The Gift of Giving Thanks
This month we had a wonderful gathering of
families at the Dugas home.
Children of all ages (from 6 months to 10 years)
had fun. Thank you to Sylvie and her
family for opening their home, Morgenne for all
her creative crafts and treasure hunt, and to
everyone who brought a delicious harvest of
food!
Family Gathering at the Dugas' Home
A playground in their backyard!
Thank you so much for hosting!
This month as we all gather with loved ones, we
celebrate Thanksgiving. It's our special time to
give thanks... not just for the obvious, like
food and shelter, but for the thousands of fortunate
moments, the multitude of blessings that we
receive each day and each year. I am
thankful for all of you that help make our LLL
community so supportive, great and FUN!!
I hope that you are
all surrounded with the sparkling joy of loved
ones, the bounty
of nature, and a good harvest.
Many BLLLessings,
Erin Abrams, LLL Leader of Sturbridge, MA
LLL Leader Meeting:
Monthly meeting of Leader, Leader Applicants and
potential Leader Applicants that would like to
explore how they can support breastfeeding
mothers in our community.
Date: November 9th (2nd Sunday of each
month)
Time: 4:30 PM
Location: Thai Place, Next to
Country Curtains: Erin's cell is 508-259-1973
If
you have ever thought of giving back, please
join us or click on this link:
http://www.llli.org/LAD/TaLLL/TaLLL.html
to see if becoming a leader is something that
fits into you and your family's lives.
Moms Night Out
This is a time for us moms to have some "me"
time with friends. Come join us for some
well deserve fun!!
Date:
November 9th (2nd Sunday of each month)
Time: 5:00 PM
Location:
Thai Place, Next to Country Curtains: Erin's
cell is 508-259-1973
Toddler
Playgroup:
Open to all mothers
that have toddler's nursing and siblings or plan
to nurse through toddler-hood.
Date: Nov. 11th -
(2nd Tues. of each month)
Time: 1 - 3pm
Location: Spencer Playground - email will
be sent by Beth or Sylvie if weather is an
issue. 0
Nighttime Meeting:
Open to all nursing mothers and mothers that
have nursed, nursing children
welcomed to meeting.
Date: Nov. 20th (3rd Thurs. of each
month)
Time: 7-8:30PM
Topic: Weaning: The Four Chambers of the
Heart
(Your questions and concerns are top
priority.)
Location: Earth Spirits on Rt. 20 in
Sturbridge
Our night time meeting is a time for mothers
to uphold the LLL traditions - mother-to-mother
support. If LLL has helped supported you
and your child in breastfeeding, please consider
attending a meeting and offer another new
nursing mom your support with your experience
and stories of your adventure through
breastfeeding. Even though we have a
leader facilitating the group, other stories and
experiences are valuable to helping other
nursing moms.
Click here for
directions.
Daytime Playgroup:
Open to all ages
Date: Nov. 21 (4th Friday of each month -
this month is the 3rd due to Thanksgiving)
Time: 10-11:00 AM
Location:
Music Man at Sturbridge Coffee House
(Please note - location change)
More info:
http://www.sturbridgecoffeehouse.com
.
LLL Family Gathering
Every few months we would like to have
the whole family come together where father's
can meet, older children can play and us moms
can marvel at how wonderful our families are and
deepen our community. If you would like to
host a gathering, please email Erin Abrams at
info@lllsturbridge.org.
The next gathering will be in Dec.: Holiday
Gathering. Look for your evite!
Breastfeeding Bonus:
as published in Parents
Magazine, Nov. 2008:
Higher IQ for Breastfed Children
"Nursing your baby can boost his IQ,
according to the largest randomized trial of
breastfeeding ever done. In the study,
published in the Archives of General
Psychiatry, moms who got extra nursing
support were more likely to exclusively nurse
for at least three month and to continue some
breastfeeding throughout the first year.
Six years later, their children scored several
points higher on IQ tests and were rated
slightly better by teachers on reading and
writing. The difference may be due to
brain-building substances found in breast milk
such as fatty acids or growth factors or may
result from the closer physical and emotional
contact that occurs during breastfeeding."
Most studies have mapped that breastfed
children are 10 points higher on IQ test.
Imagine how intelligent your children are if you
can continue to breastfeed beyond a year!!
Cold Season, More reason to continue to
breastfeed:
When your child is sick, their germs permeate
through the mother’s skin and begins to
reformulate the milk to help them fight their
illness. Antibodies are abundant in human milk
throughout lactation. Some of the immune
factors in breastmilk increase in concentration
during the second year and also during the
natural weaning process where child choose when
to stop nursing.
Breastfed babies have fewer illnesses because
human milk transfers to the infant a mother's
antibodies to disease.
About 80% of the cells in breast milk are
macrophages, cells that kill bacteria, fungi,
and viruses. Breastfed babies are protected
in varying degrees from a number of illnesses
including, pneumonia, botulism,
bronchitis, staphylococcal infections,
influenza, ear infections, and German measles.
Furthermore, mothers produce antibodies to what
ever disease is present in their environment,
making their milk custom-designed to fight
diseases their babies are exposed to as well.
Women asked to leave Acela Train
for nursing
From La Leche League International Office:
Please forward this letter written by a mother
who was harassed for breastfeeding on the Acela
route from NY to
Boston. She would like the incident
publicized widely. It took place while the
train was still in NY, so she was able to cite
NY law, which protects breastfeeding mothers.
However, had this happened later in the same
trip she would have been in Massachusetts,
where as we know there is no law to cite. She
received a phone call from a customer
representative apologizing for the incident, but
no other follow up such as a letter or a promise
to enact policies or give training at the
corporate level.
To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing about an experience I had on the
Acela train from New York
to Boston this past Thursday, October
2, 2008. I was riding the train with my husband
and three children, ages 6, 4 and 8 weeks old.
We were returning home to Boston
after visiting family in New York. We
had traveled to New York on the
Metroliner the previous week and we had a good
experience, so we decided to take the Acela
home.
Unfortunately, our trip home was not nearly as
enjoyable. I am a breastfeeding mother who has
breastfed all three of my children. Over the
years, I have breastfed all over the place - on
airplanes, subways, shopping malls, restaurants,
synagogues - and I have never been made to feel
uncomfortable for nursing in public. Until
Thursday.
When we boarded the train, the car was very
crowded and it took some maneuvering to get four
seats together (the attendant was extremely
unhelpful with that, suggesting that our two
young daughters should each sit alone next to
strangers, but that’s a whole other letter to
write). While we were negotiating with other
passengers to move their seats, our newborn
started to cry. Concerned that he was disturbing
the other passengers, I quickly sat down and
started to feed him. Right away, the attendant
came running over with a cloth napkin and
offered it to me, so I could cover myself. I
thanked her, but assured her that I had a
cover-up in my bag that I could use if I needed
it.
Meanwhile, my husband was helping our two
daughters get settled in, so I continued to
nurse the baby, who was now quiet and content.
But the attendant came back to me and said,
loudly, “Ma’am, you need to cover your body if
you are going to breastfeed on this train.” I
was shocked. I was embarrassed. And I was pretty
sure that she had just broken the law – the
right of a woman to breastfeed is protected by
New York state law. I looked it up
when I got home.
N.Y. Civil Rights Law § 79-e (McKinney 2002)
guarantees a mother the right to breastfeed her
baby any place she has the right to be, public
or private, even if the nipple is exposed during
or incidental to breastfeeding.
I did not cause a scene on the train. I did not
want to make the other passengers uncomfortable,
nor did I want to frighten my children. My
husband got my cover-up out of the diaper bag,
and I wore it for the remainder of the trip. It
is somewhat ironic that my husband and I own a
small chain of baby stores in Boston,
and I author a blog for parents. I have been
testing this nursing cover for a blog article,
and otherwise I would not have had it available,
since I am not shy about nursing in public. I
don't know what would have happened without it.
And while experiences like mine make a
compelling sales pitch for this product, the
intent of a nursing cover is not to protect the
general public from the nursing mother, but
rather to shield a woman who might be
uncomfortable exposing herself, or to help
minimize distractions for the baby.
I think you need to be aware of my
experience. I would be shocked if Amtrak would
condone this treatment. Traveling with a newborn
baby, I was attracted to the train as an
alternative to driving, because it meant that I
could attend to my baby without needing to pull
off the road every hour or two. Amtrak, I
thought, would be a great way to travel with my
family. But apparently families are not
welcome on the Acela.
If this attendant’s behavior is a reflection on
her training and she was representing the
policies of Amtrak, as her tone and demeanor
certainly implied, Amtrak needs to seriously
reevaluate those policies. More likely,
she was acting on her own biases in a very
inappropriate (and illegal) manner. Either way,
I think I am owed an apology. I await your
response.
The attendant’s name badge said “Armstead” and
we rode on the 3:00pm Acela train, number 2164,
reservation number 084584.
Sincerely,
Sheri Gurock
44 Amory Street
Brookline, MA 02446
sheri@mbeans.com
617-669-7375
PS - check out her website for nursing products
and gift ideas at:
www.mbeans.com
If you are in need of a book, please email
Sylvie Dugas:
shastadreamers@charter.net
for any book that may be in our library. Sylvie
can email you a list of books that range from
breastfeeding, attachment parenting, tandem
nursing, and more.
The Federated Church of Sturbridge has a
highchair, booster seat, and toddler car seat.
If you would like it, please contact Carol at
the church: (508) 347-3915.
If you have anything gently used and would like
to donate to someone in the group or do a swap
(please no selling), email Erin Abrams by the
1st of each month. Also if you are in need
of anything, please email me.
info@lllsturbridge.org.
Prepare your own home pharmacy of natural
medicines. Taken from Herbalist Rosemary
Gladstar, author of Rosemary Gladstar's
Family Herbal:
|
Catnip: |
Use a tincture diluted in water, tea, or
juice to calm a fever and reduce
irritability |
|
Chamomile: |
Serve as a tea or use in bath to soothe
a child who has a cold or fever. |
|
Echinacea: |
Use the tea or a diluted tincture to
boost immunity and relive early symptoms
of cold. |
|
Eucalyptus: |
For sinus congestion, create a steam
tent over a bowl containing 1 drop of
the essential oil in hot water. Make
sure the child keeps her eyes closed. |
|
Garlic: |
Make an infused oil for ear infections
and sinus congestions. Add 1 small
garlic clove to 1 ounce of olive oil and
sauté until the garlic starts to pop.
Mash the garlic into pieces in the hot
oil, remove from the heat a nd strain
the oil. Let cool and store in a
bottle dropper. (Erin's note:
Squirting a few drops of breast milk
into child's infected ears every 2 hours
fights ear infections as well.) |
|
Peppermint: |
Use the essential oil (1 to 2 drops)
mixed with 1/2 cup honey and taken as a
syrup (1/2 to 1 teaspoon) for
congestion. Honey is not
recommended for infants, but you can
substitute maple syrup instead. Honey
has been proven to be an effective cough
medicine - a teaspoon of raw honey can
be iven as often as needed to children
over one year of age. |
|
Slippery Elm Bark or Marshmallow
Root: |
As an antidote for sore throat or
irritated lungs, serve as a tea or
sprinkle the powder in oatmeal.
|
New Playground is up in Sturbridge at the Town
Rec. Area off of Cedar St.
The main playground seems to be more gears for 4
yrs. and up and there is a small toddler
section. Check it out!
Great website:
http://www.k12academics.com
An easy find'er website of museums in any
state and link to their website.
Joshua Hyde (Sturbridge) Library
Location:
Rt. 131 in Sturbridge
Fees: Free
Dates: Check out schedule for ongoing events for
different ages including story time and yoga.
More info:
http://www.town.sturbridge.ma.us/Public_Documents/SturbridgeMA_LibCal/?FormID=158
Music Man
Location:
Sturbridge Coffee House
Fee: Free
Date(s) and Time(s): Tuesday in Nov. from
4-5PM; Fridays from 10-11am
More info: Friday mornings have been so
popular that SCH has added him to Tues.
afternoons. Armed with his guitar,
harmonica and childhood classic songs, the Music
Man gets the kids full of energy. www.sturbridgecoffeehouse.com
Old Sturbridge Village Homeschooling Day
Location:
OSV
Fee: $7/person
Date(s) and Time(s): Nov. 4th, 9:30am-4pm
More info:
http://www.osv.org/orders/listprograms.html?ID=14
Story time for PreSchoolers at Broad Meadow Brook
Programs
Location:
Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife
Sanctuary in Worcester
Fee: Adults $5.00 m/ $6.00 nm, Children
$5.00 m/ $6.00 nm
Date(s) and Time(s): Nov. 7th, 8th, 12th,
21st,
More info:
http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Broad_Meadow/index.php
Ginger Bread House Making:
Location:
West Brookfield Methodist Church,
45 W Main St, (508) 867-5978
Date; 11/8
Time: 9AM-2PM
Cost: free
Come anytime and children can make ginger bread
houses.
Music with Mrs. Coro
Location: Burgess Elementary School
Date; 11/18
Time: 6:30PM
Cost: free
Mrs. Coro has been a wonderful addition to our
area offering many "concerts" through the CPC at
librarys, schools and more. Come join her
for a rockin' time! Note: CPC has been
the subject of recent budget cuts by Gov.
Duvall. Please contact Patricia Sinko at
sinkop@tantasqua.org to confirm that the
concert is still funded.
Family Yoga:
FlowForms Yoga on Lake Ave.
in Worcester offers Family Yoga (and PreNatal
workshops) each month. Taught by LLL
friend, Jen Faldetta, she offers a heart opening
class to share with your whole family - all ages
are welcomed, it is worth the trip (and Trader
Joes is right around the corner to make it more
worth while ;). The next workshops is
Sunday, Nov 23 and Dec
14. More info:
www.flowformsyoga.com.
If you know of a community event, please email
Erin at
info@lllsturbridge.org by the first of the
month.
La Leche League 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).
EarthSpirits -
http://earthspirits-herbals.com
- Located on Rt. 20 (East
bound side) above TJ O'Brien's.
After entering Sturbridge from the
MASSPike, drive down Rt. 20 West, go
to your fourth traffic light (at Rt.
20 and Cedar St.) and make a left
hand turn to reverse your direction
onto Rt. 20 East - immediately you
will see the entrance to
EarthSpirits.
Sturbridge Federated Church -
Located between the Town Hall
and Library. take Rt. 131 off
of Rt. 20 when entering Sturbridge.
Travel up a 1/4 mile and you will
pass the Post Office (red building)
on your left. At the traffic
light, take a left and park on your
right side. If you need
additional parking you can park
across the street in the back of the
Town Hall. The Federated
Church is adjacent to the Joshua
Hyde Library. Enter through the side
entrance and take the elevator down
to the nursery. From the
elevator, take a right and enter
through the doors and the nursery is
on your left.
Submission
are accepted by the first of each month, if not
they will be included in the following month's
newsletter. Please send submissions to
info@lllsturbridge.org.
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