Our daughter was a few weeks old when a friend asked me to join her and her baby on a 45-minute drive to a breastfeeding group. Before she invited me, I had never heard of such a thing and did not know why a breastfeeding group was needed.
The fact that this friend was willing to drive so far for a two hour meeting meant this group had to be special. While all breastfeeding groups are not the same — here was my experience.
1. Meet A Group Of Womyn & Their Babies
It was pretty cool to walk into a room of about 10 womyn sitting on the floor with their babies. Mothers were nursing, burping and chatting about motherhood. The group was pretty informal, with no set meeting structure, just a group of womyn sitting in a circle feeding their babies and spending time together.
While this group was far from our home, I can see how attending a local breastfeeding group is a great way to start building a community for any family.
2. Lactation Consultant
At this breastfeeding group, the lactation consultant really seemed invested in the health of both mom and the baby. She shared stories about how to know when baby is full, nipple infections and any other questions the group had.
She was really laid back, and approachable. I didn’t even know she was the licensed professional, until I realized she was the only womyn without a newborn.
3. Measure Milk Intake
Upon entering the meeting, we were told to strip baby and have him or her weighed. After breastfeeding, baby was weighed again to see how much milk he or she had consumed.
This was done in a warm and relaxing way, so the babies were not fussy at all.
I was fascinated at the way this group measured the baby’s milk intake. I was even more fascinated that the lactation consultant kept detailed records of each baby’s milk intake over the course of each week. This way mom could see if baby was drinking more as he or she grew.
4. Breastfeeding Supplies
The group supplies included a foam mat for mom to sit on and a nursing pillow for the baby. A nursing pillow is a u-shaped pillow placed around mom’s torso for baby to lay on and nurse comfortably.
Before attending this group, I hadn’t been introduced to a nursing pillow nor did I know the many ways it could be used.
I left the group with more ideas on how to interact with our baby and a deeper understanding of the breastfeeding culture.
While I do not attend breastfeeding groups now, I highly recommend checking one out.
Enter your zip code at zipmilk.org and find a local breastfeeding support
and...
Stop by the Boston Breastfeeding Coalition drop-in groups.
Not interested in getting out and want to have a virtual breastfeeding coach. Book an appointment with me here.
Until next time.
Peace & Love,
Dominique
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