What is La Leche League?
La Leche League is an international, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization dedicated to providing support, encouragement, information, and education to women who want to breastfeed. La Leche League Leaders are experienced breastfeeding mothers, accredited by La Leche League International. They are familiar with research and current findings dealing with all aspects of nursing, and are trained to answer questions or concerns you may have about breastfeeding. Leaders are volunteers who are available for free telephone or e-mail help every day. LLL has 65 years of experience providing mother-to-mother/parent-to-parent support.
Monthly meetings typically rotate through four general topics:
Advantages of Breastfeeding
Preparing for Baby, Childbirth, and the New Baby at Home
The Art of Breastfeeding: Avoiding and Overcoming Difficulties
Nutrition and Weaning
All parents interested in learning about breastfeeding are welcome to attend meetings or to call a Leader for breastfeeding help. We encourage pregnant women to attend meetings too. Whether you breastfeed your baby for six days, six weeks, six months, a year or longer, you will find La Leche League meetings supportive and informative. Babies and children are always welcome at our meetings.
La Leche League offers breastfeeding support and information through:
Phone, text, and e-mail help from experienced, accredited Leaders
Facebook pages, groups, and other social media accounts.
Lending libraries with books on breastfeeding, birth, & parenting
LLL breastfeeding information sheets
Books including The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and Sweet Sleep
Breastfeeding Today, online newsletter for parents
La Leche League Philosophy
The basic philosophy of La Leche League is summarized in the following statements:
Mothering through breastfeeding is the most natural and effective way of understanding and satisfying the needs of the baby.
Human milk is the natural food for babies, uniquely meeting their changing needs.
Alert, active participation by the mother in childbirth is a help in getting breastfeeding off to a good start.
Mother and baby need to be together early and often to establish a satisfying breastfeeding relationship and reliable milk supply.
Breastfeeding is enhanced by the loving support of the baby’s father, a co-parent, a partner, and/or close family members who value the breastfeeding relationship.
In the early years, the baby has an intense need to be with his mother which is as basic as his need for food.
For the healthy, full-term baby, human milk is the only food necessary until the baby shows signs of readiness for complementary foods, about the middle of the first year after birth.
Good nutrition means eating a well-balanced and varied diet of foods in as close to their natural state as possible.
Ideally the breastfeeding relationship will continue until the child outgrows the need.
From infancy on, children need loving guidance which reflects acceptance of their capabilities and sensitivity to their feelings.
La Leche League Publications
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
The classic bestselling guide by La Leche League International provides a range of nursing information, ideas, and stories – from preparation during pregnancy to the world of weaning, from nursing positions to expressing and storing your milk.
Sweet Sleep
This is the first and most complete book on nights and naps for breastfeeding families. It’s mother-wisdom, reassurance, and a how-to guide for making sane and safe decisions on how and where your family sleeps, backed by the latest research.
und the world. Without contributions from our members, La Leche League would be unable to provide this vital mother-to-mother/parent-to-parent support. For more membership information and to purchase a membership, please contact a Leader from your local LLL Group or click below.