Breastfeeding Resources for All

The Breastfeeding Resource Alliance is the brainchild of Cody and Joshua Alvey, who were once just new parents seeking support. They had the privilege of many life factors that so many others do not. They both had college educations, enough money to support themselves, a gentle birth team that respected their wishes, and adequate prenatal education. Yet, even with so much at their disposal, the birth of their son Lincoln in 2016 left them feeling vulnerable, unprepared, and shocked at just how hard this whole parenting thing can be. Lincoln was born with many issues making sleep scarce and breastfeeding extremely difficult. Immediately, they began to seek and use every resource they could find. WIC, specialist doctors, online support groups, as well as family and friends. Even directly searching and asking for help (a stigma that many do not overcome), they failed to find free programs in their own community (that were already operating) designed to help new parents. Both Cody and Josh suffered from perinatal mood disorders, left their business, and their marriage suffered. “How do other people do this?” they asked themselves.

This disparity led them to Facebook in November of 2016 when Cody posted on the local community page, “Does anyone in town breastfeed? I am having trouble and am interested in starting a support group for new moms”. The group immediately became popular. Within 6 months the group had over 150 members and regular monthly meetings. In the first year, ALL the members met their breastfeeding goals, WIC enrollment was up, and the local community resources were booming. Each mother that joined their group had a new resource they had discovered. Together, there was an alliance. The idea then evolved again.

“Why isn’t this everywhere?”

The mission is simple. Support and educate mothers (and their families!), and direct them to local resources. By showing a demand at the local level for resources, these resources in turn show need and receive more funding. The growth and success is mutual. Together, we can make a change. Many amazing programs already exist that are working towards educating and supporting families about breastfeeding, lowering infant mortality rates, creating healthier mamas, preparing children for Kindergarten, educating parents, etc.

Our goal is simply to connect everyone to the resource they need, and to put everything in one, easy to use, place.