This is a public service announcement from La Leche League Canada.  It’s wonderfully produced and as true here in the Madison area as it is in Canada.   “Because breastfeeding isn’t always easy, we’re here to help.”

Some of the benefits of membership include:.

• Access to monthly group gatherings, group library, and telephone help at 827-5530.
• An electronic, online subscription to New Beginnings, the only magazine devoted entirely to breastfeeding.
• Local online support through the Madison LLL moms’ yahoogroup. Share your experiences and challenges with other local breastfeeding moms and receive support from Leaders online.  Include your email address with the renewal notice to receive an invitation to join.
• Meeting new people in your community and gaining self-confidence as you learn from other mothers.
• Providing funds for the phone line, pamphlets and information sheets, postage, and continuing education for Leaders.
• Ensuring that LLL continues to exist now and for future breastfeeding families!

A one year membership is $25.00.   For an additional $15.00 ($40.00 total), a copy of the newest edition of The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding  is added.

The benefits of breastfeeding are, of course, priceless! Your membership or donation will help mothers in Wisconsin and all over the world who want to breastfeed!

Your membership check, or tax-deductible donation to LLL of Madison can be mailed to:

LLL of Madison

c/o Heather Reekie, Treasurer

706 Ariel Lane

Verona, WI 53593

By joining as a member locally, a portion of the membership helps to support the local La Leche League Madison Area Chapter.

NEW! You can now join or donate online via Paypal.  There is now a Paypal button on the top of the right-hand sidebar.



December 2010

Dear Friends, Family, and Members of the Community,

In the United States, 1 in 8 babies is born prematurely. For these babies, mother’s milk is more than just nutrition, it is crucial to saving lives. For example, neonatologists know that preterm babies without access to human milk are 6 to 7 times more likely to develop necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a disorder of prematurity that attacks and destroys the intestines. Consider:

• 1.5% of preterm infants fed human milk acquire NEC
• 10-17% of preterm infants fed formula acquire NEC
• Of those babies who acquire NEC, many die or develop lifelong complications from the illness

To save these tiny lives, we are proud to announce the formation of a human milk bank in the Chicago-Milwaukee area. The Illinois Milk Bank Project has teamed up with the Mothers’ Milk Association of Wisconsin (MMAW) and will soon officially merge, changing their names to the Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes. This developing, not-for-profit, milk bank will operate under the guidelines of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) and will serve local hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin.

In major cities worldwide, human milk banks collect donor milk from local mothers, pasteurize it, and test it for safety. They then provide this life-giving milk to preterm and sick infants in area hospitals via physician prescription. In some countries, the threat of NEC has been virtually eliminated with exclusive use of human milk for these fragile babies. Our babies deserve this same life-saving resource.

Today, our exciting venture is in its early stages. We expect to begin processing donor milk in 2011. But before our first milk delivery to a baby in need, there is much work to be done. We need your help. Talk to your local hospitals about the importance of providing donor milk and spread the word to area moms about milk donation. Most importantly, as you think about your charitable giving during this holiday season, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to MMAW.* Our highly qualified team is volunteering its time to establish this milk bank. 100% of all contributions made to MMAW online will help fund the milk bank’s start-up expenses and go directly to this cause. Donate Now!

We look forward to working with you and keeping you up to date on our progress every step of the way. To learn more about human milk banking and the guidelines we adhere to, visit www.hmbana.org.

We sincerely thank you for your support,

The Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes

*As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, charitable organization, all contributions to the Mothers’ Milk Association of WI are tax deductible.

We are accepting donations of gently used or new nursing or maternity wear for our annual garage sale ( April 30th & May 1st). Nursing bras, tanks, shirts, slings and maternity clothes would be greatly appreciated and the donation is tax deductible. Other popular items from past garage sales include baby clothes, children’s clothes, children’s toys and books as well as larger baby care items such as strollers, car seats and high chairs.

Donations can be brought to any of the La Leche League Groups or may be dropped off Monday-Thursday, April 26-29 at 7350 New Washburn Way, Madison (West side).  Call Fran 441-0119 with questions or to arrange a donations.  For north or east side donation drop-off, call Lindsay at 230-6644.

A receipt will be available upon request.  Donations to LLL are 100% tax-deductible.

Thank you for your support!

Have you enjoyed your breastfeeding experience and want to help mothers breastfeed?

Are you proud of a breastfeeding challenge you have overcome and want to help other mothers overcome theirs?

Are you interested in finding a volunteer position that fits into the life of a busy mother while building real life skills for using within your family or future job applications?

If you think you might be interested, read more here on the LLL International website about becoming a La Leche League Leader.

If you have questions, contact a local Leader to further discussion on whether becoming a LLL Leader is right for you.

LLL is an international, educational, non-sectarian, non-discriminatory service organization with a strict policy of not mixing causes. We have that policy in order to offer breastfeeding help to mothers with a variety of personal beliefs.

We should have learned breastfeeding as we grew up watching our sisters, mothers, and neighbors, all of whom nursed their own children.  In our bottle-feeding culture, La Leche League may be the next best thing.  At monthly meetings…

You can look.  No two people at a meeting will have the same parenting style.  You’ll see things that might work for you and things that wouldn’t.  Try what you like and leave the rest.

You can listen.  Some women just want to sit and listen when they come. No one will pressure you to talk if you don’t want to.

You can ask questions.  Is this a normal breastmilk diaper?  How can I get my baby to sleep?  Where can I find a good bra? How will I cope with critics?  What do I do with a crying baby?

You can find a playgroup.  Playgroups are for mothers, not children, and finding a group of women who are raising their babies the way you are can make your job much easier.  The playgroup friendships that start at a La Leche League meeting often last long after the children are grown.

You can find other resources.  Looking for books?  The name of a breastfeeding helper in your sister-in-law’s hometown?  Information on jaundice or increasing a milk supply?  Breastfeeding literature in Korean?  La Leche League is a great place to start.

You can talk to someone any time.  La Leche League’s breastfeeding counselors are just a phone call away, any time you need to talk.

You can”get out” with your baby.  The meetings are designed with babies in mind.  They’re informal, there are toys for toddlers and snacks for everyone, and no one will mind if you nurse, change a diaper, soothe a fretful baby, come late, or leave early.  It feels good to get out of the house with your baby.  What better place to come?

You can complain.  No relationship is all roses.  Sometimes it helps to complain among people who have “been there”.  You can do it at a La Leche League meeting.  Whatever you’re going through, someone there will have had something similar.

You can help someone else.  When you come to a La Leche League meeting,you don’t just learn from other women; other women have a chance to learn from you.  You become part of the pattern of ripples that began at the first La Leche League meeting in 1956.  Those ripples have spread around the world and are still felt at all the mother-to-mother get-togethers that are the heart of La Leche League.

from an article written by Diane Weissinger,MS, IBCLC.  www.normalfed.com

La Leche League of Madison now has a new email address. 

Some mothers find that they prefer to communicate via email rather than the phone.  We want to reach breastfeeding families however they are most comfortable, so we have established a new email address.  A trained LLL volunteer will respond to your question in a timely manner.  If you need an answer sooner, please consider calling a Leader at her home.  The phone numbers are listed on our Dates and Locations page.

LLLMadisonChapter@gmail.com

The phone number to find out more about milk donation here in Wisconsin with the MMAW is 608-333-4955.

Here also is a link to some articles from the LLLI website about human milk banking, along with mothers’ personal stories, both as donors and recipients of DHM.

Thanks much to Fran for donating her garage and to all the volunteers who helped! Please keep us in mind for next year. Whether you are looking for fabulous deals, love to volunteer, or want to find a good cause to donate your things to, we’ll be back again next May.