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Home › Articles › Breastfeeding Basics › As Easy as 1, 2, 3

As Easy as 1, 2, 3

Breastfeeding Made Simply for the Mom-to-Be

By Teri Brown

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Pregnant women have a lot to think about. While dealing with the physical and emotional changes of pregnancy, they must also educate themselves on being the best mom they can be. Women choosing to breastfeed are also considering building a successful nursing relationship.

The good news is that it has never been easier to get breastfeeding information and support. The following three steps will help women obtain more information on how to breastfeed their baby successfully.

Step 1: Attend La Leche League Meetings.
The La Leche League (LLL) mission is "to help mothers worldwide to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information and education and to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother." And that is exactly what they do for thousands and thousands of women around the globe.

Rachel Berry of Newberg, Ore., says with a laugh that going to La Leche League meetings while pregnant should be mandatory.

"I was able to talk about concerns before my child was born, which helped me make choices about sleeping arrangements, whether I would need bottles and other choices that I think most women wait to make until after the baby is born," says Berry. "I would highly recommend attending LLL meetings while pregnant as much as possible. I think this is education that pregnant mothers very much need, as well as the support system that goes with it."

By attending the meetings before the baby is born, a mother can witness how easily breastfeeding can fit into her life. She also hears from breastfeeding mothers about the problems they've encountered and how they solved them, and she hears mothers offer ideas to other mothers who are experiencing difficulties.

Sherri Streicher, a La Leche League leader from Beaverton, Ore., says that many women who do not attend La Leche League meetings while pregnant later say that they wish they had, because it might have helped them avoid problems they encountered.

"When a woman starts attending series meetings while pregnant, she can get to know the leaders of the group and some of the other mothers who attend regularly," Streicher says. "This way, after her baby is born, she will have people she already knows to talk to about breastfeeding and mothering a newborn."

Katy Lebbing, a manager for the Education and Member Services department of La Leche League International, says that breastfeeding is the most important "dinner party" a pregnant woman will ever prepare for. "When we are having a fancy dinner party, we clean the house, prepare delicious food ahead of time and invite the guests," she says. "The same with having a baby. We want to be prepared with the knowledge of how to nurse before the baby comes!"

Lebbing says that while most LLL groups are for pregnant and nursing women, some groups are couples' groups, where dads-to-be and dads also attend. Groups that are generally just for women often hold a special meeting for couples expecting their first child. Check with your local La Leche League (visit their Web site

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