Warmest Greetings,
As we enter into a
new year I look forward to the adventures in
breastfeeding with my family, as it
affect everyone in our family unit.
Throughout the beautiful times as well as the
challenging, breastfeeding is a commitment that
partners, siblings, the nursing child and mother
all hold a sacred place for. Everyone
contributes to the success of the breastfeeding
relationship; and because of that, they also
have experiences that are unique to them; both beautiful and challenging as well.
Understanding them can directly contribute to a
longer breastfeeding relationship.
Partners see the
beautiful bond but also can witness feelings of
not being able to provide like the mother can in
the early months. They can look to other
loving rituals such as bath or bed time to be
create a special time. One of my favorite
memories is of my husband doing a nighttime
dance routine while giving me a break from
nursing my boys to sleep. The dance time routine
would progress from
crazy to calm to slow dancing to sleep. It
deepened their bond in the same way as mine; but
in their own natural form.
Siblings witness a healthy, normal start to a
child's life but typically have to
understand that most times the nursing child has immediate
needs that only the mother can provide. In
the eyes of the sibling, this takes precedent over their needs
but in the end, the sibling has their own
journey of self independence before them.
Hopefully, this is already greatly supported by
their own experience in breastfeeding and it
gives them the support they need through this
transition.
The nursing child is
given an extraordinary advantage over bottle fed
but is challenged by learning to
communicate their needs...like any baby.
The nursing child reaps the benefits of skin
to skin contact to make them feel more secure.
This translates into confidence as they grow up.
Their speech will be developed properly with a
wider palate and better ability to use the
muscular movement of their mouth. This
results in better speech pathology and dental
makeup. From the closeness and security from the
physical side of breastfeeding to the
extraordinary way children's bodies are made to
develop from breastfeeding, it provides the
nursing child with a tool box from Mother Earth
that every child was born to have.
Finally, as is
often the case,
the mother is able to see so many advantages
that cannot be written in tests or studies, but
she is on demand 24/7 to sustain and nourish this
little life. It is a temporary time in the lives
of mother and child; but the results continue
for a lifetime for both. Remember to make
time for you - even if it is a drive to the
store or an hour a week at the gym. Find
space for you this year!
Breastfeeding is adventure
that changes every day, and needs to be
supported by the entire family to make it
successful. When it is celebrated and accepted
by all, it can bring the family closer together
long after the children are done nursing. It is
an advantage to not only the nursing child and
mother; but trickles into the whole family.
I hope that you and
your family had a wonderful holiday season and
I am wishing everyone a beautiful start to this new
year.
Many BLLLessings,
Erin Abrams
LLL Leader of Sturbridge, MA
Please forward
this to any pregnant or nursing mothers that you
may know. If you would like to opt out of this
newsletter - just hit "reply" and put "remove"
in the subject line.
Nighttime Meeting:
Date:
January 20th-
(3rd Wed. of each
month)
Time: 7-8:00PM
Topic: The Advantages of Breastfeeding
(Your questions and concerns are top
priority.)
Location: Southbridge Savings Bank, Rt. 20
in
Sturbridge
In the tradition
of LLL, please join in the discussion and
support our community . All you have to
bring is your experiences that you have
encountered with breastfeeding or help support
another mother that could use a bit of
breastfeeding wisdom. ;)
Breastfeeding babies, toddlers, and
breastfeeding children who would be
unhappy away from their mothers are welcome.
Click here for
directions.
Daytime Meeting:
LLL of
Worcester has daytime meetings on the 2nd
Tuesday of every month at 551 Pleasant St in
Worcester. In addition they are offering a Sat.
morning meeting soon. Contact LLL Worcester
Leader: Jenn Dziejma
dziejen@yahoo.com for more information.
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This month's
topic is the
Advantages
of
Breastfeeding.
Many of us
hear how
important it
is to nurse
your newborn
- but
American
society
doesn't
celebrate
nursing your
toddler.
Here is some
inspiration
from LLL
online
publication
on full term
breastfeeding. |
What are
the
benefits
of
breastfeeding
my
toddler?
Toddlers
breastfeed
for many
of the
same
reasons
infants
breastfeed:
for
nutrition,
comfort,
security,
for a
way to
calm
down and
for
reassurance.
Mothers
breastfeed
their
toddlers
for many
of the
same
reasons
they
breastfeed
their
infants:
they
recognize
their
children's
needs,
they
enjoy
the
closeness,
they
want to
offer
comfort,
and they
understand
the
health
benefits.
(See the
FAQ,
"What
are the
Benefits
of
Breastfeeding
My
Baby?"
for more
information.)
The
American
Academy
of
Pediatrics
currently
recommends
that
"Breastfeeding
should
be
continued
for at
least
the
first
year of
life and
beyond
for as
long as
mutually
desired
by
mother
and
child.."
* The
World
Health
Organization
and
UNICEF
recommend
that
babies
be
breastfed
for at
least
two
years.
Breastfeeding
a
toddler
helps
with the
child's
ability
to
mature.
Although
some
experts
say a
toddler
who is
not
weaned
will
have
difficulty
becoming
independent,
it's
usually
the
fearful,
clingy
children
that
have
been
pushed
into
situations
requiring
too much
independence
too
soon. A
breastfeeding
toddler
is
having
his
dependency
needs
met. The
closeness
and
availability
of the
mother
through
breastfeeding
is one
of the
best
ways to
help
toddlers
grow
emotionally.
Breastfeeding
can help
a
toddler
understand
discipline
as well.
Discipline
is
teaching
a child
about
what is
right
and
good,
not
punishment
for
normal
toddler
behavior.
To help
a
toddler
with
discipline,
he needs
to feel
good
about
himself
and his
world.
Breastfeeding
helps a
toddler
feel
good
about
himself,
because
his
needs
are
being
met.
Just as
babies
do,
toddlers
receive
health
benefits
from
breastfeeding.
Your
milk
continues
to
provide
immunities
and
vitamins,
and can
help
protect
your
toddler
from
illness
and
allergies.
If your
toddler
does get
sick,
nursing
will
help
comfort
him. In
fact, a
toddler
with an
upset
stomach
may be
able to
tolerate
nothing
but
human
milk.
Toddlers
have a
huge
world to
explore,
and
breastfeeding
provides
them
(and
their
mothers!)
with
some
quiet
time in
their
busy,
waking
hours.
*See "Breastfeeding
and Use
of Human
Milk"
in
PEDIATRICS
Vol. 115
No. 2
February
2005,
pp.
496-506
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Read
more great articles from New
Beginnings e-Magazine
with your $40/yr. LLL Membership.
More info>> |
Advertise with US!
If
you or someone you know would like to advertise
in our monthly newsletter, please spread the
word. Money received will help support our group
and the community we share. Our newsletter goes
out to over 70 people and is hopefully shared
with more as some on our list are doulas, nurses
and midwives. We are a specific
market of mothers, families, nursing moms,
nutrition focused and many homeschoolers.
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WHAT A DEAL!!
Items and events in this category are not
associated with LLL and are listed here as a
service to the community.
If you know of a community event, please email
Erin at
info@lllsturbridge.org by the first of the
month.
Sturbridge Ice Skating Rink
Sturbridge Town Recreational Dept. put up a
medium size ice skating rink at the tennis
courts in the Town Rec. Dept. on Cedar Pond.
You much have skates to be on the ice.
Joshua Hyde Library/Sturbridge
Children's Events:
http://www.town.sturbridge.ma.us/Public_Documents/SturbridgeMA_LibCal/?FormID=158
Jacob Edwards
Library/Southbridge
508-764-5427
Charlton
Children's Events:
http://www.charltonlibrary.org/charlton/children.asp
Outreach Play Group
For preschool'ers and siblings, the CPC has
three locations of an open style preschools
where caregiver and child(ren) play and do
crafts. All groups are facilitated by
Sharon Champoux, Infant/Toddler & Preschool
certified. Questions or Pre-register by calling
508-867-2232 or email:
sinkop@tantasqua.org
At the following locations & times:
Wales Elementary School – Preschool room Monday
(all ages) 9:00 -10:30 am 41 Main Street Wales,
MA
Brookfield Elementary School Union 61 Community
Partnership room (CPC) Monday 1:00 – 2:00pm
Infant/Toddler (pre-registration required)
Tuesday (all ages) 1:00 -2:30pm Thursday (all
ages) 9:30 -11:00am Brookfield Elementary School
37 Central Street Brookfield
Holland Elementary School – Preschool room
Thursday (all ages) 1:00 -2:30pm 28 Sturbridge
Road Holland, MA
Merrick Public Library
2 Lincoln Street
Brookfield
508-867-6339
Babytime: Wednesdays 11:00am – 12:00pm
Pre-School story time and singing with Ms.
Coro: Fridays 11:30am – 12:00pm
Drop-in Arts & Crafts: Fridays 2:30pm –
4:30pm, all ages welcome to attend.
Yoga for kids: Thursdays 2:00pm.
Breastfeeding Management
for Palm, iPhone, & Blackberry
The Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition (www.massbfc.org) has developed Breastfeeding Management, a reference for supporting breastfeeding mothers, for today's most popular handheld devices!
This is a great reference for healthcare providers - please share it with yours to continue to educate and bring awareness to breastfeeding.
You can download Breastfeeding Management for the iPhone and iPod Touch directly from the iTunes App Store.
Visit their software page to download Breastfeeding Management for the Palm OS and new version for the Blackberry Curve, Bold and Pearl!
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Would you like
to see our LLL group reach out to more
mothers and bring more awareness to
breastfeeding? If you have ever
thought of volunteering or giving back a
small amount of your time while making an
amazing shift in our area's thinking, I can
not express how rewarding being a Leader is.
For me, it has given me the opportunity to
connected with so many amazing mothers and
families that they have made me a better
mother and wife. I am truly blessed to
be in this community and help support it. If
you would like to help support our community
and would like to help lead our group,
please contact me.
What is our purpose as LLL Leaders?
Leaders know the importance of one mother
helping another to recognize and understand
the needs of her child and to find the best
means of fulfilling those needs. Leaders
provide information and support so that each
mother can make the decisions which are best
for her family.
What does a Leader do? Most Leaders fulfill
the basic responsibilities of leadership,
which are:
• Helping mothers one-to-one by telephone,
email, or in person.
• Planning and leading monthly Series
Meetings.
• Supervising the management of the LLL
Group.
• Keeping up-to-date on breastfeeding
information.
• Upholding the LLL philosophy
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LLL Philosophy
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Mothering through breastfeeding
is the most natural and
effective way of understanding
and satisfying the needs of the
baby.
-
Mother and baby need to be
together early and often to
establish a satisfying
relationship and an adequate
milk supply.
-
In the early years, the baby has
an intense need to be with his
mother which is as basic as his
need for food.
-
Breast milk is the superior
infant food.
-
For the healthy, full-term baby,
breast milk is the only food
necessary until baby shows signs
of needing solids, about the
middle of the first year after
birth.
-
Ideally, the breastfeeding
relationship will continue until
the baby outgrows the need.
-
Alert and active participation
by the mother in childbirth is a
help in getting breastfeeding
off to a good start.
-
Breastfeeding is enhanced and
the nursing couple sustained by
the loving support, help, and
companionship of the baby’s
father. A father’s unique
relationship with his baby is an
important element in the child’s
development from early infancy.
-
Good nutrition means eating a
well-balanced and varied diet of
foods in as close to their
natural state as possible.
-
From infancy on, children need
loving guidance which reflects
acceptance of their capabilities
and sensitivity to their
feelings.
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LLL of
Worcester holds monthly meetings to help
leaders become accredited. Please email me if you are
interested in attending and seeing if
leadership is right for you. |
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You don't have to join LLL to come to
our meetings but by joining LLL of
Sturbridge you help support YOUR
breastfeeding community.
The $40
LLL Regular Membership
includes a discount in the
LLLI Online Store,
a subscription to New Beginnings
e-Magazine and much more. To find
out more benefits and other levels of
membership, visit
http://www.llli.org/membership.html.
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New
Beginnings e-Magazine
Free with a
1 year membership - LLL
Online
Bi-Monthly magazine is filled with
valuable information on breastfeeding
and mother-to-mother sharing.
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Please mail
it directly to our group as your money
will be directly contributing to your
local community. You can send
check made out to LLL of Sturbridge, MA
and mail it to PO Box 523, Sturbridge,
MA 01566. |
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La Leche League International
La Leche League International offers
24 hour toll free helpline
providing information, education and support for
women who want to breastfeed and healthcare
providers. Visit
www.breasfeedinghelpline.com for more
information or call
1-877-LA-LECHE (1-877-452-5324).
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