In honor of US Breastfeeding Month +, we are kicking the month off with a Breast Start Virtual Circle on Friday August 2^nd at 11am.   If you are breastfeeding*, you are welcome to join. We’ll talk about milk making and learn about the places to go for help throughout the county.

I know it’s not easy getting out with a baby. If you don’t live close to a group, it can feel impossible. The theme for World Breastfeeding Week is Closing the gap: Breastfeeding support for all. One of the challenges we have is getting to supports. So, to help close the gap and make it easier for more, if not quite all, to get support, we’re hosting this circle virtually.

I started going to a breastfeeding group’s meeting, years back. It wasn’t always easy to get there, but I found it super helpful. I learned about other people’s experiences and got some good ideas that helped me work through lactation challenges. And it helped me build community.

My first breastfeeding support group

I was nervous packing up to go to my first breastfeeding meeting with La Leche League (LLL). I didn’t know many people in the community, and I didn’t know what to expect. Group like this never seemed like something for me. But I had questions and had heard the group was helpful.

I found was a diverse group of open-minded and supportive people. We sat in a circle and got to know each other. First it was just names and who are kids were. Then there was room for lactation questions and thoughts.

People shared about managing pumping at work, combination feeding, and how hard it was to get started. Others shared things that made breast feeding easier, what helped them get a better latch, and who they turned to for support.

The LLL leader invited us to share from our lives and “take what you like and leave the rest.” This friendly approach helped me share questions I had in pregnancy and helped me reach my ever-changing breastfeeding goals.  So I kept going back. I learned and made new friends and connections that are still important to me and my kids today.

Where to go for breastfeeding help now

First 5 Mendocino hosts the free countywide lactation support warmline (855) 855-MILK (6455).  Locals can call the warmline with lactation questions and get over-the-phone guidance. If you need in-person support, you’ll get information on the International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) in the county. Breast Start also shares resources for lactation and where you can contact them.

Right now, our county doesn’t have a regular lactation specific group. But Mendocino County does have a handful of parent circles that meet regularly. These are great places to connect! More on those coming soon.

While we haven’t had a breastfeeding circle like La Leche League for a few years, First 5 Mendocino is hoping to change that and connect with people interested in becoming La Leche League leaders.

A little bit about La Leche League

La Leche League is a volunteer organization. It was started by a small group of people looking to do things differently – to breastfeed in a time when it was rarely heard of. They needed support and community and created it. And it turned out other people needed it too, because it has become an international organization. They have online forums and social media groups too with access to LLL leaders and other moms and lactating people who share their experiences.

A Note on language

First 5 Mendocino recognizes that not all birth givers or milk makers identify as women. Breastfeeding is the common terminology for human milk feeding and is not gender specific. Still, we understand other terms are preferred by some milk makers.  We strive to use preferred terms of the birth givers and lactating people we work with and along with “breastfeeding” may use other words like lactation, nursing, chestfeeding as we interpret and adopt the Infant Feeding and Lactation-Related Language and Gender of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine as a model guideline for inclusion.