Today's blog post is a guest post written by Kara Rosales, La Leche League Leader in Arlington, Texas. Kara reflects on the importance of peer support for the breastfeeding mom.
Being both a La Leche League Leader and former breastfeeding mom, I see the value in being in a room of nursing women. Not only are our meetings a place for mothers to discuss breastfeeding concerns, but they often become safe places for many topics beyond latch and growth spurts. Here are several additional benefits of attending a breastfeeding support group.
- Support- Many of the women that we come across do not have family that is supportive of breastfeeding, and they need someone to reassure them that they’re giving their baby something very important.
- Advice- It can be hard when you’re getting different breastfeeding advice from everyone that you talk to. Having someone in your corner that you can call or see at a meeting that will give you advice, or tell you where to find more information is very helpful.
- Encouragement- So many new moms just need someone to tell them that they are doing a great job as a mother. Whatever hard phase they’re in right now will pass, and they will be a better, stronger person and mother in the end.
- Parenting- Many parents at a breastfeeding support group will parent in similar ways, and it is a great place to get advice and support for any non-breastfeeding phase that you are going through at the time.
- Friendship- We see families building lifelong friendships, and that is a very special thing. Moms go on to hold playdates outside of scheduled meeting times and really become a family.
- Normalizing Nursing- If there is one thing that you will see at a breastfeeding support group, it is breastfeeding! Let’s work together to make it the normal way to feed a baby!
To learn more about La Leche League of Arlington, TX, visit their Facebook page. To find more information on La Leche League meetings near you, visit their website.