We’re talking about what???

11/14/2011

“What is the point of having a La Leche League leader present at a POST-natal session?” That is exactly what I was thinking when I heard who our presenter was this week at Mommy Connections Edmonton West.

Now, don’t get me wrong…I am a HUGE supporter of La Leche League (LLL). I very much look forward to the meetings every month and I feel that every pregnant woman should attend a meeting. When I was pregnant, I did a lot of research about breastfeeding to prepare myself for all the challenges I might encounter as a new breastfeeding mother, but a book can only do so much. By attending a LLL meeting in my 9^th month of pregnancy, I got to see what breastfeeding is like in real-life. Unfortunately, in our society, we just don’t see or talk about breastfeeding very much. I learned so much at the first meeting that I have attended every subsequent meeting in the Edmonton-Strathcona location.

Now, back to my original point…what is LLL doing in a post-natal class? After all, our babies are mostly aged 4-6 months. If you haven’t figured out breastfeeding by now, you’ve probably found an alternative. And, if you are still breastfeeding, you and your baby are probably in a pretty good groove at this point. Right???

Wrong! One of the things I enjoy most about LLL leaders is that they are not only extremely well educated about breastfeeding, they are so understanding, empathetic, and encouraging. Nancy had every woman talk about their breastfeeding story. This was the first time in the program that we were able to talk about our birth stories too. I feel it’s always really special and interesting to hear how babies came into the world. Some stories are good, others not so good. Some babies nursed easily, others struggled, and others were thriving with formula, but what the LLL leader did was make everybody feel heard and validated their feeding choices. She also reminded us that breastfeeding is a dynamic relationship…it changes as our baby changes.

Along the way, we all learned how much more we have in common with each other than we originally may have thought. It’s fun to share the exciting milestones like smiling or rolling over, but I feel like real bonds are made when people feel connected through their struggles and triumphs.

Just another happy day at Mommy Connections…