Breastfeeding Success Is A Finalist In The Best In Birth Awards

Voting Is Open Through September 7

Austin’s birth community is something special. Between the OBGYNs, midwives, lactation consultants, doulas, nurses, chiropractors, pelvic floor PTs, and so many others who show up for families during moments of bliss as we as on the hardest days, this city has built a network of care that families in other places only dream about.

We are so honored to be a part of this community of amazing support for families. Thank you Austin for nominating our team and sharing your experience with others. Big thanks as well to all of the other birth pros in this community. You are our village.

Key dates to know

Where you will find us on the ballot

Every category lists us as Breastfeeding Success, so you’re voting for the whole team — every IBCLC, registered dietitian, and parent educator who has ever sat with a family through a hard feeding, a supply scare, a NICU stay, or a 2 a.m. phone call.

How to vote — it takes about two minutes

1. Go to the Best in Birth voting page and scroll to the ballot at the bottom.
2. Select Breastfeeding Success in each of the categories above.
3. Vote in any other categories where a provider cared for you — you can leave categories blank, so you don’t have to have an opinion on all of them.
4. Enter your email at the end to submit. One vote per email address, so ask your partner to vote from their own inbox.

Vote for Breastfeeding Success →

Why the Community Impact nomination matters to us

We care for families regardless of income or insurance. In 2025, Breastfeeding Success provided more than $3 million in uncompensated, free, and charity care. No family is turned away over what they can pay.

We’re also building the workforce. Becoming an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant requires supervised clinical hours that are hard to find and almost always unpaid — a barrier that keeps good people out of the profession. Our paid internship removes it, and 27 people have now completed the program and are credentialed IBCLCs.

And we work on access at the state level. Our team advocated throughout the legislative process for HB 136, which requires Texas Medicaid to cover and reimburse lactation consultation services and directs HHSC to create a standalone provider type for lactation consultants. It passed the House 130–16 and the Senate 28–3, was signed May 24, 2025, and took effect September 1, 2025 (Texas Legislature Online). Passing a bill is only half the work — HHSC is now writing the implementation rules that decide whether families can actually use the benefit (Texans Care for Children). We’re still at that table, and we’ve submitted formal recommendations pushing for adequate visit lengths, no arbitrary visit caps, telehealth coverage, and care across the whole feeding journey.

On top of that, one of our owners is leading a group of subject matter experts to create the curriculum for an accredited Pathway 2 program in Texas — a formal academic route to IBCLC certification that will put more qualified lactation providers in front of more Texas families.

Vote for the rest of your birth team too

We’re one name on a long ballot, and the other names deserve your votes just as much. The 2026 ballot covers midwives, OBGYNs, labor and delivery nurses, birth and postpartum doulas, chiropractors, pelvic floor PTs, massage and craniosacral therapists, acupuncturists, mental health providers, pediatricians, pediatric dentists, pediatric PT and OT, speech therapy, photographers, fitness instructors, baby play classes, placental services, birth podcasts, and the Rising Star Award for businesses under three years old.

If someone got you through your pregnancy, birth, or postpartum year, go find their name and click it.

Come celebrate with us

Winners are announced at the Fourth Annual Best in Birth Awards Ceremony on Friday, September 11, 7–9 p.m. at Oak Hill Social (8600 U.S. 290, Austin). There’s live music, food, and drink beforehand, and RSVP is required for everyone attending — tickets are on Eventbrite.

This year’s awards also spotlight Rooted Birth Initiative, a nonprofit providing scholarships for holistic perinatal healthcare to low-income parents. Worth knowing about whether or not you make it to the ceremony.

Voting closes September 7 — cast your ballot now →

Need lactation care, a childbirth class, infant nutrition support, or a spot in Bosom Buddies? Call 512-808-0237 or visit bfsuccess.com. Most families with in-network insurance pay nothing out of pocket at the time of service.

Awards like these let families tell each other who to trust. When a new parent in Austin is searching at 2 a.m. for someone who can help, a community award means they find real care faster. And recognition for the advocacy and workforce work gives it momentum — it’s easier to keep pushing for statewide access when the community backs it.

So whether you vote for Breastfeeding Success or someone else entirely who showed up for your family — please vote. Our whole community gets stronger when good care gets named out loud at once says something we could never say about ourselves: that the care shows up consistently, in every room and every service. That’s you telling us that. Thank you.