La Leche League of South Bend

With Mother's Day around the corner, come and share what it has been like to become a mother. How do you find time to care for yourself when your little one still has so many needs? Join us Tuesday, May 8 at 7 p.m. at the Tutt Branch Library. Meet at the fireplace in the library. Expectant mothers and babies welcome along with any breastfeeding questions or challenges you have.

Join us Tuesday, February 13, 7 p.m. at the Tutt Branch library, to discuss your struggles with and tips for how to deal with fussy babies.  Expectant mothers and babies are all welcome.  Feel free to bring along other breastfeeding and parenting questions you have.

Join us at River Park Branch Library on Tuesday, October 10 at 7 p.m. to discuss your favorite breastfeeding tricks and treats.  What is some breastfeeding or parenting wisdom you would like to share with others?  What are some of your favorite "treats" or things you enjoy most about breastfeeding?  Bring along any other questions you have.  Expectant mothers and babies are welcome.

 Join us Tuesday, June 14 at 7 pm, River Park Branch Library to discuss sleep,  breastfeeding and other baby challenges. What are normal sleep patterns for a newborn, what are some resources for new parents?  Bring your questions and your baby with you.  Expectant mothers also welcome. The St. Joseph County 4H Fair is coming up and every year the St. Joseph County Breastfeeding Coalition puts up a "Lactation Station" so nursing mothers have a nice, clean place to put their feet up and relax while they feed their babies. We are looking for volunteers to sit at the table and show the mothers where they may nurse. Click on the google doc below for more details and to sign up. Please share with anyone who might like to help. Thanks to all the volunteers! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tTPNlxAXsl7WU38PWBUB30cP83Fbc8QmKicrXzQiizI/edit#heading=h.j3rw2qwx0qe4                              ...

Happy Mother's Day to you! Come join us in a discussion of what it has been like to become a mother.  What are some things you can do to care for yourself amidst the busyness of caring for small children, keeping everyone fed and perhaps also working outside the home. We will meet Tuesday, May 10 at 7 pm at the River Park Branch Library in South Bend.

Join us Tuesday, March 8 at 7 pm, River Park Branch library to discuss how to "Make it Work".  No matter what our lives looked like before kids, we all know our perspectives are vastly different after. And whether we go back to  work  after 6 weeks, 12 weeks, full-time, part-time, not at all, SAHM, WAHM, free-lancer, mompreneur, etc., we all struggle with how to balance our lives. We'll share ideas of how we have done this and issues we haven't yet solved. How do you fit breastfeeding and/or pumping into your new lifestyle? (Or how do you adapt your lifestyle to breastfeeding?!)  How do you divvy up household chores? Child care? How do you  make  sure you get the help you need? And of course, we will have room for your breastfeeding questions, concerns, and successes.

Join us at Tutt Branch, corner of Miami and Ewing on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 7 pm to share your birth stories and your early days of being a mother.  Did your expectations align with reality? How well did breastfeeding go then and how is it now? Bring baby with you along with any other questions or insights you would like to share.

Join us on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 7 pm, Tutt Branch Library. Please note change in location. What do you love about wearing your baby or toddler? What challenges have you faced with babywearing? How has babywearing helped with breastfeeding and bonding? What type of carrier have you always wanted to try? Is there a tricky back or side carry you need demonstrated? Need help figuring out how to nurse in your carrier? Please bring along your favorite carrier(s) to demonstrate.  There will also be time to address any of your nursing questions.

The Theme for this year's World Breastfeeding Week is "Breastfeeding and Work: Let's Make it Work" and that is exactly what we will talk about Tuesday August 11 at 7 pm, River Park Branch library.  Expectant and nursing mothers and babies are all welcome.  If you have experience with working and breastfeeding, come share tips of what makes it successful for you.  If you are newly returning to work, come hear what our experienced mothers have to share.

Come join us to discuss starting solids, toddler nursing and family nutrition. Share your ideas and concerns.  We are meeting at River Park Branch library at 7 pm, Tuesday, July 14.  Pregnant and nursing mothers and babies are welcome.

At our next evening meeting, Tuesday, June 9 at 7 pm, River Park Branch Library, we will be discussing that precious commodity for all parents--Sleep. There are as many sleep philosophies and set-ups as there are babies. Come share ideas of what has worked for your family, struggles you face, and an open heart for commiseration.  We have several books in the LLL library you may want to check out, including the brand new LLL book written by the women who brought you the most recent edition of "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding": "Sweet Sleep:Nighttime and Naptime Strategies for Breastfeeding Families". We're really excited about this book--it is so helpful and truthful in a way that no other sleep book has been brave enough to be before. We're looking forward to hearing your sleep successes and challenges, as well as  your breastfeeding questions, concerns, and successes.

The evening meeting location has changed this month to the Tutt Branch Library, corner of Miami and Ewing, 2223 Miami St. South Bend, IN, still at 7 pm on Tuesday 4/14/2015.  Come join the discussion on nursing an older baby.  How has your nursing relationship changed with your baby now that they are older?  Is your baby distracted when nursing, waking more at night? If you are back at work, are you trying to figure out how to keep up with supply or when to start cutting back on pumping?  Come join the discussion and of course bring your baby and any other questions or concerns you have.

At River Park Branch Library, Tuesday March 10, 7 pm No matter what our lives looked like before kids, we all know our perspectives are vastly different after. And whether we go back to work after 6 weeks, 12 weeks, full-time, part-time, not at all, SAHM, WAHM, free-lancer, mompreneur, etc., we all struggle with balance and how to Make It Work. At the next LLL morning meeting we'll share ideas of how we have done this and issues we haven't yet solved. How do you fit breastfeeding and/or pumping into your new lifestyle? (Or how do you adapt your lifestyle to breastfeeding?!) How do you fill those long hours with baby? How do you divvy up household chores? Child care? How do you make sure you get the help you need? When do you take on new duties? How do you structure your days in a way that works for you and your child(ren)? We'll delve into all of this and more.  And of course, we will have room for your breastfeeding questions, concerns, and successes.

Tuesday Feb. 10, 7 pm, River Park Branch Library Whether or not you've ever felt like your baby might be colicky, fussy, or high needs, many breastfeeding mothers are surprised by how "needy" our babies are...until we compare notes with other families! At next week's meeting we'll talk about how our babies might not match our (or society's) expectations. We'll discuss what kind of myths and misconceptions are floating around about babies and breastfeeding, and how to remain confident in our parenting choices. We'll also share techniques we've found to help our babies and ourselves move through fussy times. There will also be time to share breastfeeding questions, concerns, and successes!

Are you thinking about starting solids?  Wondering about how best to care for your own nutritional needs as a nursing mother? Hoping to improve your own diet after all those holiday goodies? Dealing with a picky toddler or preschooler? This month's meeting will be all about introducing first foods and encouraging nutritious eating as our children grow. Come with questions or experiences to share. Join us at River Park Branch Library at 7 pm. Tuesday Evening Jan 13. As always we will answer any breastfeeding questions or concerns you have including how to return to work and maintain breastfeeding.   Weather policy for the evening group - if the St Joseph County Library system is closed due to inclement weather, we will not meet.  If the library is open, we will have a meeting.

Evening Meeting, Tuesday Dec. 9, 7 pm. River Park Branch Library, South Bend This week we are going to talk about birth and early days with baby. How did your birth experience(s) affect breastfeeding? What would you change if you could? What would you recommend to other mothers? And what about the early days after your baby was born--what surprised you? What do wish you would have known? How can we advocate for the best kind of support for our new families? Bring ideas of local resources, supportive ears, and open minds as we come together to share our perspectives on these powerful topics. As always, we will have room for  your breastfeeding questions, concerns, and successes!

  At our next meeting we'll share our ideas about dealing with the holidays as parents of young ones. Do you have tips for fielding family questions/opinions about parenting and breastfeeding choices? Traveling with babies and children? Keeping ourselves and our kids healthy in the midst of cookies and germs?  Trying to maintain some semblance of routine amongst the craziness?  Join us at River Park Branch library at 7 pm, Tuesday Nov. 11 with you little one included. There will also be time for any questions you have.

Trick or Treat?  What are you favorite nursing tricks or tips that you would pass onto a new mother,  what are you favorite "treats" in regards to nursing?  Bring your little one along with you and other questions to the River Park Branch Library, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 7 pm.  Expectant mothers are welcome!

Bring your baby and your favorite baby wearing device. Come and share how to wear your favorite baby sling or carrier to other mothers at our meeting Tuesday evening at 7 pm, River Park Branch Library.  Of course bring along any breastfeeding questions you have as well.

 With fall coming, many of you are returning to work.. Can you work and breastfeed?  Yes you can!  For those of you going back to work, come listen to our more experienced mothers share how they have made it work for them.  Babies welcome.