seem mean or heartless or unsympathetic, but really, get over it. As my mom said, people are going to dislike you and judge you because of your hair, your skin color, your accent, your clothes, your heritage… But that should be irrelevant to your happiness. Your guilt is keeping you from fully enjoying motherhood; you should ditch it.

kate on July 30th, 2012

I personally find the “bartender” one very offensive.

heartywriter on July 30th, 2012

I love the name and the T-shirts. This type of marketing is what pushes issues into the mainstream, all the more power! AAP, Ask Dr. Sears and @BabyBrainRules John Medina all have done extraordinary research to support the importance of breastfeeding. Time for fun & games here – wish I could be in CA!

Amelie on July 30th, 2012

Why all the negativity? The campaign/event is a fun way to bring awareness to breastfeeding and provide educational material for interested moms. No harm in quirky tees for those interested in wearing them. To each his own.

Rebecka on July 30th, 2012

Interesting concept and quirky t-shirts, however, let’s be real, breastfeeding doesn’t make a difference.

slb on July 30th, 2012

Uum so seriously…all I was saying was um…as women, um we don’t need celebrities to um wear tacky t-shirts um telling us to um breastfeed. GOOD GRIEF! However, I was certainly happy to stir the pot for you all…It is certainly entertaining on my part to see how personal people get!

All that aside, My son is 2 1/2, and at this point I am more concerned these days with making sure he aims properly in the toilet and he doesn’t eat Ritz crackers for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

In any event, if this campaign can change some uneducated mothers view of going straight to formula than I suppose it’s done it’s job. And…since I have a 2 1/2 year old this campaign isn’t really geared toward me so perhaps I should mind my own beezzzz wax .

SMH

kimmie on July 30th, 2012

@Anonymous, I had a baby like that as well and struggled to nurse her for 14 months too. Even though i am pro-nursing, she did get formula here and there. No biggie. Every feed was a struggle and everyone thought its because it’s my fault, I don’t try hard enough, or she’s not on a strict enough or too strict schedule.

Kandyce on July 31st, 2012

As a breastfeeding mother I can say:

1. Daisy and Janna – get a life, and get off your soapboxes.

2. SLB – you do the best you can. That’s all we can do.

3. The shirts are dumb.

J on July 31st, 2012

Oh give us a break Stephani. You come here and then get upset when people are comenting on the article and not world affairs? Enjoy your popcorn…

Jen on July 31st, 2012

Awesome! Where do I get a shirt?

Anonymous on July 31st, 2012

I’m 19 and one of 6 children, all breastfed. My siblings and I are all straight A kids, we each have a sport we do well in, and to top it off we very rarely get sick. I mean, I only have sneezing fits when I visit a new place. Part of it could be genetics and part could be the nutrients my mother passed to us because my father has a terrible immune system. So I don’t know, I’m team breastfeeding. But I won’t guilt other women into it, it’s frankly none of my business.

Mina on July 31st, 2012

My son wasn’t breastfed and he is allergic to nothing. No foods or animals or even pollen…in the spring he is one of the only kids in our neighborhood without itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing etc….

He is also above average in his class and was selected to be tested for the gifted class. So his brain obviously grew beyond well without breastmilk.

I dont know, I dont think BM or Formula really make a lick of difference. Its not about what you get for one year of your life. You have to continue to live healthy…fruits, veg, excersise, no fast food, etc…Even then, you just cant predict. I know smokers who live to be 90 and non smokers who get cancer, sometimes even lung cancer!

KK on August 5th, 2012

I haven’t had many problems breast feeding my daughter. I Also do not feel the need to judge other women who cannot and I do not feel I am superior. It’s ridiculous that there are women doing this to other women. You are a good mom because you try your best to give him what he needs. Don’t let anyone tell you different!!