[Vol 2 Issue 2]
I am a community midwife in England. I have started a breastfeeding support group that meets each Monday morning. Unfortunately it has not been the success I hoped it would be. We have had very little attendance despite advertising by poster, leaflets and word of mouth from midwives and health visitors. Has anyone out there had success running a support group?
-Glynis Rainey
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[Vol 2 Issue 3]
Monday is one of the worst days for stay at home moms to get out. The weekend has left their home and activities out of order. I have tried on Mondays and it was a bomb. I will also add that in my experience with group activities, if you show great excitement, it is catching.
-Lisa
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An organisation already exists which has had astounding success "running a support group": La Leche League. While I applaud your initiative, why reinvent the wheel? If there is not an LLL group in your community, perhaps you could establish one using the resources of that organization. They have a solid reputation worldwide. The midwives in my community (Maple Ridge, B.C. Canada), while providing excellent information and hands-on support to their clients, often refer them to the local LLL group to help them establish contact with other BF moms. At monthly meetings they get information and support on BF, and their decision to BF is affirmed positively (something they don't always get from family and friends). I am a leader of that group, and we don't find it necessary to meet weekly; monthly seems to be enough. LLL International's web site: http://www.lalecheleague.org/
-Trudy Noort
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[Vol 2 Issue 5]
In response to the letter about La Leche League [Issue 2:3]: Why reinvent the wheel? Perhaps because for some of us it needs reinventing! First of all, there are some of us who do not find LLL very supportive! I personally have had several problems with advice received from LLL leaders, advice that undermined my breastfeeding rather than supported it. I also have some real problems with some of LLL's philosophies and policies. I know many other womyn who feel the same way. While this hasn't kept me from being a member of LLLI, if I could find another group, I'd likely join it instead.
Secondly, the suggestion that an individual try to establish a LLL group in their community is an odd one coming from someone who says they are a LLL leader. Surely you know how long and arduous the process of becoming accredited as a leader is? How else would one go about starting a LLL group? This is my current situation: the nearest group is over an hour's drive away on icy roads. There is no leader in my town. I breastfed my first son for only 3 months (though I continued to pump for him for his whole first year). My second son is 6 months old. Therefore, I don't yet qualify to even begin my leadership accreditation process. There are so many womyn in my town who could benefit from breastfeeding support! I do what I can, but it's not enough! So what's wrong with me starting a non-LLL group?
-Maka Laughingwolf
Reprinted from Midwifery Today E-News (Various Issues)
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