Boston Association for Childbirth Education & Nursing Mothers' Council

Mission: To make pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and parenting more informed and satisfying family experiences by providing ongoing education, emotional support, community services, and advocacy. Vision: To see childbirth and breastfeeding become universally recognized as natural, normal, and healthy. To empower women and their families with the knowledge, skills, and support they need to make informed choices about their childbearing years. Core Values: *Childbirth and breastfeeding are natural and healthy human experiences around which women deserve to be encouraged and supported to trust their innate abilities. *Comprehensive perinatal education includes disseminating evidence-based information about pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and parent-infant bonding. *Offering information and support in a non-judgmental way that accepts every family’s unique situation helps ensure that mothers are empowered in their decision-making. *Women and their families have the right to high quality, accessible, affordable, culturally appropriate, and comprehensive childbirth and breastfeeding information in their primary language. This quality of education and support for parents can equalize disparities in health outcomes. *A community setting is a sensible and appropriate place to offer childbirth education and breastfeeding support because it is familiar, safe, and convenient. Learning from and sharing with mothers who have breastfed their babies creates an environment where a mother can feel comfortable asking questions and reassured about her experience. *Honoring that each family is different and unique, NMC Counselors will acknowledge and demonstrate the types of parenting and communication that result in good breastfeeding relationships. A responsive, communicative parent/child relationship often follows from a good breastfeeding relationship. *Mother-baby togetherness from birth is the best start for a healthy breastfeeding relationship and a healthy family journey. Helping mothers find ways to maximize togetherness at any stage of breastfeeding regardless of the circumstances facilitates both physical and emotional aspects of breastfeeding. *Family, friends, partners, and members of a mother’s community can provide support for the mother and baby and their nursing and parent/child relationship. Access to good information can maximize the benefit of that support. *The evidence-based information, resources, and support offered by NMC Counselors will include accurate and up-to-date information about topics including, but not limited to, breastfeeding, weaning practices, child nutrition, and the properties of breastmilk. Ongoing education and access to NMC and BACE resources will ensure that Counselors have access to this information.