MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — Morgantown’s Coombs Farm Drive has welcomed a new service within its family-friendly business strip.
Breastfeeding for Busy Moms held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday to initiate its new beginning right under Amplify Children’s Academy. The location was chosen for its’ professional, yet homey atmosphere to help mothers feel more comfortable than they would at a clinic throughout their pregnancy journey.
The business aims to be a hub for all things pregnancy and postpartum by offering services like private lactation and prenatal consultations, sizing for flanges and breastfeeding equipment, alongside parenting education workshops. The store also offers a retail side, providing needed materials for mothers like baby bottles, nursing bras and baby slings.
One of the business owners and operators, Heather Oneal, spoke with 12 News about how the overall idea originated. Being an advanced practice registered nurse, a certified midwife and board-certified lactation consultant, Heather said that the idea started after a number of new mothers began asking Oneal for help.
“I made a list of what everyone needed, and it essentially became the business plan for this place. It’s amazing what you can build when you just listen,” said Oneal.
Heather Oneal is currently an expecting mother who utilizes her best friend and Breastfeeding for Busy Moms business partner as her personal midwife.
“We just want people to understand it doesn’t have to be perfect, but it is your journey,” said Oneal. “Breastfeeding signs people up for a lifetime of health, and also, you don’t just have a baby, you’re building yourself as a parent and it’s really hard to do that in isolation. I think that if people feel supported and they feel like they are doing the right thing, then their families are just going to be able to grow and blossom into whatever they want them to be. It’s not about what we want, it’s like how we can get you what you want.”
Breastfeeding for Busy Moms is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but mainly operates through appointments, which can be made through an in-person visit, phone call or their website.
Being experienced mothers and medical practitioners themselves, the partners of Breastfeeding for Busy Moms have attempted to make these resources as accessible as possible to everyone by making home visits to those in need as well as offering online sources.
Here are the links to the businesses’ Facebook group, Breastfeeding for Busy Moms & Milk Minute Podcast and The Milk Minute Podcast. Both provide evidence-based lactation advice in layman’s terms for anyone that needs it.