*Series meetings
*Fundraising and membership opportunities
*Featured Article: Go-To Resources for Breastfeeding Information and Support
Series meetings, fundraising and membership opportunities
Regular Series Meetings:
Currently, LLL of Albany county is holding regular monthly series meetings the first Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm at the Fire Substation at 23rd and Reynolds. All pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are encouraged to attend and babies are ALWAYS welcome! Bring your questions, your support and your camaraderie to share with other nursing moms!
Extended Breastfeeding Quarterly Meetings:
As many of you know, we were holding a monthly daytime meeting last year. Due to the loss of the space we were using (it's now going to be a coffee shop above Night Heron books), and lack of attendance, we stopped having them this year. However, we would like to invite you to attend a quarterly daytime meeting to support nursing beyond the conventional time-frames in our culture. Denise did a great job of addressing this topic during some of the daytime meetings last year, but we'd really like to make this a regular thing.
So, La Leche League of Albany County's first official "Extended Breastfeeding Support Meeting" was held on Thursday, March 24, 2001 at 10:30 in the Saratoga room at Ivinson Memorial Hospital.
As of right now, we plan to hold additional meetings on the following dates:
June 16th
September 15th
December 15th
Please come and join the discussion about the logistics of breastfeeding a child through teething - who might even ask to nurse! What are the benefits and obstacles? How do you answer your family's questions about it? What's "normal"? What about if mom is working? What if s/he wants to nurse AT THE PARK or IN THE GROCERY STORE? These are just some of the things we may discuss.
As always, pregnant and breastfeeding moms and babies are welcome. We will make an effort to address any concerns about breastfeeding that you may have.
Fundraising and membership opportunities
While no fundraising events are planned for the near future, LLL of Albany County is always offering memberships! If you feel that you get something out of our monthly series meetings, phone calls to leaders or just want to support our group, please consider becoming a member today!
With the suggested membership donation of $40, you receive your very own, brand new copy of the latest edition of The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding as well as the knowledge that all of your donation stays in Albany County to help breastfeeding moms and their babies.
In addition to offering membership opportunities, we are also offering New Native Slings at a very reasonable price.
Baby wearing is widely acknowledged to be beneficial to both parent and child. According to the New Native website:
"Wearing a baby in a soft carrier allows parents to easily pat, stroke, caress, rock and communicate love for their baby. Studies have shown that wearing a baby three hours per day or more creates stronger bonding. Many more positive effects are listed below:
Babies who enjoy a greater amount of tactile (touching) experience have a correlated higher level of self-esteem later in life."
Contact a leader today if you are interested in more information about our New Native slings!
Featured Article: Go-To Resources for Breastfeeding Information and Support
by LLL Leader Janean
We all know that breastfeeding "rocks" in a lot of ways: Aside from being the normal way of feeding a baby, it provides many benefits to moms, babies, families and society as a whole.
But we all need a little information or support from time to time. At times, we will all have questions about breastfeeding. We'll wonder what is "normal." We'll have anxiety or worry about what comes next: when to start solids, teething, weaning. We may need information on breastfeeding and the law, going back to work, or being separated from baby.
If you identify with the concerns above, you're not alone! And while your health care provider is a good place to start, he or she may or may not have a background in breastfeeding or have the time to devote to lengthy discussions.
In this new age of instant access, there are many places to find breastfeeding information both online and in print. And just as is true with anything else, some of these sources are more respected and accurate than others. It can often be difficult to ascertain which websites/books/experts to trust and which to approach with caution.
The first, most trusted place to start for breastfeeding information is La Leche League. La Leche League's mission is " to help mothers worldwide to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information, and education, and to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother."
La Leche League leaders, publications and websites all reflect this commitment to helping moms and babies. The La Leche League website is easily search-able for a variety of topics and issues that breastfeeding families are likely to encounter. And of course there is no substitute for one-on-one helping calls with a leader and attending meetings! Other breastfeeding moms can often provide support, information and a feeling of community to a new (or experienced!) breastfeeding mother.
Beyond LLL, there are other trusted places to access reliable information. Below are some links you may find useful. As always, treat the information, tips and suggestions you encounter like a buffet table: take what works for you and your family and leave the rest! When in doubt, it never hurts to double check with your health care provider, a lactation consultant or other breastfeeding professional or your local La Leche League leader.
Links:
La Leche League International: The best place to start for breastfeeding information.
Kellymom: Breastfeeding and Parenting A great place for helpful information that also includes links to further resources including journal articles, studies, and other sources.
Mothering.com This online magazine has credible breastfeeding information but also many other articles to explore regarding pregnancy and birth, parenting, health, education and even recipes!
The World Health Organization (WHO) This link provides basic information on breastfeeding, child health and nutrition.
WomensHealth.gov This is the federal government's source for women's health information. Among other basic information, this link provides the Surgeon General's Call to Action on Breastfeeding and information on the National Breastfeeding Helpline.
(Incidentally, the last two links, the WHO and Womenshealth.gov are great ones to share with employers when having discussions about why it is imperative that they support breastfeeding and pumping in the workplace.)
Remember that in the age of the Internet, there are many opportunities to access good information and also many opportunities to be misinformed. By utilizing the links above and other credible, reliable sources, you can increase the likelihood that you are receiving the most up-to-date, accurate information.
