Get to Know Your Local Leader - Naomi

My name is Naomi Hambleton.

I have three children… born in ’02, ’05 and ’09.

I have been involved with La Leche League since my first born was about 5 months. I went to a meeting to meet other moms who were breastfeeding (AKA "find my tribe") and left so happy because I felt empowered in mothering MY OWN way.  I thought I'd go for a few sessions but I ended up making many life-long friends there.  I love that I can take my daughter and sons to La Leche League events and that it is so family centered.  It is a great way for them to see mothering-through-breastfeeding modeled in our community too.

Before children and for some time when my first was young, I was a Special Education Teacher.  I have a Master’s of Science in Education and love teaching.  I've also worked as a children's counselor in domestic violence situations in the past and volunteered at crisis hotlines.  I've worked with children from many backgrounds as well as their families. I always wanted to work in some capacity to empower other women and LLL combines my loves of women & children and education!

It is hard to choose from the LLL concepts, but my favorite philosophy concept is probably: “Mothering through breastfeeding is the most natural and effective way of understanding and satisfying the needs of the baby”. So much of the way I parent in the early years has to do with breastfeeding… nursing for food, for comfort, to heal boo-boo’s, nursing to sleep, nursing when out and about, nursing for a healthy lifestyle and so on.  My husband and I are not perfect parents by any stretch but we continue to go back to that attachment that was created in the early years as our children grow.

Each Leader finds that we have more proficiency in some area over others. In my experience, much of our personal baby issues were around reflux, colic, and sensory challenges. They all can go hand and hand as well!  I really enjoy educating myself and going to conferences when I can.  I have listened to many amazing speakers and learned so much thanks to La Leche League conferences and education.  This summer I took my whole family with me to the Tongue-Tie Summit in Orlando.  I learned so much and recently worked with my coLeader, Monica on our session to bring that information to our community here in the Lowcountry.

I think my favorite meeting topic is #3…overcoming challenges. I like to think on my feet and to give information so that moms can feel empowered I did at my first meeting. I love to blow up myths and encourage moms to question what they hear and advocate for their children.  I feel like having to do things like stand up for yourself or your child (such as while nursing out and about or when someone questions "still" breastfeeding) can only strengthen moms and dads when it comes to the other parenting challenges ahead.

My most disliked question is probably about sleep. To me, sleep is just something families should know about and plan for. It is awful to be exhausted and to feel like you have little control over a situation but to hear about families struggling with negative advice to force a baby who is not ready to sleep longer than they should, to ignore crying or to give less attention than is developmentally appropriate is hard for me.  I wish I could toss many books on this topic right into the trash!

Favorite quote in Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, 8th Edition? It is hard to come up with just one! I love the info on what is NORMAL in chapter 5 - Hello Baby, especially the part about trusting yourself…that is what La Leche League is all about. I also love the tips in Chapter 16 Everybody Weans… the idea of the “triple nipple” is very true!  If you haven't heard of this "triple nipple" idea, I'd encourage you to read about it or ask at the next meeting you attend.  (We sell it here on our blog if you are interested.)

My favorite thing about being a volunteer Leader for La Leche League is and has always been talking with moms. We have our facebook page and group, our blog, emails, and the like, but the VOICE or FACE of a mom as she goes from concerned to feeling listened to and has found some options is a feeling of satisfaction for me as a helper! The least favorite thing about being a LLL Leader would be the feelings of limitations when we hear about health practitioners or critics not helping moms on their breastfeeding journey.  Other things I dislike is the wishing we could advertise or get the word out to more and more of the general population…(who is interested about breastfeeding BEFORE a baby really?) ... that and the paperwork.  :)

My favorite music is Pink, other positive women singers and most jazz.  My all time favorite book for moms would be What Mothers Do; Especially When it Looks Like Nothing by Naomi Stadlen.  I love giving it as a gift to new moms.  My favorite foods for comfort are soups or cookies.   My favorite color is periwinkle blue and my favorite activity is hiking in nice weather...don't you love the fall around here? I have always loved the autumn season!

I am also currently the Professional Liaison Leader for South Carolina and have been doing this volunteer position over 5 years now. The PL provides the Group Leader with additional support or information when a mother needs information about a medically related breastfeeding situation or has a breastfeeding problem outside the scope of the Leader’s knowledge.  I love this role and have utilized much of my learning in this area in working with Applicants who are now my coLeaders.

I also currently write a blog (not LLL related or sponsored) called A2Z Lactation (after my children A, S & Z) at http://a2zlactation.wordpress.com/ and though I don't update the blog as often as I like, I do love posting on the A2Z facebook page https://www.facebook.com/A2ZLactation so check that out and "like" it if you feel so inclined.

Get to Know Your Local Leaders - Carissa

My name is Carissa and I've been a leader for almost 3 years. I have three boys aged five, three, and four months. I have been nursing non-stop for five years, that's through two pregnancies! My first experience with La Leche League came from reading an older Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. As a newly pregnant woman many people gave me their old books to read, including some that were not very baby friendly or peaceful for that matter. I am really grateful for reading the Womanly Art while pregnant with my first and then attending my first couple of meetings before the birth. It made all the difference in my mothering path.

I live in Mt. Pleasant with my husband who is originally from South Africa. I am originally from Texas, but have lived in South Carolina since 1997. Most of those years are in the Charleston area, except for a couple of years in Columbia. In my free time I like to do yoga, run, knit, sew, and various DIY projects. We are just starting to home-school our oldest this year and are looking forward to the journey that will bring.

I am passionate about natural childbirth. My first was born at Charleston Birth Place and my other two sons were born at home with a home-birth midwife. It is a La Leche League belief that alert and active participation by the mother in childbirth is helpful in getting breastfeeding off to a good start. What led me to seek an out of hospital birth was a feeling that I could not birth there. I happened to search for a birth center and to my amazement one was opening soon. If you want to read more about LLL philosophy go here.

Some of the breastfeeding issues I have personal experience with are thrush, food protein intolerance/elimination diets, reflux, and tongue and lip ties. I've had thrush twice with my third baby and was thankful for gentian violet. Both my second and third babies have been unable to tolerate gluten, dairy, and soy. My second also had a few other foods including chocolate that were not happy foods. My third baby was the tongue and lip tied one, who we had revised with laser. Both my second and third babies were very fussy as newborns and have/had reflux, one big life saver is baby-wearing. Without baby-wearing my life would be so much harder, and it is the only way I can keep up with my older boys. The reflux we treated naturally through diet changes for me, homeopathic means, and probiotics.

Some of my favorite things about La Leche League are meeting other moms going through the same things and being able to support and encourage each other through the ups and down times. I also love how La Leche League was started by a group of moms who wanted to help others with breastfeeding and that has continued through the years, generating tons of great research. I love attending meetings because it's like getting a recharge to your mothering battery.

Get to Know Your Local Leaders~Beth!

Not your typical nursing photo! Sleeping Mama and Amelia Rose (18 months old.)

I'm Beth, just one of the many local leaders dedicated to help more mothers reach their breastfeeding goals. 

I am fortunate to have birthed three wonderful babies, Amelia Rose (5), Julian Buchanan…aka Buck (2), and Truitt (2 months).

I started coming to La Leche League meetings in the fall of 2007 when my daughter was about 3 months old.  Nursing started going well for us, thanks to my mother being knowledgeable and having a sister and friends who had successfully breastfed.  I could also thank my good start to Lin Cook, an IBCLC who gave me private instruction and demonstrations just days before I delivered my baby girl.  Luckily she also gave me a flyer for LLL!  I went to the meeting because most people I knew at the time started supplementing between 3-6 months and many did not breastfeed an entire year.  I knew that method was not going to work for us and went to seek help in meeting my goal.  I found that help in La Leche League.  I was hooked and wanted to come back for more!

It is hard to pick my favorite LLL philosophy, I think very important is “in the early years baby has an intense need to be with his mother, which, is as basic as his need for food.”   To me the word ‘intense’ is perfect and I believe this to be 100% true.  I also appreciate that the philosophy demonstrates just how important closeness is between mother and baby…the need for food is obvious, so should be love in proximity.

A main motivation for me in becoming a Leader at LLL was because of my experience with juggling work, pumping, and breast-milk bottle feeding.  It was necessary for me to return to work soon after the birth of my first two children…at six weeks with Amelia Rose and only 3 weeks with Julian. Fortunately, I only worked part time and not on consecutive days.   This helped me in sustaining my ability to breastfeed.   At the same time, neither of my jobs were conducive to pumping.   I fought for the right and stood up for myself because I knew it was the best thing for my babies.  I hope I am able to help or inspire other mothers who must work outside home to continue their breastfeeding relationship and fight for their babies too!

Like my co-leader Hillary, my favorite meeting topic is Bringing Home Baby.  It reminds me of those sweet, sweet new baby days when your only job in the world is to bond, snuggle, and nurse your fresh little wonder.  It can also be challenging and frustrating finding time for your own needs and baby’s…especially when factoring in any latching difficulties or other nursing issues.  It is my wish that ALL expectant mothers attend a meeting and hear ideas about the first moments, hours and days that can really set the tone for the whole breastfeeding experience.

My favorite thing about being a Leader is helping moms reach their goal.  My least favorite is the feeling that I could help more if they would only give us the opportunity.  I wish more would mothers would reach out earlier and call more often.

Even today I still love attending the LLL meetings…mainly because I meet so many new friends!  Personal friendships were not something I realized would change so much with having children.  However, as I developed my ideas about child rearing and family, it became obvious that my family’s philosophy was different from many people we knew and spent time with pre-kids. Our old friends are still in our lives but there are issues we agree to disagree on.  It sure is nice to be around people that just agree!

Before family and babies, my life was a quite different I worked as an Administrative Assistant full time and trained for Triathlons, completing two Half Ironman races and many sprint and Olympic distance races.  I still hope to get back into racing and have already started jogging again after my newest baby’s birth.

For now, my interests are spending time as a family doing as many enriching activities with the kids as possible.  My days and weeks consist of aquarium visits, trips to the beach, play-dates, nature walks, family bike rides, berry picking, lots of playground time, La Leche League meetings,  preparing fresh real food at home, attending Church and Sunday School, going to farmer’s markets, ballet lessons for my daughter, swim lessons and more sports to come for all the kids!  Oh, and baby-wearing to tote the little ones wherever we roam! I feel so blessed to be raising a family in such a wonderful place and I am so grateful to La Leche League for bringing a truly awesome group of women into my life that have helped me to learn so much about raising my kids in a loving, gentle, and natural way! 

Come to our next meeting for your own inspiration! See you there!

Get to know your local leader - Monica

Each month, we'll feature one of your local Charleston leaders so you can get to know the LLLadies a little better.

Monica Pelletier

How many children do you have? 
Reid (3yrs) and Boyd (4 months)

How long have you been involved with LLL and what brought you to your first meeting? 

I went to my first meeting when Reid was around 5 months old. After attending many mom groups around town, I hadn't found anyone that I really clicked with. I went to a couple LLL meetings and met one awesome mom and we became fast friends (our little guys were just 3 weeks apart). Unfortunately  she moved to Florida just a few short months later. So I started attending LLL meetings again. Not only did I benefit breastfeeding support, but I also met a ton of other moms that shared in my parenting beliefs. 

I became a leader in the Fall of 2012.

What is your favorite philosophy concept and why?
"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."

I wouldn't know where I would be without my supportive husband. I don't know how many times he's been mad that I'm the only one that can nurse. But he has the touch to get Boyd to sleep (jiggle, jiggle, jiggle, shush, shush, shush) and is Reid's favorite person in the world--who else can tackle and race and roll around in the dirt as well as Daddy?!

What is one thing you have a great deal of experience or familiarity with?
Tongue Tie and Over Supply.  Reid had a tongue tie that we didn't catch until he was 15 months old.  I never had any pain associated with nursing and he was gaining fine so I never guessed. But he wasn't ever interested in solids. When my dental hygentist caught the tongue tie, we figured out that he wasn't eating because the tie was preventing him from moving food around his mouth correctly so he was gagging. 

I had oversupply with Reid but never complained because I thought having too much milk was a good thing. So I leaked. And leaked. And leaked!  At 9 months, I was still leaking and had overactive and painful let-down. I don't remember when it finally stopped but it went on way too long. 

With Boyd, I had oversupply and overactive let-down right away. But this time I had my LLLadies behind me and knew that this was a problem that could be fixed. A combination of a few strategies fixed me right up and turned my unhappy, gassy, diaper rash baby back to a happy boy.

What is your favorite meeting topic?
"Nutrition and weaning. Pregnant women enjoy this topic so they can optimize their unborn baby's health. Mothers learn how to start solids for their babies. Nutritious options for family meals are shared."

I have a master's degree in holistic nutrition, so I'm always up for talking about when, how and what to feed your little one. 

Favorite thing and least favorite thing about being a LLL Leader?
Favorite thing: being the connector to introduce moms at meetings that can hang out outside of LLL and become wonderful supporters for each other.
Least favorite thing: Not hearing back from moms after a meeting, email or helping call.  I always hope things are going well and will email moms to check back but not everyone gives us updates.

Favorite music, book, food, color, activity?

Music: Jimmy Buffet. Turn it up loud and it can wipe away any bad thoughts. 

Book: There are so many! Most unique: Ella Minnow Pea. Made me cry: Time Traveler's Wife. Made me think: The Story of B.

Food: Fish sandwich from BO's Fish Wagon in Key West. 

Color: Hmmm, toss up between lime green and Caribbean blue
Activity: I am a DIY freak. Refinishing furniture, cooking, baking, sewing, gardening, painting...you name it!

Past Jobs:

I always think it's so funny how once we become stay at home moms that we don't even ask each other what we did before.   And yet, I am so far removed from that person now that I guess it doesn't really match my mommy-ness anyway. Way back in the day, I used to be in marketing and public relations. My husband and I used to live in the Washington, DC area where I worked for a boating and fishing organization. I had a $5 million budget each year to spend on TV, radio and print ads and another $400,000 on public relations efforts. To say it was fun is an understatement! I got to travel the country with celebrities promoting fishing and boating. Yes, it was a dream job!  

But we wanted to have kids and be able to afford a single family home (DC is SO expensive!) so we headed south. And although I miss the jet-setting career, moving to Mount Pleasant has been the best decision ever. I had a couple marketing and PR jobs here and then was able to quit to be CEO of the kids.