Carla,
I was a LLL Leader who was invited to teach classes locally and worked my
way through the Lamaze certification process - by the time I was ready to go
to seminar (towards the end of certification - I had already started
observing and student teaching) my son Michael was eight months old. I
brought a teenager with me who took him for walks and kept him happy....I
was HORRIFIED that there was another woman there who had weaned a three
month old just to go to that seminar! (And I must say - I didn't tell them I
was bringing a baby - I had only been to League things and never dreamed he
wouldn't be welcome, but knew he was too charming to keep with me every
minute. And...better to ask forgiveness than permission, right?)

Speaking as president of VLCA (Vermont) and a Leader, and having seen how
unwelcome babies and children seemed to be at the first childbirth
conference I went to ten years ago (happened to be ICEA) -- I wish we could
do what we do at our conferences in Burlington VT. We tell people that their
babies are welcome, and we thank them for taking good care of their babies.
The adults are much noisier!! (This year I told people I would personally
come scold them if they got too noisy!)
But this was a group decision by the conference committee - we made a
conscious decision to say that babies are what we're about, so if you  don't
like it, deal with it!

I've seen welcome babies at Lamaze conferences too. Seminar definitely is
more intense and it's difficult to pay attention if you're worrying about
how your baby is doing. So I guess you're back to "You can have it all --
but not all at once" -- figure out if this will fit into your life now. If
it will - find a way! It's worth every moment!

Dawn Kersula (who went from mom to Leader to Lamaze to IBCLC to RN by the
time my youngest baby was 9! and now runs perinatal programs, teaches, and
works as lactation specialist in the hospital here in Brattleboro VT)

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