What it means to “Connect the Drops”
By Laurel Weijer, Founder and President
A little over a year ago, as the research collective first established as a Facebook group began to organize into a formal nonprofit organization, we realized we needed a logo and a tagline. I had always felt that a core part of the Low Milk Supply Foundation’s mission should focus on the emotional effects of chronic low milk supply, so at first we experimented with some version of a phrase we had all heard and related to: “Your worth is not measured in ounces.” As a parent with CLMS, it can be so easy to fixate on the overall output as metric for success. After all, much of the conversation around CLMS – both in the original Facebook support group and on other channels – emphasizes what one can do to increase milk production. When that is not possible, for one reason or another, it can be hard to accept it as anything other than a failure. My hope was (and still is!) that the Low Milk Supply Foundation would offer parents a place where they could share this burden with others who understood and find comfort.
As we brainstormed further, however, it felt like this concept was missing another, equally important part of our mission: to advocate for increased research into and understanding of chronic low milk supply. The dearth of information in the scientific literature was what had originally compelled us to come together as a collective, so our work to expand the literature had to be a core pillar of our mission. We wanted, I explained to my husband, to connect the dots so that people who experience CLMS know why it was happening and what resources are available to them.
Well, credit where credit is due. “You’re not connecting the dots,” he responded. You’re connecting the drops.”
Was it a little cheesy? Maybe. But it also perfectly, succinctly summarized all that we hope to accomplish as an organization.
A year in, we’re proud of the headway that we’ve made. This includes various publications, our first virtual event (with more to come!), blossoming partnerships with the researchers and providers working in this space, a growing social media following to help amplify our message, and more. The debut of this blog realizes another goal for us, creating a tool for us to raise awareness about anything related to CLMS, from parent stories to research updates, provider interviews and more.
But as happy as we are with our progress, we’re equally aware of the long climb ahead to make the future we want a reality. We’ll tackle the challenges bit by bit, connecting the drops through research, advocacy and support.