I’m reading an article about online Forums in the latest issue of
Breastfeeding Today http://www.llli.org/breastfeedingtoday (one of a few
publications received by LLLC Leaders, who are also LLL members), and just
learned that there is a Spanish section.

As in the other forum sections, moms can post questions, get answers, and
read old threads
http://forums.llli.org/forumdisplay.php?63-Ayuda-de-madre-a-madre-en-Espa-nt
ilde-ol 

To visit the forums:  http://forums.llli.org/search.php?searchid=632783 

The article is below; this is the last paragraph:  

Though the thousands of discussions that have taken place on the
Mother-to-Mother Forums contain a huge amount of information, the value they
hold for the members goes far beyond facts about breastfeeding. Brooke makes
this point: “The Forums give international mamas access to more than just
information. You can Google information, right? It’s the personal,
conversational element that’s really kept me sane this past year and a
half.”

Ingrid 

Ingrid Tilstra
La Leche League Canada Leader
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant

Since the Mother-to-Mother Forums, La Leche League International’s online
message board, was created in 2006, more than 20,000 breastfeeding questions
have been posted, eliciting over 240,000 responses from parents around the
world. 

Many of the Forums’ knowledgeable members first found the board when they
were searching for solutions to their own breastfeeding difficulties. Just
like many members of regular LLL Groups, as Forum members overcome obstacles
with the support of other mothers, they gain the confidence to listen to
their own instincts in mothering their babies, and the desire to use their
experience to help others. 

Spanish-speaking mothers can share their experiences in the “Ayuda de
madre-a-madre en Español” section of the Forums, which has subforums for
discussions about nursing babies and toddlers. 

New sub-forums were added recently on the topics of introducing solids and
weaning. 

Some mothers who come to the Forums are struggling with unusual situations.
Health concerns or family circumstances complicate the breastfeeding
relationship with their babies, and they may not know anyone among their
friends, family, or local LLL Groups who has been through the same
experience. But when they post their questions on the Forums — whether
they’re dealing with nursing after breast augmentation or reduction,
exclusively pumping for a baby with an illness or disability, attempting to
relactate after a few months of using formula, or struggling with the
negative feelings of dysphoric milk ejection reflex (D-MER) — the chances
are they will find someone else who has experienced the same thing. 

When her baby was three months old, Forums member joe.s.mom found a painless
lump in her breast. After several ultrasounds and mammograms revealed what
might be a malignant tumor, a needle core biopsy was carried out. The
results showed the lump was benign (“cystic changes,” probably due to
breastfeeding) but that wasn’t the end of joe.s.mom’s worries. During and
after the biopsy, milk leaked from the incision site. 

“… the biopsy incision continued to leak— actually, gush—milk. I couldn’t go
to work, because I was essentially packing sanitary pads into my bra to
contain the flow. I had what is called a ‘milk fistula.’ 

The doctor who performed the biopsy told me simply, ‘Sorry, you’ll just have
to wean.’ I cried for a week. Seriously.” 

Joe.s.mom scoured the Internet looking for information about milk fistulae.
Mostly she found articles in veterinary journals about cows, and what little
she could find about the condition in women presented weaning as the only
option. But, fortunately, she also came across a link to the
Mother-to-Mother Forums, and while there were no other members at that time
who had experienced a milk fistula, there were some older threads on the
topic that discussed continuing breastfeeding during treatment. With the
guidance of a professional lactation consultant, joe.s.mom stopped nursing
on the side with the fistula, used pressure on the incision while expressing
by hand to relieve engorgement, and nursed her baby from the other breast
until the incision was healed. She was then able to relactate on the
affected side, and now, more than two years later, her son is close to
weaning naturally. 

Other mothers who had been advised to wean because of a milk fistula have
since found their way to the Forums, and joe.s.mom has been able to share
specific ideas and suggestions while reassuring them that it’s possible to
continue breastfeeding while they heal. When asked why she participates on
the message board, joe.s.mom said, “I think I saw in the Forums a way to pay
forward for all of the help I’ve received. I also saw kindred spirits: women
who were too dang stubborn to quit breastfeeding, in the face of great
obstacles.” 

Like joe.s.mom, many board members who have overcome breastfeeding
difficulties value the opportunity the Forums give them to help other
mothers. Mommal originally came to the Forums looking for inspiration of a
sort. Her baby had such difficulty latching on and nursing effectively that
within the first two weeks mommal had excruciatingly sore, cracked nipples,
a low milk supply due to the lack of demand feeding, and a baby who wasn’t
gaining weight. She thought if she could find someone who’d had worse
problems than she did and was still breastfeeding, it would help her stick
with it too. 

"When I found [the Forums], I was desperately looking for something,
anything, that would fix my problems, or at the very least a horror story
that was worse than my own. Schadenfreude, right? Instead, I found an
opportunity to pay forward all the help I had received, from the two LCs who
helped me without charge, from fellow moms who had shared their struggles,
from my mom and mother-in-law and my husband who had let me cry on their
shoulders and kept me going just one more session, and then one more, and
one more after that."

Mommal expected to post once or twice and then be on her way, but things
didn’t go quite according to plan. Five years later, she can still be found
helping new mothers in the “Breastfeeding Support” section of the board. 

Another longtime member of the Forums, aprilsmagic, came to LLL through the
more traditional route of joining her local LLL Group. As her family of
energetic boys grew, though, going to meetings became impractical. “Baby #1
was so busy and active that I didn’t gain anything [from] meetings because
we were out in the hall for most of the meeting, and often I went home in
tears because I missed the connection to like-minded mothers so much.... I
felt lost for a little while, alone in following my mothering instincts in a
world telling me what I was doing was wrong, until I decided to take an
active role in the Forums.” 

Aprilsmagic’s first three babies gave her plenty of valuable experience to
share. After years of giving support to many, many other mothers on the
Forums, aprilsmagic found herself in need of support when her fourth baby
was born with a cleft lip and palate that made it physically impossible for
him to breastfeed. * Exclusively pumping to provide him with her milk has
made the logistics of attending meetings even more daunting, and has given
her a whole new—if not exactly welcome—expertise. The flexibility of the
online Forums makes it possible for aprilsmagic to continue to support and
connect with other mothers, including some who also have babies with a cleft
lip and/or palate. 

Most mothers don’t have such serious obstacles to breastfeeding, but even
those who are experiencing the normal ups and downs of adjusting to life
with a new baby need support. The Mother-to-Mother Forums fill a niche for
many who don’t have an LLL Group nearby. When Brooke, known on the board as
expatmum, moved to Lithuania with her husband and three-month-old baby, she
couldn’t find a local support network to replace the LLL Group she had left
behind. The culture of her new home didn’t strike her as particularly
breastfeeding friendly either. Though she didn’t have any major problems
breastfeeding, she desperately needed to connect with people who were
accepting and supportive of her parenting style. 

"Several parenting techniques discussed [on the Forums] — like baby-led
solids, nursing in public (even toddlers!), babywearing, and cosleeping —
shored me up in my instincts and made our constant traveling with the baby
enjoyable when it could’ve been a nightmare!"

Now that Brooke is expecting her second child and her family is getting
ready for another move — to southern California this time — she has been
able to turn to the members of the Forums for help in finding local
resources and information. 

Though the thousands of discussions that have taken place on the
Mother-to-Mother Forums contain a huge amount of information, the value they
hold for the members goes far beyond facts about breastfeeding. Brooke makes
this point: “The Forums give international mamas access to more than just
information. You can Google information, right? It’s the personal,
conversational element that’s really kept me sane this past year and a
half.” 

             ***********************************************

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