What to expect at a meeting

Many mothers have expressed reservations about attending a LLL meeting for various reasons. We would just like to clear the air and tell everyone what really goes on at a meeting. 

When you attend an LLL meeting you will see a melting pot of mothers. Women of different races, ethnicities, cultural backgrounds and religions. Working mothers and stay at home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Some are a little crunchier or more granola than others. We all nurse(d) our infants or toddlers for different lengths of time. We are all diverse but have the same goal, doing what is best for our children.

We always say at the beginning of meetings, you may hear a lot of information and opinions, but take home what works best for you and your family and leave the rest. We encourage mothers to bring their children to meetings and care for them however they need to, whether it is changing diapers, feeding from the breast or a bottle, with or without a cover. After all, they are half of the equation in the mother-child relationship.

There are many preconceived notions about what La Leche League meetings are and are not. We are not breastfeeding Nazis. We support mothers in their breastfeeding journey where ever they are at and for as long is mutually desired by infant and mother. Whether you are pumping and feeding from a bottle but want to nurse from the breast, supplementing with formula, using an SNS, nipple shield, or dropper, we are here to help you. We are not hippies that walk around topless breastfeeding toddlers, we are everyday women doing everyday things. We do not cater to only stay at home moms, in fact all of our leaders work in some capacity and the majority of our members go back to work at some point. The fact that our leaders do work or have worked while breastfeeding children makes it that much easier for them to relate to and provide support for mothers who are returning to work and need to know how to manage breastfeeding at work. 

We encourage women who are pregnant to come to meetings as well, you can never be too prepared and it is never too early to start thinking about breastfeeding. 

We provide information, support, and education based on our own extensive experiences and through peer reviewed and evidenced based practice. We strive to supply mothers with information regarding current best practice for infants. We support the biological need for infants to be close to their mothers and we encourage breastfeeding as the biological norm. 

Many women feel they do not need LLL because they do not have any trouble breastfeeding. LLL is not just about helping women who are having difficulties breastfeeding but also building a support system within our community for breastfeeding mothers and finding camaraderie in breastfeeding. It is an open space to share experiences, good or bad, and not be judged. It is a place to openly express your feelings and concerns. Our meetings are completely free and we encourage mothers of all walks of life to come and share your own experiences and learn from others. Even if you feel that you do not have anything to gain from a meeting you may have experiences and knowledge to share that could greatly help another mother who is struggling.

It takes a village to raise a baby and in this day and age we are not all blessed with a village, or anything close to it, we need to go out and find our own village and create our own support system. 

Where do you get your breastfeeding information?

The Internet is any extremely useful resource; it is at the tips of our fingers, we have constant access, and above all, it is convenient. It can, howeve,r be overwhelming especially in the early days of mothering a newborn. In these early days you may be wondering, Is my baby gaining enough weight? How much and how often should he nurse? Do I have enough milk? Is his poop supposed to be that color?! 

It is convenient to take out our phones and have immediate access to Facebook and online forums to voice our concerns.  When posing questions online or simply searching for information we are inundated with many different opinions, resources, scientific evidence, and research studies. It is time consuming to navigate the sea of information on the Internet. As a new mother or even with subsequent children you know how precious time is. You may ask yourself Is this a reliable source? What experience does this person have? Which study is accurate? What information is most important?  

As La Leche League leaders, we are trained to decipher information, recognize reliable sources, and establish which scientific evidence and studies are most beneficial and accurate. We are trained in how to counsel women along their breastfeeding journey. We have extensive training and real life experience under our belts, or in this case, bras! We are very much involved with breastfeeding advocacy in the community and we have access to resources in the community to refer mothers in cases beyond our scope of practice. 

Our goal is not to give you advice and the mantra of “what worked for me, will work for you” does not apply. Our goal is to educate, inform, support, encourage and promote a healthy breastfeeding relationship for mother and child. We strive to assist women in finding a solution that works best for them and their family by providing factual based evidence and suggestions that have worked for most mothers as well as current best practice. Just because a technique worked for one person does not mean that it will work for another, nor is it the option that may be best suited for you and your child.

While the internet can be a useful resource it can also be a stressor and a hindrance on your breastfeeding journey. I encourage all mothers to be cognizant of where you obtain your information and really consider, Do I trust the person that is giving me advice? Do they have my best interest in mind? Is this what is best for me and my child? Is this a reliable and factual source? Does this person have the expertise and training to determine my needs and find a solution?

La Leche League Philosophy

The basic philosophy of La Leche League is summarized in the following statements:

Mothering through breastfeeding is the most natural and effective way of understanding and satisfying the needs of the baby.

Mother and baby need to be together early and often to establish a satisfying relationship and an adequate milk supply.

In the early years the baby has an intense need to be with his mother which is as basic as his need for food.

Human milk is the natural food for babies, uniquely meeting their changing needs.

For the healthy, full-term baby, breast milk is the only food necessary until the baby shows signs of needing solids, about the middle of the first year after birth.

Ideally the breastfeeding relationship will continue until the baby outgrows the need.

Alert and active participation by the mother in childbirth is a help in getting breastfeeding off to a good start.

Breastfeeding is enhanced and the nursing couple sustained by the loving support, help, and companionship of the baby's father. A father's unique relationship with his baby is an important element in the child's development from early infancy.

Good nutrition means eating a well-balanced and varied diet of foods in as close to their natural state as possible.

From infancy on, children need loving guidance which reflects acceptance of their capabilities and sensitivity to their feelings.

The ideals and principles of mothering which are the foundation of LLLI beliefs are further developed in THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, the most comprehensive handbook on breastfeeding and parenting ever published. It has provided needed answers to three generations of nursing mothers on every aspect of breastfeeding.

(From LLLI publication No. 300-17, "La Leche League Purpose and Philosophy.")Wednesday, July 19, 2006 12:46 PM by sjs.