The same dynamic duo who presented America with the must-see documentary, The Business of Being Born, has just released a wonderful book entitled Your Best Birth. Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein have compiled a collection of wonderful birth stories shared by familiar faces such as Cindy Crawford and Laila Ali, distinctions of the commonalities of child birth and more.

The book is introduced with a foreword by Jacques Moritz, OB-GYN, Director of Gynecology at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital and Assistant Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University. It is then divided into 4 sections, Know Your Options, Putting Your Dream Team Together, Interventions: The Slippery Slope and Take your Birth Back. I commend the duo for also including a chapter on Birth and the Sexual Abuse Survivor.

This book stands out from the crowded world of the pregnancy book shelves. It is not intimidating in its size and it is filled with quality substance that is easily digestible. Whether or not, you have seen Lake’s and Epstien’s The Business of Being Born, this is a wonderful book for women to read if they are pregnant or are planning to be pregnant very soon.

Make sure to join the sister website of the book, Mybestbirth.com , to share your stories, participate in forums, and become a part of a supportive community.

Actress, Activist and Producer Salma Hayek was moved to take action while on a recent visit to Sierra Leone, West Africa. Before she reached her hotel, her and her crew stopped at a hospital. “(A woman) was trying to breast-feed the baby, and the baby wouldn’t take it anymore. I said, ‘I think we shouldn’t be here.’ As we walked out, two to three minutes later, the baby died,” she says. “I’ll never forget the look of desperation on that woman’s face. How can you not get involved, especially when you have a child yourself?”

With the camera crew of ABC’s Nightline following her during the duration of her stay, footage of Ms. Hayek breastfeeding a hungry baby was documented. The infant’s mother was unable to produce any milk to feed her child so Ms. Hayek was compelled to become the baby’s wet nurse. She went on to say, “It’s about women sticking together and we really need to help the children in any way we can.”

Ms. Hayek was in the routine of breastfeeding her one year old daughter at the time and had extra milk to share.

First off, I have to applaud Angelina for gracing the cover of the new W magazine while breastfeeding. The photographer just so happened to be Brad Pitt. Angelina is inspirational because she has confidently taken a stand and is sending a message loud and clear. Women who are mothers are naturally beautiful and breastfeeding is a normal natural phenomenon that should be accepted as a social norm. Though the cover picture is just a simple black and white photo, and there were no fancy film crews in their home, still remains evident a beautiful halo of motherhood. Breastfeeding is healthy and super beneficial for mother and child. It is unfortunate that over the years, breastfeeding has been given a taboo cloak. Because of these tainted views, many women aren’t given the freedom, encouragement and support that they need to give nutrients to their child, build their immune systems, reduce a their own risk of certain types of cancer, and more. With this cover, a dialogue can begin again.

And secondly, Brad Pitt has collaborated with beauty brand Kiehl’s to create the first ever Cradle-to-Cradle certified beauty product (environmentally safe, healthy , designed for material reutilization,etc.) The Aloe Vera Liquid Body Cleanser that Brad helped design and developed the scent, debuts this month. He also wrote a little message on the label to inform everyone where proceeds from their purchase will go:

These two people are amazing and inspirational.