I would like to introduce you to the 7 Founders of La Leche League International. Each of these women played a different part in the growth of LLL and each had different roles as the organization grew. Several were members of the same church, two were sister-in-laws. What they all had in common was they were moms breastfeeding their babies during a time period where only 20% of mothers were breastfeeding their babies.
Background History: Hilary was born in the 50’s in Southern California. Her father was a scientist and her mother a poet. When she was 19 she moved to Switzerland to study music.
First Breastfeeding experience: She says she was terrified of becoming a mother. When she was 27 years old she went to Israel with her fiancée and worked in the Baby House. This experience helped her work through any fears she had about motherhood. With this reassurance she began to look forward to having a baby and breastfeeding. La Leche League was popular in Switzerland. She read their book, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, Sheila Kitzinger and other childbirth and breastfeeding books to help prepare her for birth and breastfeeding.
This week, we are highlighting WBW= World Breastfeeding Week breastfeeding and our goal is to do whatever we can to support parents in their efforts to breastfeed their baby. We live in a world where there are many barriers, that tends to make the basic act of breastfeeding a baby, uncomfortable and cumbersome for some mothers.
It is important that you have patience with yourself, your baby and the process of learning how to breastfeed. It is common for most new mothers to feel like you don’t know what you are doing and to feel some degree of a lack of confidence. More than likely, you are not giving yourself enough credit as you are in the learning phase of some pretty important new skills that you have never had the opportunity to practice before. Looking at pictures, watching videos and practicing with dolls can only take you so far. The real learning comes when you have your real live breastfeeding partner, your baby with you. Now you can learn together.
Bruce Odze is a lead security screener at San Francisco International Airport. He has worked there for 13 years. He has lived in San Francisco, CA for 40 years & takes pride in having the title being of one of the earliest Deadheads. Bruce grew up on Massapequa, Long Island and lived there until his early 20's at which time, he headed West to SF and lived there ever since. He has spent over 20 years in meditation, psychic and healing programs and has license as a minister in the state of CA. He live the life of a self-proclaimed hippie for many years, until he was hired for the Security Officer at the SF Airport. I invited Bruce on the show today so he can share with us some valuable tips on traveling through airport security with breastmilk and breastpumps. He begins by telling us about his initial interest in college and why that didn't quite work out for him.
I want you to be empowered. I want you to know what you need to know, in order to be a partner in your babies healthcare. The early days of breastfeeding are quite time consuming, for many of us a common word we use to describe it is: overwhelming, extremely tiring and filled with lots of unknowns, which tend to make us feel unprepared and anxious. It is hard to remove the feelings of being incredibly tired as this is part of new motherhood. My goal is to everything I possibly can to reduce the feelings of being overwhelmed by familiarizing you with what to expect. This way you will know when to be a tired new mommy with little to no breastfeeding concerns or a tired new mommy with enough breastfeeding concerns to warrant making an appointment with an IBCLC.
She runs a weekly breastfeeding and chestfeeding support group, and frequently blogs about breastfeeding and issues that affect nursing parents. Rachel also volunteers her time with USLCA and Project Licensure, a group committed to providing greater access to IBCLC care for Massachusetts families. Rachel is happily married and the mother to three fabulous children; in her free time she enjoys knitting, eating Cadbury Mini Eggs, and pretty much anything involving drag queens
Why? don't you typically hear about moms who have hard times BF I think it is because as a society we want mothers to have an enjoyable pregnancy and look forward to the times they will be breastfeeding their baby. We want them to look forward to snuggling with their baby, holding them skin to skin, and watching them thrive with every breastfeeding they have with their baby. It is a wonderful and beautiful sight to behold. Believe me, I love nothing better than to see a mom, peacefully, lovingly and joyfully sitting down and relaxing and feeding her baby and getting some of the much needed pp rest she deserves.
Melanie currently lives in Ontario, Canada. Her and her partner Carole are expecting their second child in November. Melanie holds a PhD in Biomechanics and works as a technical consultant for a company that makes research equipment and as a medical translator. Melanie is also the creator of the modern breast bowl a bowl specifically designed for hand expression of breast milk
Not knowing anyone who breastfed their baby, or never having seen another woman breastfeed her baby, I had no frame of reference , no role models in the breastfeeding arena. There was 1 book on the library shelf and it was The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, written by a group of woman from La Leche League. I did not get this book until after my daughter was born. So, the breastfeeding class was the only place I received information on preparing for breastfeeding and what to expect when my baby was born. There were many days and nights that were filled with painful breastfeeding and major sleep deprivation. I learned a lot along the way. Humor was helpful. My baby getting bigger was helpful. It took us a while, but soon breastfeeding became enjoyable and easy. Through my experience, I learned to work hard to not judge another mother for the choices she makes. We are all doing the best we can. I choose to focus on education and support. This is my first breastfeeding experience
Dr.Jack Newman was born in a small city near Tel Aviv. His family immigrated to Canada when he was 15 months old and he grew up as an only child in Toronto. He has 3 children, ages 32, 35 and 40 years old. Dr. Newman has worked as a pediatrician for many years in the Emergency Department until 1992, when he went full time to the Breastfeeding Clinic. He has done a fair bit of traveling. He was just in China in December for 3 weeks and has spoken in every state in United States and in every Province in Canada.
Tori grew up in Harrisburg with her Mom and Dad until she was 3 years old. They were divorced at that time and she primarily lived with her mother and visited her father every few weeks. She enjoyed her life as a part time single child and part time member of a larger family with a half brother and a step brother and step sister at her Dads house. So, she feels she had the best of both worlds. She enjoyed very different enriching experiences with each parent. Her mother took her to NYC and spend the weekend and see shows and with her Dad she would go to step sister who was in Croatian Folk music band and she knows she never would have experienced that world had she not been part of a larger family.
I hope that you have enjoyed listening to the Going Back to Work Series. There have been 4 parts so far and they have been chock full of great info for you. I am going to review some of the information that has received the most popular feedback with AAB listeners saying was most helpful and then I am going to answer some of the questions that I have received.
Doing a podcast is quite interesting and very different than when I am teaching a breastfeeding class or working one on one with a mom. I get asked questions and I am able to answer them right away. Once I answer your question, it is easy for you to follow that up with another question. This is how the learning happens when I work with you that closely. I also can gauge where the greatest interest lies and what, if anything might be the most confusing and I am able to respond to that right away.
Margery grew up in Southern Indiana in a small town. Margery was 1 of 4 girls and was number 2 in the line. She describes a very typical childhood with a mom that stayed home and a Dad that worked outside the home. The family moved to Toledo, Ohio as a teenager, which was not fun because she left all her friends and "the boyfriend." She knew that from the time she was a very young girl she wanted to become a nurse. Margery attended a Liberal Arts College and majored in biology because she knew she wanted to do something in the medical field. She first considered becoming a Dr., then thought perhaps a midwife. So, she started with nursing school, but did not go on to pursue midwifery. She is very happy with how things turned out.
Human milk is a fresh, living substance—not just a ready-to-use food. When you make the effort to provide expressed milk for your baby, you are ensuring that your baby continues to receive ideal nourishment and protection against many diseases. Human milk’s anti-bacterial properties actually help it stay fresh. The live cells and antibodies in the milk that discourage the growth of bad bacteria in your baby’s intestines also guard against bacterial growth when the milk is stored in a container. The interpretation of research on human milk storage varies widely which is why when you ask 10 different people about storage guidelines - What are safe methods and temperatures for storing and defrosting and warming, you may get 5 different responses. Let's not get too hung up on the storage temperature information yet.
If you are like most new mothers, the transition from work to full time new motherhood is going to be pretty intense. It feels like just yesterday that you gave birth and your world was turned upside down and inside out. You have gone through this rite of passage that had this huge learning curve and the subject was new motherhood and breastfeeding. Now that you feel like you finally have your bearings, you take a look at the calendar and realize that it is getting close to your returning to work. Well, not exactly next week, but close enough that you are starting to think about pumping and storing your milk. Yes, another transition is going to be coming down the pike for you.
Aromatherapy: Shannon talks about medical issues she had with anxiety and chronic pain. Along with medical physicians, she researched on what else she could do to help herself. She learned a lot about aromatherapy and herbal remedies. She felt at home with the aromatherapy and began making a lot of blends for herself. She decided to take her training further and attended Aromatherapy Institute. She discussed in detail the thoroughness of her training. When working with a client this includes a very thorough questionnaire and a full consultation and follow up care. She did several case studies and wrote a research paper on the cooperation of lavender and citrus oils in treating chronic anxiety and situational anxiety. This published paper can be found on her website.
I met Shannon online: When I first met Shannon online, I was intrigued I know she has a back in aromatherapy as well as Essential Oils (EO) because I wanted to hearr from her perceptive, in laymen’s terms, the difference in some of the EO and the different companies. I have a huge interest in learning about the safety about Essential Oils ( EO) as they have become quite mainstream. I have learned that some are not safe. for some populations and that some dilutions are not safe. We are going to be talking about pregnant and breastfeeding moms, their newborns and their children and looking for her to help me under EO better and their safety and use.