Community Corner
La Leche League Offers Breastfeeding Support to Local Mothers
Group has day and evening meetings in Ferndale.
The Ferndale/Oak Park daytime and evening La Leche League (LLL) groups are resources in the community for breastfeeding moms or pregnant women interested in breastfeeding. LLL is an international, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization dedicated to providing education, information, support and encouragement to women who want to breastfeed.
They provide monthly meetings where women can find a network of mother-to-mother support. You do not have to be a member of LLL to attend. If you are interested though, membership in LLL USA can be obtained from your local group. The meetings, which are facilitated by LLL leaders, have a welcoming atmosphere and offer an opportunity for nursing mothers to meet other like-minded moms from the area.
“Leaders are all moms who have breastfed and want to help others be successful at breastfeeding. We are all volunteers,” said Meghan MacKenzie, LLL Leader of the Ferndale/Oak Park evening meeting.
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Each meeting starts out with introductions. Mothers are encouraged to bring their babies along with them. There is a monthly scheduled topic, but the discussions are allowed to flow freely to whatever the needs of those attending happen to be.
The meeting structure is similar for both the day and evening groups, but the scheduled topics may differ, so check with your group for details. Upcoming meeting topics include:
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- Sept. 1: Oh, So THAT's What Breasts Are For!
- Oct. 6: First Solid Foods: What? When? How?
- Nov. 3: Birth & Breastfeeding... What's the Connection?
- Dec. 1: Breastfeeding Meets Baby's Many Needs
At any point during the meeting, questions or concerns anyone might be having can be raised. It’s an open forum where both leaders provide insight and other moms can share helpful tidbits they may know from experience.
“Many times just having the right information can make a huge difference in nursing your baby," MacKenzie said. "Also, helping moms and babies bond emotionally through their nursing relationship is truly inspiring and motivating."
In addition to running monthly support meetings, leaders offer one-on-one support via phone and email. They are continuously building their knowledge base about breastfeeding and finding new information to help moms with common breastfeeding problems. Each group maintains a library of books pertaining to breastfeeding, motherhood and parenting, which moms can borrow for supplemental info as well.
“We are an organization committed to helping moms who choose to breastfeed," MacKenzie said. "We believe mom-to-mom support can have positive impact on moms successfully breastfeeding their babies through the challenges which frequently occur."
The Ferndale/Oak Park daytime LLL meeting is at 10:15 a.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the , 222 E. Nine Mile Rd.
The Ferndale/Oak Park evening LLL meeting is at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at the , 1814 Pinecrest Dr. Note: The group utilizes the space that was donated, but has no affiliation with the church.
To learn more and for group leader contact information, click dev.lllusa.org/web/FerndaleMI or the LLL's Facebook page here.
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